AndyJ
Shohin
Please ignore my previous post - I've just learned what happens with the juvenile stuff.
Thanks
Thanks
Eventually this will start growing scale foliage. The needles in time will turn yellow/brown and you will have to remove the needles. You can actually see this happening on one of your lower branches. I wait long before removing the needles: I find that backbudding often happens between the yellowing needles.Re. (5) What happens with the spiky juvenile foliage? Does it kind of turn into nature foliage after a couple of years? Or do I just cut it off at a later date?
Ignore it and it will shed in a couple years. The foliage itself doesn’t change once it has grown, but rather the tree will produce mature foliage instead of juvenile foliage, or vv. From this post:Thanks Brian.
Re. (5) What happens with the spiky juvenile foliage? Does it kind of turn into nature foliage after a couple of years? Or do I just cut it off at a later date?
Thanks again
Andy
This is one of those Itoigawa strains that don’t backbud well it seems. I have one too, and it is frustrating because it behaves like yours. It’s healthy, and grows strongly from the tips, but cutting it back produces some interior growth that remains juvenile for a year or more before it becomes something to work with. You could wire it now, but...Thanks Sorce. Just applied a couple of rapeseed cakes in spring and replaced them every 6-8 weeks throughout the year. Supplemented with the odd seaweed feed and fish emulsion. I cut back the runners plus another 50% in spring as per @Brian Van Fleet suggestion.
Doing as you advised did encourage some more interior growth Brian but also produced some more juvenile foliage. Should I cut everything back again now? Or start wiring into pads?
Many thanks
This seems like an excellent subject for that Danu product from Peter Warren.
Peter Warren on Soil Health.
This is music to my ears, and hopefully to many others. Exactly the reason I threw my chemical fertilizers away some years ago. The more chemicals is thrown at a tree, the more vulnerable it becomes to stresses, pests and deseases. Anyway...the first two minutes has no sound. Enjoy 👍www.bonsainut.com
Show us if that stuff really works!
Do they make you clean the bottom of your shoes before international flights? No...oh yeah, it's stupid we can't get that stuff shipped here!
Sorce
One of my bonsai clubs had Pauline Muth come and do a workshop for us. She mentioned a study where they found that chemical fertilizers seem to make plants more susceptible to fungus. I have not been able to find it to read it but it is interesting for sure.
This is one of those Itoigawa strains that don’t backbud well it seems. I have one too, and it is frustrating because it behaves like yours. It’s healthy, and grows strongly from the tips, but cutting it back produces some interior growth that remains juvenile for a year or more before it becomes something to work with. You could wire it now, but...
If it was mine, I would leave it alone until spring, and then cut it back and wire it just as the growing tips are starting to grow. Mine seems to backbud better in response to spring pruning rather than fall.
I would leave it alone until spring. Then, in the spring, go branch by branch and trim back runners, remove dead interior stuff, growth in the crotches of branches. Don’t remove more than 1/3 of the foliage. Each branch should look about like this when you’re finished:Thanks @Brian Van Fleet - So no pruning or wiring for the rest of this year? Does that apply to the runners that have grown out follow this springs trim? How far should I cut it back next spring? Do I reduce all foliage by 50%? Or would that be too much?
I just saw this thread so if this has been addressed please ignore meHey folks. I’ve read and reread this post a few times while I try and work out what I should be doing!! Couple of different opinions here and I’m nervous about doing something wrong.
Hopefully you can give me a thumbs up to say what I’m planning will / might be ok!
2019
1) Move tree to full sun
2) Continue plan of leaving Biogold in place and bi-weekly supplements of fish emulsion and seaweed until late September (I live in NW England and it starts getting cold by then)
3) Start applying Phosphate until end of November
4) Temporarily wire shoots up to face the sun (should I try and create pads at this stage?)
5) Cut off all juvenile spiky foliage
2020
6) In late spring, reduce all this year’s foliage by cutting back this years runners, plus another 50%. Leave interior growth coming from crotches
7) Wire all remaining growth to start forming pads
8) Feed well for the rest of the year
2021
9) Rinse and repeat above
10) If backbudding has occurred in the interior in 2020, select strong areas in interior and remove outer, weaker shoots
Will this program work?
Thanks all,
Andy
That's good. All my junipers are always in full sun, even the little shohins.Hey Mayank. I think this was general guidance that Brian gave me. Tree is in full sun all the time.
so you remove foliage on the top of the branch and underneath the branch?