First Bonsai Green Mound Juniper
- Thread starter sjanicki
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bonsaichile
Omono
keep it outside, at all times, in full sun. learn to water it. get more trees so you dont "love" this one to dead! And welcome!
Thank you @bonsaichile!
Also, do people have styling recommendations to make it more artistic and less of a Home Depot Bonsai (which it is)? I realize that it won't be winning any shows but I mostly want to learn as much as possible and maybe grow more trees in the future that don't start life in a Bonsai nursery.
Also, do people have styling recommendations to make it more artistic and less of a Home Depot Bonsai (which it is)? I realize that it won't be winning any shows but I mostly want to learn as much as possible and maybe grow more trees in the future that don't start life in a Bonsai nursery.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
My first recommendation would be to listen to bonsaichile.
Once you have a few more trees, and when you know how to care for them, you're going to screw a few up. Then some more while you get the hang of it, and then a few more just for the sake of it.
In this pot, this tree isn't going out of control within 5 years. So you have all the time to take it slow.
At the end of summer, some needles will have turned brown because of their age. Get a tweezers and pull those off. That'll be your first styling.
In winter, when the bark of junipers contracts, you can think about structural wiring. I might sound like an echo-chamber, but I've learned that especially beginners can learn a great deal by not cutting anything and just doing the wiring. I screwed over 5 or 6 junipers before I found that out. And for some reason after wiring, the design kind of makes itself. It's then just a matter of reducing the amount of branches, or just keeping it that way.
If you go too fast, there's a fat chance you might have to wait another 2-5 years before you get a second try. Now if you do a hundred small things to a hundred trees, you'll be accumulating knowledge and experience fast, and it keeps your mind off of doing radical things that might not work out ;-)
Once you have a few more trees, and when you know how to care for them, you're going to screw a few up. Then some more while you get the hang of it, and then a few more just for the sake of it.
In this pot, this tree isn't going out of control within 5 years. So you have all the time to take it slow.
At the end of summer, some needles will have turned brown because of their age. Get a tweezers and pull those off. That'll be your first styling.
In winter, when the bark of junipers contracts, you can think about structural wiring. I might sound like an echo-chamber, but I've learned that especially beginners can learn a great deal by not cutting anything and just doing the wiring. I screwed over 5 or 6 junipers before I found that out. And for some reason after wiring, the design kind of makes itself. It's then just a matter of reducing the amount of branches, or just keeping it that way.
If you go too fast, there's a fat chance you might have to wait another 2-5 years before you get a second try. Now if you do a hundred small things to a hundred trees, you'll be accumulating knowledge and experience fast, and it keeps your mind off of doing radical things that might not work out ;-)
@Wires_Guy_wires thanks for the comments! This all seems like super good advice.
Merlotlo
Sapling
I also bought a green mound juniper from Brussel's. I've got to say I like yours a lot more than I like mine. 
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Hartinez
Masterpiece
there’s 2 trees in there! Both cool looking! Keep this one alive for a long enough period of time and you could airlayer the trees at the midpoint and have 2 great shohin juniper.
Really though, listen to wireguys and bonsai Chile. Don’t do anything too drastic early on. Just learn to water and keep it alive through a few seasons. Buy a few more that aren’t great and practice on them. Over time you probably could separate it into a couple trees but that takes skill and practice. A skill I have not succeeded at myself sooooo....
Either way. Welcome to the forum and enjoy yourself!
Really though, listen to wireguys and bonsai Chile. Don’t do anything too drastic early on. Just learn to water and keep it alive through a few seasons. Buy a few more that aren’t great and practice on them. Over time you probably could separate it into a couple trees but that takes skill and practice. A skill I have not succeeded at myself sooooo....
Either way. Welcome to the forum and enjoy yourself!
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Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
Small side note for the beginners:
I do have to say that we can get this size procumbens junipers for 5-10 bucks at any random outdoor plant store.
I don't know what you guys are paying for these at renowned bonsai stores, but I just want to make clear that if you're going to get a lot of practice material, it doesn't have to be expensive.
Some people pay up to 50 bucks for trees like this. But you can get a pot of equal quality for around 15 bucks and spend the rest on a shopping cart full of practice plant material. Or.. Save the money for a slick one.
Bonsai nurseries gotta make money too, that's for sure. But I'd rather not pay ten times the price of a plant just because it has been repotted.
Especially beginners are easily lured into those traps. I see Brussels offering some procumbens for 117 USD, whereas my local non-bonsai nursery offers them for 14.99.
Make your own decisions, always. But keep this in mind: it's the same plant, with the same age and the same properties, only the container and planting angle differ.
I do have to say that we can get this size procumbens junipers for 5-10 bucks at any random outdoor plant store.
I don't know what you guys are paying for these at renowned bonsai stores, but I just want to make clear that if you're going to get a lot of practice material, it doesn't have to be expensive.
Some people pay up to 50 bucks for trees like this. But you can get a pot of equal quality for around 15 bucks and spend the rest on a shopping cart full of practice plant material. Or.. Save the money for a slick one.
Bonsai nurseries gotta make money too, that's for sure. But I'd rather not pay ten times the price of a plant just because it has been repotted.
Especially beginners are easily lured into those traps. I see Brussels offering some procumbens for 117 USD, whereas my local non-bonsai nursery offers them for 14.99.
