Jin Branch Quickly or Slowly?

HENDO

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My question is this - is there any benefit to jinning a branch slowly rather than quickly? By slowly I mean reducing foliage over time, and then finally stripping the bark a few days or weeks later? By quickly I mean removing all foliage and bark in the same session, as you typically see in instructional videos/tutorials.

I suppose the obvious advantage to jinning quickly is being able to remove the bark more easily.

I'm asking because I saw this slow method being mentioned elsewhere and wanted to see if there was any substance to it. Perhaps this is good for developed junipers with mature foliage, to prevent juvenile foliage from appearing when jinning quickly?

I have a large branch on this developed prostrata juniper which I would like to jin, in fact the entire right side, and am curious to see if I should take my time with it.

This juniper won 2nd Place and People's Choice Award in the 2020 Houston Bonsai Society Fall Show, and one of the major critique suggestions was to eliminate the right side and go for more of a bunjin style. The more I look at this juniper, the more it makes sense to do so.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to the feedback.

-HENDO

Paul Henderson - Tree 1 - Prostrata Juniper - 201004.png
 

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Wires_Guy_wires

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I have some big junipers with large parts of dead unstripped wood. It takes roughly an hour to strip a branch. With fresh wood it's done in minutes.

Doing it slow can have its benefits regarding dieback of nearby branches, but only if done in a matter of months instead of days. And I'd still strip the partial parts entirely. I don't own any wood shaving tools so dried and dead bark on a dead branch is a birch and a half to do.
 

sorce

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There is a slow, "connect the patches" method discussed for shari. Perhaps this is what you are thinking of?

Depends on the end result you are going for.

Sorce
 

Forsoothe!

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I have grown immune to the kind of advice that comes from a type of personality that simply must give strong, world-changing advice, every time they open their mouth. In my experience, the more experienced the commentator is, the more reserved the advice is. Most Masters would preface advice with asking you what you want from tree? If you said you wanted to go for the minimalism of bungin, then blah, blah, blah. Failing that, this is a nice tree as is and if nothing more than managed as such will evolve to... still a nice tree, but older and more refined.
That said, you can drive the profile inward and more compact, over time, for a more austere look. The foliage is a little too healthy and generous for a tree that has that profile of deadwood. The pads need to have a bias of either somewhat barren, or at least less growth on the tops or the bottoms. If you prefer the weepy look, then the tops of pads should have a cleaner look with nothing sticking up out of a smooth, lower (thinner), canopy. Or, if you prefer the opposite, then everything should grow up from the branches with nothing pointing down and obscuring the view of the bottoms of the branches. Whichever way the foliage points, up or down, it all has to do so to look convincing. IMHO. In any case, they could be slowly reduced in mass, especially keeping the principles of taper in mind. No branch should have more foliage than the branch below it. That will contribute to the top growing less than the lower parts making it pointier, too. If that suits your soul, the slower you do this. the better.

I like the tree.
 

Adair M

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The best time to Jin a juniper branch is during the summer. At that time, the cambium is full of water, and separates easily from the hardwood core. If you attempt to make Jin during the winter, you’ll find it’s much, much more difficult because the trees have naturally dessicated themselves making the cambium bind very closely to the hardwood. Dead bark is also very tightly “shrink wrapped” onto the hardwood core making it a difficult chore to remove.

So, if you want to make Jin, wait until summer, and it will be far easier! And, yes, make the Jin in one step.

Making shari on the trunk is easier in summer, too. There are several ways to do it, but regardless of whether you make it all at once, or do the little ovals method, it’s a summer project.
 

Adair M

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You have a beautiful trunk.

Unfortunately, the foliage is prostrata.

Prostrata foliage is coarse and long, and rather floppy. All that combined makes the foliage mass look top heavy. Even reducing the right side by jinning the right lower branch isn’t really going to solve the problem. It will help if you clean the hanging foliage, but even THEN, you’ll still have too heavy foliage on the top of your pads.

Which brings me to what the solution is...

graft.

Yes, replace the foliage with Shimpaku. It might only take 3 grafts, but replacing that foliage with Shimpaku will transform that tree from being “second place” to ”best of show” in 6 years or so.
 
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