Juniper style direction

[theone420]

Been awhile since I have posted but I purchased this Juniper about a year ago from lowes discount rack for $3.... I then did a half rootball cleaning and placed it in this cut down pot in nothing buy napa #8822 oil dry.

My questions are:
Should I change soil to traditional bonsai mix(Akadama, pumice, lava rock)?
How do you style a cascade(up till now it's been styling itself)?
What type pot should I use (cascade or semi cascade pot)? I have no clue about pot aesthetics and how they should be used in correspondence to the trees desires.

I really like the look of this tree and hope to have it for the rest of my life so I want to give it the best chance I can at an early age. It has been in direct sun for the last year and it gets over 120 here in the summer several times a year and will probably not see less than 110 degree days till the end of September. Any help or even a link in the right direction would be appreciated.


Here are some pics of what I have now

 

[Hartinez]

Semi cascade pot. I’d do a nice glaze to compliment the foliage.

I wouldn’t repot Till next spring, early summer.

You could just trim and keep it mostly as is and “let it style itself” or start to introduce some more movement and begin to develop pads. IMHO if you leave it as is, it’ll always look like a mass produced mallsai.

Everything I’ve read and done myself, says that junipers need extensive wiring to establish initial shape and branch structure. Like 100% of the tree. It takes a lot of time to do that, but it’s worth it. Google images of the juniper species with “Semi cascade” after it and find a tree you like and emulate it.

If your committed to this juniper long term, I’d maybe buy another cheap one from Lowe’s and practice your skills first, then try your hand at this one.


Hope that helps.

 

[Hartinez]

Juniperus/ Juniper Bonsai Species Guide – Bonsai4Me

www.bonsai4me.com

 

[sorce]

Bro! What's Up!?

Nice.

Miniature.

That's hot. We were 95 today. Sweating standing still.

Oh...I have been having stupid success in the Napa Fines. Dust free...but the leftover from the big sift. It makes no sense to me, as I haven't repotted one from it yet...but the DE fines are producing the best growth for me.
Year 3 I think.
And the largest JBP is in fines.


Napadama.

Keep it!

Sorce

 

[Cable]

Oh...I have been having stupid success in the Napa Fines. Dust free...but the leftover from the big sift.

Reaaallllyyyyyyy?? I have a container full of fines from my first Napa purchase that I intended to use for insect control but never did. I’ve been wanting to try potting in pure Napa but was scared because I was afraid it would stay too dry. Apparently that’s not an issue.

How do you separate the dust from the fines?

/threadjack

 

[sorce]

Reaaallllyyyyyyy?? I have a container full of fines from my first Napa purchase that I intended to use for insect control but never did. I’ve been wanting to try potting in pure Napa but was scared because I was afraid it would stay too dry. Apparently that’s not an issue.

How do you separate the dust from the fines?

/threadjack

Small sifter.

When you see Earthworms and Rolly Pollies and every Other kind of insect living in pure DE...the whole insect killing thing kinda flies out the window.

Let stupid white people keep buying it for that!

Sorce

 

[Cable]

When you see Earthworms and Rolly Pollies and every Other kind of insect living in pure DE...the whole insect killing thing kinda flies out the window.

Huh. I'm glad I never got around to trying it out, then. lol. Thanks for the tips.

(We now return you to your regularly scheduled juniper discussion...)

 

[Maloghurst]

If your worried about it drying out you can add 20% soil conditioner or decomposed pine bark to the mix for water retention.

 

[theone420]

yeah this tree sits in full sun and is doing ok with about 2 inches of pure DE it hasnt dried out enough to kill the juniper and it has gotten drier than usual a couple times. its the 115+ degree days that will dry it out fast so its good to water twice a day just to have some moisture overnight.

 

[theone420]

Small sifter.

When you see Earthworms and Rolly Pollies and every Other kind of insect living in pure DE...the whole insect killing thing kinda flies out the window.

Let stupid white people keep buying it for that!

Sorce

What about the stupid white people that buy it to eat? (food grade DE)

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Small sifter.

When you see Earthworms and Rolly Pollies and every Other kind of insect living in pure DE...the whole insect killing thing kinda flies out the window.

Let stupid white people keep buying it for that!

Sorce

Rolly pollies are not insects, neither are earthworms.

But still.. DE doesn't work against bugs. It's a hoax. It's mode of action is 'to shred lungs' of bugs that live naturally in layers of fine particle dust.. As if nasty dust is something new to them. For millions of years they weren't bothered by asthma, until the DE came along.
Quite recently I had a discussion with an organic farmer about DE. His stuff didn't work and he didn't know why.
"Well, it's because when DE gets wet, it loses it's dusty properties don't you think?"
So he watered less. The snails disappeared and so did the fungus gnats.
He then emailed me that the DE was such good stuff, that it even protected the plants he didn't treat at all.
"Did you water those less as well?"
Yeah, he kind of did water those less as well.

Even with an experimental trial happening right in front of him, he still believed it was the DE. It must have blown over because it was so dry and dusty.

 

[sorce]

Rolly pollies are not insects, neither are earthworms

Lol! And good shit all of it!

Sorce