Itoigawa Shimpaku Juniper. My first Bonsai

[jtskariah]

I have been researching bonsai for a long time. Sporadically over the course of a few years, I watched videos, read forums, and even went through some books. I was part of bonsai auction websites looking for the perfect tree. When I saw this one I knew it was the one for me! It took some convincing (my girlfriend helped me make the final decision) but I bought the tree and it arrived today. I am beyond thrilled and I wanted to share it with everyone here because I know you all understand the feeling!

This tree is an Itoigowa Shimpaku Juniper. It was imported from Japan a long time ago and has been in training for approximately 25 years and is estimated to be 40+ years old.

Now comes reality. This is my first bonsai. And because of that, I have to make sure I do my part in making this tree the best it can be. I cannot and will not kill this tree, I will do all the work to prevent that from happening. I wanted to go through my plan of action and see how all the experienced members feel about my decisions.

1. Living conditions: This tree will be solely outside. I have a covered balcony but it will be on a small stool receiving direct sunlight at the corner of the balcony for many hours then shade in the later hours. I can purchase a bigger stool so that it gets direct sunlight all day if this is necessary.
2. Watering: This is a big one. I planned on watering once or twice daily but I was told by the previous owner to water once every 2 days. I was going to play it by feel by going off how wet the soil is then determining if I should water the plant by that measure (stick finger 1 inch into the soil). I received the plant today and immediately watered it thoroughly because it has been in a box for 3 days. It came at night so it has not had the opportunity to get sunlight quite yet. Tomorrow it will be getting plenty. I do have a question when it comes to watering. I looked everywhere online and no one answered this clearly (or perhaps my research is not thorough enough), should I water the foliage and trunk in addition to the soil? I was told by the previous owner to avoid the trunk and foliage and to just focus on the soil, is that a good idea? When watching all the bonsai videos it seems like they water the ENTIRE plant. Let me know what you guys think about this as well as my watering schedule.
3. An insecticide/fungicide is next. I was told to purchase insecticide as a preventative measure and use it once every 30-60 days. I purchased a spray bottle of Bayer 3 in 1 insecticide/fungicide which seems to be systemic. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RUJZS6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1Is this a good option to spray this on the tree for protection? I know this is a harsh chemical and want to make sure I am doing this correctly. There is no current insect infection from what I can see now. Do I need to cover the soil and roots with plastic before I spray (I read that somewhere in the forums)? I was just planning on spraying a few times on the foliage in all directions (with safety gear of course).
4. I plan on repotting in 2022 probably closer to spring and summer (will look into the time frame) with the highest quality bonsai soil I can find (including akadama). I also plan on putting some lime sulfur on the deadwood in the front of the tree and the other portions closer to summer.
5. The branches are wired. Not entirely sure when to take off the wires and what the plan with the branches is at the moment. I will continue to do research and take any suggestions. I will make sure to be wary of the wire biting into the branches.
6. Lastly, I want to hear everyone's thoughts about the tree! Your opinions and ideas are greatly appreciated! One unique feature of this tree is its reverse taper. I know this isn't the most traditional aspect of this tree but it pulls it off pretty well from my view!

I am extremely lucky to find out that I have a bonsai nursery 20 minutes from me. I will be bringing my tree to him for additional advice but I wanted to see the thoughts of the forum members as well. Thank you so much to those of you that read through my essay! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[sorce]

Don't spray it!
Unless that girlfriend is OK with 3 headed babies!

Welcome to Crazy!

I water mine daily. Never had fungal or Pest problems with it cause they're gangster and/or not from here.

Sorce

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Great start into bonsai. Starting here puts you a few years ahead of starting with $10 HD nursery plants.

It needs to stay outside, and is fully hardy in GA. Full sun, all day. it will need water every day in a GA summer, and I would spray for spider mites every month or so, but have not experienced any fungal issues with itoigawa.

Repotting next year may or may not be necessary, but your time for repotting is March, not summer. When you do repot, it would be good to plant it a bit deeper in the pot so the soil covers the roots, and is not mounded.

Wire comes off when it is almost 50% embedded, and it looks like the apex isn’t wired, but the lower branches are. Is this correct? If so, this will quickly create an imbalance with lower branches getting weak and the crown getting too strong. You might contact one of our GA members for an assist. @Adair M knows a little about wiring If you’re in NGA.