Make your own decisions, always. But keep this in mind: it's the same plant, with the same age and the same properties, only the container and planting angle differ.
coltranem
Chumono
I agree with @Wires_Guy_wires. You are paying a premium for a cheap pot and mediocre soil from these guys. A 1 gallon juniper at home depot is a much better deal. Better yet find a local bonsai nursery. For $100 I can get a nice procumbens in a 2 gallon with a 2 inch trunk. Look for prebonsai to avoid paying for someone to put it on a pot. BonsaiOutlet looks to have some good deals on prebonsai junipers for an internet seller if you must.
Merlotlo
Sapling
@Wires_Guy_wires & @coltranem I totally understand that and appreciate the warning. I bought mine because I was given an Amazon gift card and didn't know what to get with it. It was $36, on sale for what they said was a 6-8 year old juniper. They are now selling the tree I purchased for $55 or more (I'm not sure what made them drop or raise the price $20). I'm not upset about the $36 because most pots that are size it's in would cost me around $20 online or a local shop from what I've seen so far. I would love to hear where you guys get your pots. I got one at a local shop cause it was teal and that's my favorite color. Its 8 inch and was $27. Is that pretty standard?
coltranem
Chumono
Pot prices vary quite a bit based on quality. I have seen 8" glazed pots as cheap as $10 but they are pretty poor. Particularly if you want them to survive freezing. I get some pots from local bonsai shops and have bought a nice one from a member on here. There are a few members that make their own pots. Check out the pots forum.
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
I'm from Europe, I get my pots locally or I have them made by my mom and her friends. Pots are expensive, good pots are pretty much priceless because they can last multiple lifetimes, at least, that's what I've heard. The cheapest quality pots I get are from Germany.
I did a few castings with various types of concrete as well, those seem to hold up for at least a few years.
Out of the 120 or so trees I own, just a few are in bonsai pots. The rest is either in cut down plastic pots or wooden boxes. I'm in no rush to get them into small bonsai pots since most of these trees haven't been under my wing for more than 5 years, I still have a lot of things to learn about them.
I'm in it for the trees. If a pot serves its purpose, it's good enough for me. For now at least.
I did a few castings with various types of concrete as well, those seem to hold up for at least a few years.
Out of the 120 or so trees I own, just a few are in bonsai pots. The rest is either in cut down plastic pots or wooden boxes. I'm in no rush to get them into small bonsai pots since most of these trees haven't been under my wing for more than 5 years, I still have a lot of things to learn about them.
I'm in it for the trees. If a pot serves its purpose, it's good enough for me. For now at least.
Rusty Hills Farm
Seedling
I'm not a noob, but I'm no expert, either. My favorite "nana" came from Walmart in about 1987 and it is still in the first bonsai pot I ever made. Nowadays if I were in the market for a "nana" I'd go someplace like evergreenplantnursery.com and spend $10 for one of their #2 size. And I think I'd still take a pottery class and learn to make my own pots--it's tremendously satisfying to watch tree in a pot that you made yourself as it goes through all the stages from pre-bonsai to finished tree! Enjoy!
Good luck!
Rusty
This tree was created by taking a juniper “whip”, and staking it up, and curling it around the stake, tieing it up several places to the stake, and letting it grow for several years. For species that are natural ground covers, the branches will cascade down, or grow out to the side, so they virtually style themselves! All you have to do to create these things is 1) find whips of ground cover type junipers (take cuttings of one!); 2) find stakes; 3) find grow pots; 4) stick whip in pots with halfway decent soil; 5) tie whips to stakes; 6) water and fertilizer in full sun for 5 years; 7) harvest!! ; 8) Sell to Brussels, get rich, retire, laugh at newbies buying this stuff!
Lol!!!
This one is kinda cute, wire some movement into the upper trunk where the top of the trunk was taller than the stake.
Lol!!!
This one is kinda cute, wire some movement into the upper trunk where the top of the trunk was taller than the stake.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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to the OP, @sjanicki
I like your juniper, I would do nothing for a year or two. It is ''styled'' enough. Just keep it growing. If you are in the USA, it is pretty much winter hardy. Keep it outdoors through the summer, into autumn. Check daily to see if it needs water, only water when you dig your finger into the soil and it comes up dry or barely damp. Then it is time to water. Your juniper will do best with full sun or at least 6 or more hours of direct sun. Let it grow. In 2 years it will have added enough new growth that it will need to be styled.
In the mean time, get yourself more trees. This will make it easier to not over-work a tree. I need at least 50 projects going to keep me from fiddling too much with any one tree.
In the mean time, there are many relevant posts in the Juniper sub forum to read, and glean information from.
Have fun, you picked out a nice one.
I like your juniper, I would do nothing for a year or two. It is ''styled'' enough. Just keep it growing. If you are in the USA, it is pretty much winter hardy. Keep it outdoors through the summer, into autumn. Check daily to see if it needs water, only water when you dig your finger into the soil and it comes up dry or barely damp. Then it is time to water. Your juniper will do best with full sun or at least 6 or more hours of direct sun. Let it grow. In 2 years it will have added enough new growth that it will need to be styled.
In the mean time, get yourself more trees. This will make it easier to not over-work a tree. I need at least 50 projects going to keep me from fiddling too much with any one tree.
In the mean time, there are many relevant posts in the Juniper sub forum to read, and glean information from.
Have fun, you picked out a nice one.
Paulpash
Masterpiece
As a first tree this one is pretty decent. A bit more movement and it'd make a good literati down the road. Buy a cheap Lowes Juniper for a few dollars and practice wiring it with aluminum.
one_bonsai
Shohin
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I would shorten it
I like compacting the tree like this, but I like it even lower like @Hartinez showed in his mock up, your extra apex height feels out of place.
BunjaeKorea
Omono
That's .... rough.
