Itoigawa juniper strategy

[vandybonsai]

Good evening all, first time poster!

I purchased a few itoigawa junipers that all have the same shaggy/leggy growth to them. I have read and watched as many videos as I can in order to come up with a game-plan for these. I do not plan on touching them until spring.

My question is simple, what would you do?

https://imgur.com/a/v5QXA43

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Good evening all, first time poster!

I purchased a few itoigawa junipers that all have the same shaggy/leggy growth to them. I have read and watched as many videos as I can in order to come up with a game-plan for these. I do not plan on touching them until spring.

My question is simple, what would you do?

https://imgur.com/a/v5QXA43

I am in a similar boat except my cuttings are much less developed than yours. But I have some general shimpaku strategy for you. Focusing on pumping up the growth and getting it real healthy, lots of sun and some fertilizer.
Then you can start slowly selecting branches that don’t fit your design. Next year when it is showing signs of healthy growth and shoots, you could also remove the upward and downward growth and do some cutbacks to develop density.

 

[bwaynef]

After the heat of summer has started to break, give them interesting trunk lines. That's all you have right now. Just give it LOTS of movement. 2-3 strands of thick aluminum the length of the trunkline ought to allow all sorts of movement to be added. It would be ideal if you add modest deadwood after the wire comes off.

Then just let it grow. Water, fertilizer, and sun will get you where you want to be with these.

Build branches from soft flexible growth so you can put them where you want them.





Don't try to make this look like a bonsai right now.

 

[vandybonsai]

I am in a similar boat except my cuttings are much less developed than yours. But I have some general shimpaku strategy for you. Focusing on pumping up the growth and getting it real healthy, lots of sun and some fertilizer.
Then you can start slowly selecting branches that don’t fit your design. Next year when it is showing signs of healthy growth and shoots, you could also remove the upward and downward growth and do some cutbacks to develop density.

Will do thanks for the response!

 

[vandybonsai]

After the heat of summer has started to break, give them interesting trunk lines. That's all you have right now. Just give it LOTS of movement. 2-3 strands of thick aluminum the length of the trunkline ought to allow all sorts of movement to be added. It would be ideal if you add modest deadwood after the wire comes off.

Then just let it grow. Water, fertilizer, and sun will get you where you want to be with these.

Build branches from soft flexible growth so you can put them where you want them.





Don't try to make this look like a bonsai right now.

Got it! Will add some wire for movement towards the end of the summer!

thanks for the response!

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Where are you keeping them now? Full sun, proper watering, and some fertilizer now will help tighten the new foliage.

Agree with wiring heavily in fall.

 

[vandybonsai]

Where are you keeping them now? Full sun, proper watering, and some fertilizer now will help tighten the new foliage.

Agree with wiring heavily in fall.

They are in full sun for 8+ hours.

 

[leatherback]

all have the same shaggy/leggy growth to them.

they have been kept too dark and possibly have dried out at some point after which the foliage dropped. If you fertilize well, do not let them dry out too much and give them lots of sun, they will look very different next year.

 

[vandybonsai]

they have been kept too dark and possibly have dried out at some point after which the foliage dropped. If you fertilize well, do not let them dry out too much and give them lots of sun, they will look very different next year.

Will do thanks!!

 

[Shibui]

After the heat of summer has started to break, give them interesting trunk lines. That's all you have right now. Just give it LOTS of movement. 2-3 strands of thick aluminum the length of the trunkline ought to allow all sorts of movement to be added. It would be ideal if you add modest deadwood after the wire comes off.

Wire all parts of the trees. Trees with really bendy trunks need really bendy branches to match. Even branches destined as sacrifice or grown for dead wood should be wired because the same conditions that caused the trunk to bend and twist also affected branches as they grew.
Remember that all of the current main trunk or the full length of any branch may not all be part of your bonsai. We often cut back thick trunks and branches and replace with a thinner side branch to make the tree more compact and to add taper to the trunk or branch.
I would identify one or more sacrifice branches, usually lower on the trunk and allow those to grow long to add thickness to the lower trunk.
Here are a couple of Shimpaku I've spent 10 years developing trunks.



Over the next few years, start trimming any branches identified as probably useful to restrain growth and start developing branch structure.
Itiogawa seems to grow lanky and open until we start regular trimming.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

My question is simple, what would you do?

Full sun, fertilize the heck out of it with Miracle Grow water soluble fertilizer. You didn't say where you live, but assuming it is still summer, wait until it cools off towards fall and then wire the main branches of the tree to lay out the structure of your design. Do not prune the tree at this time, but the sooner you get some movement in those leggy branches the better.

You want your junipers to look really strong like this:

 

[vandybonsai]

Full sun, fertilize the heck out of it with Miracle Grow water soluble fertilizer. You didn't say where you live, but assuming it is still summer, wait until it cools off towards fall and then wire the main branches of the tree to lay out the structure of your design. Do not prune the tree at this time, but the sooner you get some movement in those leggy branches the better.

You want your junipers to look really strong like this:

View attachment 610048View attachment 610049

Zone 8b, Alabama (USA).

As far as repotting in the spring should I put them into bonsai pots or grow pots?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Zone 8b, Alabama (USA).

As far as repotting in the spring should I put them into bonsai pots or grow pots?

I’d recommend an Anderson flat if you want to beef it up some. You could let it escape for some monster trunk development over the next 4-10 years.

 

[Shibui]

As far as repotting in the spring should I put them into bonsai pots or grow pots?

Depends on your aims.
Putting young trees into bonsai pots really slows growth. You'll have a very similar tree in 5 or 10 years. If you are happy with that then go ahead and plant into a small bonsai pot.

Larger grow pots allow for growth and development. Note that @Bonsai Nut trees are in the ground to get maximum growth. The trees I posted are in larger pots to allow growth of sacrifice branches to accelerate growth. If you're aiming for quality bonsai you need growth and that will take years whether you grow in the ground or in grow pots or in Anderson flats.

 

[vandybonsai]

Depends on your aims.
Putting young trees into bonsai pots really slows growth. You'll have a very similar tree in 5 or 10 years. If you are happy with that then go ahead and plant into a small bonsai pot.

Larger grow pots allow for growth and development. Note that @Bonsai Nut trees are in the ground to get maximum growth. The trees I posted are in larger pots to allow growth of sacrifice branches to accelerate growth. If you're aiming for quality bonsai you need growth and that will take years whether you grow in the ground or in grow pots or in Anderson flats.

Got it, will most likely opt for the large anderson flats/grow pots. Thanks for all of the info, much appreciated.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Got it, will most likely opt for the large anderson flats/grow pots. Thanks for all of the info, much appreciated.

Good plan. Holler if you need any help, neighbor.