For now, you can keep the moss off the trunk with a toothbrush, and you can treat deadwood with a diluted LS solution now. Also, feel free to remove foliage growing down to keep the undersides of branches clean and sharp.

 

[sorce]

Sorce

 

[Shibui]

Your position with sun for most of the day sounds fine. Trees can manage on more or less sun so there is no one magic number of hours.
Watering is heavily dependent on the type of soil, time of year, individual location, species and other factors so your plan to water by feel of the soil is the only way to do it well. Watering the whole tree is good for plants. That's how most of them get water in the wild and it helps clean dust and other things off the leaves. There is some conjecture that wet foliage overnight could promote fungal attack but I have not seen that happen. The reason for watering the soil only may be to make sure water actually gets to the soil. There is a tendency for the water to run off the foliage of dense bonsai and not actually make it to the roots.
Water the canopy but make sure you also get water into the soil.
I also find that as the pots fill with roots my bonsai need more water more often because there are too many roots and less space in the pot for water. Be aware that watering frequency may change over years and will change again after repotting.

Some growers use insecticides as a preventative but I am wary of overuse of chemicals. I prefer to only treat pests as needed which is rarely so far. Juniper are susceptible to just a few pests so not really much need for wholesale sprays. Pests and diseases can be a bigger problem in larger collections where there is a large food source crowded close together but with just a few trees there is far less problem with spread of pest or disease. You have chosen a systemic which will travel to the roots of the tree after you apply it on the tree. Why would you need to protect the roots from it? Short answer is no need to cover the soil when using most chemicals. I believe many Japanese growers do cover the soil when they use winter spray of lime sulphur.

Soil: Spring is a good time to repot. I generally do junipers later in spring as they don't seem to mind having roots cut after they start growing but a bit earlier is OK too.
Akadama is not a magic solution. There are many great bonsai soils that do not include akadama. In fact I have seen a number of comments about akadama causing problems for some growers in some places. It certainly does not suit my plants the way I care for them here. Just look for a good bonsai soil that suits your area and junipers.

Wire can often be taken off much quicker than many people realize. We usually still leave it on for as long as possible to make sure the branches stay put as it is a real pain rewiring after removing wire early and seeing all the branches slowly move back to previous positions. Just monitor the branches. i prefer to remove wire well before it is 50% embedded. As soon as I notice any swelling of bark round any piece of wire anywhere on the tree I remove all wires assuming it was all wired at the same time which is usual.

Your new tree has character and age and appears to have been well cared for. Great start to bonsai as already mentioned.

 

[Adair M]

BVF gave you great advice!

About watering: I tend to water every day during the growing seasons, sometimes twice a day in the hottest time of the years. But I grow in full sun, all day (and all night, LOL!!!). I also use a well draining soil. You will need to determine fir yourself how much water (or how often) your tree needs for your situation.

When you water, water thoroughly so that water comes out the drain hole. Don’t just wet the top.

For a shimpaku, it doesn’t really matter if you water the foliage or not. They are not very likely to get any fungus. For some trees, watering the foliage, especially in the evening, can promote fungus. Pines are like that. But not shimpaku.

In fact, spider mites, a major problem for shimpaku, don’t like water! So I will blast the foliage of my shimpaku with my watering wand every so often. It probably doesn’t really do anything except annoy them, but it makes me feel good! Lol!!!

I do spray every so often with Safer mitacide. It’s an insecticidal soap. I haven’t had any spider mite issues.

You live in an apartment, so you won’t be using a garden hose to water, so you can’t blast your foliage with water. Plan on periodic applications of the insecticidal soap.

Consider joining the Atlanta Bonsai Society. We have monthly meetings. Via Zoom right now.Hopefully we can start meeting in person again soon.

Welcome to world of bonsai!

 

[Njyamadori]

Omg imagine killing that tree That tree is amazing especially for a beginner since I’m one . I’m a beginner had trees for 2-3 years now but just started practicing styling . Please follow the advice of the other people here .

 

[jtskariah]

Don't spray it!
Unless that girlfriend is OK with 3 headed babies!

Welcome to Crazy!

I water mine daily. Never had fungal or Pest problems with it cause they're gangster and/or not from here.

Sorce

Haha, I will keep that in mind. I was thinking about using it as a preventative measure but I may hold off for a bit!

 

[Njyamadori]

lol you have this on Reddit too. You really wanna tell people

 

[sorce]

Haha, I will keep that in mind. I was thinking about using it as a preventative measure but I may hold off for a bit!

