First real styling on a juniper cascade

Paulpash

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No two branches should be in the same plane. The first two branches should be in their own space.
 

Warpig

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Since I kind of had this split between two topics, I'll just continue with this one. Incase the other gets lost to time, i had broken the top most branch while wiring. I had since repaired the branch but it is still vary much healing so I didn't want to give it too much stress.

But, after a rewiring and restyling I think we found where the tree wants to go.

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Oh yea, i have no idea now on what im doing with that mohawk. :confused:
 
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I think you have something really nice to work over and over to help skills. Kinda jelly, but I think you will find there is much to learn from these excellent members about what's not right. I am not even a amateur when it comes to things like movements, balancing nebari, structure balance, and soil opinions. I can't comment cause all I know is nothing much. It just seems to me like you should take lots of pictures, and look at lots of examples. There are so many core fundamentals to commit to muscle memory before any kind of style confidence can be impressed on your tree's. So best to look at something respected by these members that is gleamed from google and very similar to what you have there. Then do your best to copy it while watching as much as you can from nature and YouTube/libraries. If you can travel to classes now is a good time while you still have patience to learn and ask questions. Wish you the best of luck. I am sure if your willing there will be someone here who will pull you aside and give you some concrete. Keep posting more pics I think it's cool 🤙🏼
 

Japonicus

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I only have one cascade, a couple more possibly or semi cascade that could be in the works.
This is a very random shot, just went out and grabbed it real quick.
I've done absolutely nothing to this tree this year. Last year it was my weakling
very slow recovering from too early a repot in March 2018.
I've read nothing on styling really,
and this is nursery stock from Lowes 1 gallon container whenever I got it.
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May 8, 2011 is the oldest pic I can find in my archives, so I acquired it before then for sure.

Next year hopefully I can thin it, but this year patience and food.
 

Japonicus

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You just have to put the tree in front of you before you do anything to it, study it
open it up, with your mind and your fingers, not the sheers, and it should come naturally
what the tree has to offer. I just don't have an arsenal of skills to make killer bonsai.
I have no bonsai clubs groups, not even local sales, tools or supplies of any kind.
I dream of attending classes, where I can take this or that project, and learn how to
do right by the plant and make it better than it is. I want to take my pines to NEB and
have Jun Imabayashi or John Romano help me learn their intricacies.
In the meantime, keep all the inner growth you can, but remove enough to be healthy and breathe.
Style with excess options, remove excess in years, not days as you are learning the beginning ropes.
 
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I like how it appears he followed the shape of the trunk with his branch style, horse shoes. Looks like a similar issue with bear limbs was occurring earlier in that trees life like yours. So he horse shoes each one down back and up to hide it close to the apex. You could still pull that off. Plenty of time. I would look to that trunk for inspiration though. Just a newb here, take it as a grain of salt.
 

Japonicus

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The headline picture looks right up that trees alley to me. Keep lookin though.
The upper half and upper apex have been kept tight with foliage on that one.
If you remove the smaller pom pom looking (1/2 of) portion of the cascade
crop it and look how much more realistic it looks I think it would look better myself.

The one the OP brings to the table requires so so many years of pushing growth back to
hopeful back buds, and then those to grow out, that it is counted in decades not years
to recoup, or grafting. This is why I suggested to get more now...or learn grafting would be the
only alternative worth the time invested.
 
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Thinking if he can mimic his own trunk shape to his limbs in varying degrees, he might accomplish the same thing in a few years. At least to what's grown.
 

Japonicus

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Sorry man, your plant looks amazing. I am talking about the headline picture in regards to its structure.
You said "occurring earlier in that trees life like yours" I could only hear it that way.
Mine's far from amazing, but I've been dedicated to keeping interior growth.
Thanks though. One of these years...
 
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You said "occurring earlier in that trees life like yours" I could only hear it that way.
Mine's far from amazing, but I've been dedicated to keeping interior growth.
Thanks though. One of these years...
Nah man idc who thinks that's substandard. With the right wiring it's going to looks beautiful I would be happy to pay decent cash for. Any newb would and I bet any one of these masters would dig giving that a nice once over. Personally I get itchy just looking at juniper.
 

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Japonicus

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Nah man idc who thinks that's substandard. With the right wiring it's going to looks beautiful I would be happy to pay decent cash for. Any newb would and I bet any one of these masters would dig giving that a nice once over. Personally I get itchy just looking at juniper.
Gotchya, your post was directed at the OP..
I’m allergic to pfitzer, and have a swell grown out one in the ground since
I collected it maybe 15 years ago. It is ripe for bonsai.

I’m just trying to demonstrate to the OP that $10 and 5 or 6 years will rocket him/her so far
beyond grinding away at this one for even longer than that and still having a project that leaves
more to be desired. I’m trying to give them a jump start.
 

Warpig

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I’m just trying to demonstrate to the OP that $10 and 5 or 6 years will rocket him/her so far
beyond grinding away at this one for even longer than that and still having a project that leaves
more to be desired. I’m trying to give them a jump start.
Im not sure what you were trying to say with this.

I know what i have started isn't what you would say is 'standard' form. At this point, it is what it is and i have a vision for it and I'm willing to see it through.

Love your tree by the way, looks good.
 

Japonicus

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Im not sure what you were trying to say with this.

I know what i have started isn't what you would say is 'standard' form. At this point, it is what it is and i have a vision for it and I'm willing to see it through.

Love your tree by the way, looks good.
Thank you. I am saying, that it will take decades if ever, to reach what I would call a goal.
You're dedicated to it and that's good :) Keep up the dedication.
Please do not take offense to what I am about to say, but it answers this post of yours entirely.
If at a bonsai nursery in the pre-bonsai section this juniper of yours was beside a much smaller
grown on cutting, say in a 4 inch pot, both $10 each I would take the cutting, because it will
surpass the other in a much shorter period of time. I'm hoping that you get more, and start with
those, what you've tried with this one, and reap the benefits of you work many years sooner.

I bought a 6 pack of grown on cuttings on eBay oh I suppose 2-1/2 yrs ago. Here are 3 of them.
They were just roots wrapped in dirt and plastic or 2.5" pots I forget.
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and the 6 pack as a whole. Another 2-1/2 years from now
they'll be coming out of dormancy and at $10 each worth a good deal more.
I just used some wire, bonsai soil, food, water, and withheld a good deal of the sheers.
Hopefully that precisely answers your question about what I was trying to say.
The same goes for nursery containers, though I tend to style them 1st contrary to many
other posts on here to pot them up 1st. My cascade in post #24 is just that. A $10 1 gallon nursery plant.
 
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