Juniper Procumbens 2 year progression

[cheap_walmart_art]

Here is a procumbens that i picked up in late 2017 when i first started. It was one of the first trees I got from a bonsai nursery. When it was originally bought, there were two trunks which I separated in spring of 2018. The other trunk was way nicer with movement and no reverse taper - so of course its the one that died. Nevertheless, I've been working to keep this one healthy and bring it to some semblance of bonsai.

Spring 2018. Earliest photo I have of this tree. Of course after separating and repotting I decided wiring and making jin would be a great idea.


It miraculously did not die and I removed the wire very early, maybe a month or two after this photo was taken. That fall I got some copper wire and tried again.


No idea what I was going for, just wanted to practice and use that shiny new copper. Left that wire on all winter and removed spring of this year. After that I just let it grow out.

Here it is as of this morning. The interior is starting to shade out and I wanted to get some light in there.



Figured I would prune and style while I've still got a month or more of nice weather in my area. Since I dont have any majestic mountain junipers for inspiration in my area, I thought I'd try to design it like I've seen the scrub junipers here in TN clinging to rocky cliffs and the blasted areas of the interstate.



That reverse taper is rough not really sure if much can be done about it. Next summer, I may try creating a shari down the inside of that trunk following the vein of that L shaped jin. At this point I imagine I'll be trying to create a canopy to hide that reverse taper and likely pot this ine one if those crescent pots people seem fond of using. Kinda with this idea.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If you have some extra branches, I think grafting could be a good way to increase sapflow lower down the trunk, and this would increase taper on the long run.
Please note that I have only read about it and never tried it myself.

 

[Japonicus]

Is your copper wire from Hollow Creek?
I like where you're going with this once you opened it up.
Question I've been meaning to ask on here, is when do we stop heavy feeding for juniper?
I always have tapered down in Sept. with rag weed peaking, and stopped once
frosts hit, but curious how others deal with building from, after, late Summer pruning as you've done here.
Probably no different, but I want to build more strength now for reserves ya know?

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

Is your copper wire from Hollow Creek?
I like where you're going with this once you opened it up.
Question I've been meaning to ask on here, is when do we stop heavy feeding for juniper?
I always have tapered down in Sept. with rag weed peaking, and stopped once
frosts hit, but curious how others deal with building from, after, late Summer pruning as you've done here.
Probably no different, but I want to build more strength now for reserves ya know?

Wire is from Adams bonsai .http://www.adamsbonsai.com/adamsbonsai2019aug1_008.htm

Jeremiah does it now and I cant speak highly enough if his service. I ordered three spools on Tuesday and they were on my doorstep on Friday. He is super fast responding to email.

As far as late work and fertilizing, I have seen growth on junipers in my area into mid to late November. We will see some freezing nights between now and then, but we always end up having an indian summer sometime mid to late fall. I typically stop feeding everything after the leaves fall on my deciduous. Ill mulch everything in for winter around Thanksgiving or a little after.

 

[Paulpash]

I think this tree has an identity crisis: it doesn't know if it is a semi cascade or an upright tree. My eye uncomfortably scans from one end to the other and this accentuates the straight diagonal lines of the foliage and then travels down into the trunk.

I think decide on one and drastically shorten or eliminate the other line. If it were my tree I'd Jin the top and go han kengai.

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

I think this tree has an identity crisis: it doesn't know if it is a semi cascade or an upright tree. My eye uncomfortably scans from one end to the other and this accentuates the straight diagonal lines of the foliage and then travels down into the trunk.

I think decide on one and drastically shorten or eliminate the other line. If it were my tree I'd Jin the top and go han kengai.

Definitely an issue I have with many trees. Seems like a lot of times Ive got to work on one a few times before I start to see what design that tree may end up having. A challenge with this one was the way the procumbens foliage mounds up over the season. Was hard to decide what to leave and what to remove. I think next year I would benefit from pruning more regularly throughout the season rather than let it grow free and only prune once or twice.

 

[Paulpash]

It just depends what your aim is. If you are happy with the size and you want better defined pads then prune more regularly but remember Juniper need some time in between to extend.

That top is not doing doing the trunk any favors - you can see how thick it has made the trunk beneath it and this is highlighting the thin base / inverse taper even more.