Good Idea.

They do build up immunity to it, especially when all your mites are on the bush over yonder catching that microdose.

Preventatives only work until you've built a colony that resists it, by then you're here asking why your tree is grey and dying, because you've never allowed yourself that failure to witness mite damage, and "you've been using preventives", so you will turn to other cures too late, and your tree dies.

True story.
Since I stopped killing predator mites for fun, I stopped getting bad mites.

True story 2....this is the first year I brought my tropicals in without centipedes in the soil and I have scale for the first time in 7 or 8 years.

True Story 3, never lost a tree to pests alone.

Brian has a thread on Stack ranking trees, it's a good method to keep a reasonable amount of trees. With a reasonable amount of trees, as you have now, observation catches problems before they destroy your work.

Stay Safe! Spray Champagne!

Sorce

 

[jtskariah]

Great start into bonsai. Starting here puts you a few years ahead of starting with $10 HD nursery plants.

It needs to stay outside, and is fully hardy in GA. Full sun, all day. it will need water every day in a GA summer, and I would spray for spider mites every month or so, but have not experienced any fungal issues with itoigawa.

Repotting next year may or may not be necessary, but your time for repotting is March, not summer. When you do repot, it would be good to plant it a bit deeper in the pot so the soil covers the roots, and is not mounded.

Wire comes off when it is almost 50% embedded, and it looks like the apex isn’t wired, but the lower branches are. Is this correct? If so, this will quickly create an imbalance with lower branches getting weak and the crown getting too strong. You might contact one of our GA members for an assist. @Adair M knows a little about wiring If you’re in NGA.

For now, you can keep the moss off the trunk with a toothbrush, and you can treat deadwood with a diluted LS solution now. Also, feel free to remove foliage growing down to keep the undersides of branches clean and sharp.

This is incredible info! Thank you for the advice! I will be sure to keep it outside. It gets sunlight directly on all sides. I am glad to know that there may be a reduced risk of fungus as well for this species. I did notice the mound I will be sure to deepen the root ball when I repot in the future as well!

The apex is not wired but I plan on taking it to Allgood bonsai soon in Georgia.

I will follow the advice and make those changes soon!

 

[jtskariah]

lol you have this on Reddit too. You really wanna tell people

Dive into the deep end am I right?

 

[jtskariah]

Your position with sun for most of the day sounds fine. Trees can manage on more or less sun so there is no one magic number of hours.
Watering is heavily dependent on the type of soil, time of year, individual location, species and other factors so your plan to water by feel of the soil is the only way to do it well. Watering the whole tree is good for plants. That's how most of them get water in the wild and it helps clean dust and other things off the leaves. There is some conjecture that wet foliage overnight could promote fungal attack but I have not seen that happen. The reason for watering the soil only may be to make sure water actually gets to the soil. There is a tendency for the water to run off the foliage of dense bonsai and not actually make it to the roots.
Water the canopy but make sure you also get water into the soil.
I also find that as the pots fill with roots my bonsai need more water more often because there are too many roots and less space in the pot for water. Be aware that watering frequency may change over years and will change again after repotting.

Some growers use insecticides as a preventative but I am wary of overuse of chemicals. I prefer to only treat pests as needed which is rarely so far. Juniper are susceptible to just a few pests so not really much need for wholesale sprays. Pests and diseases can be a bigger problem in larger collections where there is a large food source crowded close together but with just a few trees there is far less problem with spread of pest or disease. You have chosen a systemic which will travel to the roots of the tree after you apply it on the tree. Why would you need to protect the roots from it? Short answer is no need to cover the soil when using most chemicals. I believe many Japanese growers do cover the soil when they use winter spray of lime sulphur.

Soil: Spring is a good time to repot. I generally do junipers later in spring as they don't seem to mind having roots cut after they start growing but a bit earlier is OK too.
Akadama is not a magic solution. There are many great bonsai soils that do not include akadama. In fact I have seen a number of comments about akadama causing problems for some growers in some places. It certainly does not suit my plants the way I care for them here. Just look for a good bonsai soil that suits your area and junipers.

Wire can often be taken off much quicker than many people realize. We usually still leave it on for as long as possible to make sure the branches stay put as it is a real pain rewiring after removing wire early and seeing all the branches slowly move back to previous positions. Just monitor the branches. i prefer to remove wire well before it is 50% embedded. As soon as I notice any swelling of bark round any piece of wire anywhere on the tree I remove all wires assuming it was all wired at the same time which is usual.

Your new tree has character and age and appears to have been well cared for. Great start to bonsai as already mentioned.

Really useful information! I am glad that I have other people as a resource, I really do learn so much from these communities. I will water the canopy in the mornings and play it by ear. Thankfully the resistance of this tree to fungal infections should help

 

[jtskariah]

BVF gave you great advice!

About watering: I tend to water every day during the growing seasons, sometimes twice a day in the hottest time of the years. But I grow in full sun, all day (and all night, LOL!!!). I also use a well draining soil. You will need to determine fir yourself how much water (or how often) your tree needs for your situation.

When you water, water thoroughly so that water comes out the drain hole. Don’t just wet the top.

For a shimpaku, it doesn’t really matter if you water the foliage or not. They are not very likely to get any fungus. For some trees, watering the foliage, especially in the evening, can promote fungus. Pines are like that. But not shimpaku.

In fact, spider mites, a major problem for shimpaku, don’t like water! So I will blast the foliage of my shimpaku with my watering wand every so often. It probably doesn’t really do anything except annoy them, but it makes me feel good! Lol!!!

I do spray every so often with Safer mitacide. It’s an insecticidal soap. I haven’t had any spider mite issues.

You live in an apartment, so you won’t be using a garden hose to water, so you can’t blast your foliage with water. Plan on periodic applications of the insecticidal soap.

Consider joining the Atlanta Bonsai Society. We have monthly meetings. Via Zoom right now.Hopefully we can start meeting in person again soon.

Welcome to world of bonsai!

Planning on joining the Atlanta bonsai society soon! I was told to water once every two days. I watered yesterday night the soil is still slightly damp but I can see it start drying out. I will water first thing tomorrow morning.

Thank you for having me!

 

[jtskariah]

Good Idea.

They do build up immunity to it, especially when all your mites are on the bush over yonder catching that microdose.

Preventatives only work until you've built a colony that resists it, by then you're here asking why your tree is grey and dying, because you've never allowed yourself that failure to witness mite damage, and "you've been using preventives", so you will turn to other cures too late, and your tree dies.

True story.
Since I stopped killing predator mites for fun, I stopped getting bad mites.

True story 2....this is the first year I brought my tropicals in without centipedes in the soil and I have scale for the first time in 7 or 8 years.

True Story 3, never lost a tree to pests alone.

Brian has a thread on Stack ranking trees, it's a good method to keep a reasonable amount of trees. With a reasonable amount of trees, as you have now, observation catches problems before they destroy your work.

Stay Safe! Spray Champagne!

Sorce

This is a really good point! Amazing info, I may have to hold off on the pesticide after all.. I will monitor the tree closely. Thanks for your take on the styling as well! It's clear you and most of the other members of this community really know their stuff! Very grateful!

 

[jtskariah]

Omg imagine killing that tree That tree is amazing especially for a beginner since I’m one . I’m a beginner had trees for 2-3 years now but just started practicing styling . Please follow the advice of the other people here .

Trying to get all the info I can get from people much more experienced than I am! I am very lucky to have so many incredible people to help!

 

[Dav4]

This is incredible info! Thank you for the advice! I will be sure to keep it outside. It gets sunlight directly on all sides. I am glad to know that there may be a reduced risk of fungus as well for this species. I did notice the mound I will be sure to deepen the root ball when I repot in the future as well!

The apex is not wired but I plan on taking it to Allgood bonsai soon in Georgia.

I will follow the advice and make those changes soon!

What Adair and Brian said, great start, and say “hi” to Rodney for me

 

[jtskariah]

What Adair and Brian said, great start, and say “hi” to Rodney for me

What a small world! I will for sure, I really look forward to my visit. I am sure with his guidance we can make this tree even better overtime

 

[Cadillactaste]

Nice looking tree! Congrats and welcome to an amazing forum. I cut my teeth here. Good people...great advice.

 

[Adair M]

This is incredible info! Thank you for the advice! I will be sure to keep it outside. It gets sunlight directly on all sides. I am glad to know that there may be a reduced risk of fungus as well for this species. I did notice the mound I will be sure to deepen the root ball when I repot in the future as well!

The apex is not wired but I plan on taking it to Allgood bonsai soon in Georgia.

I will follow the advice and make those changes soon!

Rodney will give you good guidance.