My first Juniper - Advice

imluisnunes

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Hello guys, this is my first post here :)

I recently brought home a 19-year-old Juniper Itoigawa from a local nursery on the outskirts of Lisbon, Portugal.

Since then I have pruned it a bit as there was a lot of density in the inner foliage and almost no light reaching some spots.

I would like to get your advice and feedback on the following if possible:

1. I've seen lately some signs of yellowing on the little stems of the foliage, is this normal? is it just the process of them turning into little branches? (photo 3)
2. The trunk has very old bark in some parts, but it also has this buds sticking out, what are they? Should I treat the trunk bark or leave it like this? (photo 4)
3. Any advice on styling this tree?

Thanks!!
 

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sorce

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Welcome to Crazy!

Yellow seems normal.

Nubs can grow into shoots or roots.

Put it into an unglazed pot!

Sorce
 

Eckhoffw

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Love this tree! I wouldn’t to too much more to this. Healthy and already has a nice design IMO. 👍
 

imluisnunes

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Hello guys, I want to clean the trunk bark to make it reddish, but it's difficult to do with all those pointy nubs that you can see in the picture, should I circle around them or is it safe to remove them? All the junipers I see have pretty much flat trunks..
 

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Clicio

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Hello guys, I want to clean the trunk bark to make it reddish, but it's difficult to do with all those pointy nubs that you can see in the picture, should I circle around them or is it safe to remove them? All the junipers I see have pretty much flat trunks..
Bem vindo, Luis.
Nubs could turn into branches in the future.
If you are sure you will not need them...
Glad to know there are bonsai nurseries near Lisbon!
Sorte com seu bonsai!
 

Shibui

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Just clean the trunk. If the tops break off those bumps it will not hurt the tree.
 

imluisnunes

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Hey guys, I went and cleaned up the trunk and the trunk roots as well, they were full of greenish stuff, my question is, is it ok to leave them like this or should they be more covered with soil?

IMG_6427.jpg
 

Shibui

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Some of the smaller roots could die if they dry out but the thicker ones should be OK.
Do you like the look of it? To me it looks way too spidery so I would cover them up at least for a few years until they get much thicker and look better. Roots seem to get thicker quicker if they are buried.
 

imluisnunes

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I have mixed feelings on the look, probably could look better with soil covering it although it will be a big bump of soil, can I just add soil to it to cover? if so what type would you recommend?
 

Shibui

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I agree that it will look better with those skinny roots covered. In the short term just slope the soil up from the edge of the pot to the trunk. The mound may keep washing away so just keep adding more as needed. Some people add a collar ( a cut down plastic pot can work well) to contain the soil. Long term solution would be to plant it lower in the pot and maybe spread those roots out as more lateral rather than vertical as they are now.
Use similar soil to what is in the pot if you have it.
 

imluisnunes

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That sounds like a good plan, thanks for the feedback, I really don't know what type of soil the tree currently sits in as I bought it recently, from the pics what similar soil would you recommend?
 

Shibui

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i would just add more of my normal bonsai potting soil but for what you are doing it probably won't matter much. If you don't have a favorite bonsai mix just use a good quality general potting mix to top up at this stage.
You should do some research to find out what options you have for bonsai potting mix over there. At some stage you are going to have to repot this tree and change the soil. Better to plan now than leave it to the last minute.
 

imluisnunes

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Hey guys, here's an update after covering the roots with new soil!

Any advice on styling, tip?

IMG_1797.jpg

Thanks :)
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I have a few thoughts.

If this tree were mine, my first priority would be to repot the tree to sit it lower in that pot. I dislike the exposed roots, but that is my taste, I recognize you may like the exposed roots, or be more agnostic on it. In my opinion, leaving this tree on "stilt roots" long term will slowly create a situation where your tree will be perched on a volcano of roots. It will look awkward and unstable. The finer roots will die, leaving a few thick roots, and zones of inverse taper, making the tree look amateurish. The tree should be potted low enough in the pot that no roots should be visible. This is a young tree, in early phases of development. The roots should not be exposed for a number of years. Since junipers are pretty good about creating new roots. Hopefully, after you bury the nebari, the roots, for the next 5 years or so, a new radial arrangement of roots will develop. The roots will come off the trunk at a 90 degree angle, rather than the 45 degree angle they are now. You want radial roots like the spokes of a wheel. Junipers often never develop this full radial spread of roots. They are not like trident maples. Often champion junipers are displayed without any exposed roots. So burying the nebari out of view is not a negative with junipers. 5 years from now you can see what has developed. If nothing has, just rebury the nebari, don't worry about it, in time some radial roots will develop.

You are in Lisbon, Portugal, which means you have a more Mediterranean climate than I do. Check with local bonsai growers, but you may be able to repot now, or in the near future when your weather cools a little and the rains return. It is important that you learn the appropriate timing for repotting for YOUR local climate. Do not listen to timing suggestions from people not familiar with your immediate climate.

Repotting junipers. I never prune a juniper within 6 months of repotting. Since the feature I think you need to fix first is the roots, I would do no styling or other work until after you have a chance to repot and situate this juniper lower in its pot. Then I would allow the juniper anywhere from 6 months to a year after repotting before beginning pruning. Junipers in general do not like root disturbance. We try not to repot more than once every 3 or more years. If you can go 5 years between repotting, that is far better than repotting every other year or the most detrimental, repotting every spring.

Take your time, and source good quality bonsai potting media. Don't use an inferior mix because you are in a hurry. Take your time. Get a media mix that will hold up for 3 to 5 years without requiring repotting. This will help you in the long run.

At least that is what I would do if this were my tree. It is a nice young tree, with lots of possible options, I like it, or I would not have taken the time to write all this. Nice tree.

And remember, there are many different ways to handle this tree. This is what I would do, you don't have to take my advise, I'm not dictating what you should do, just consider my option.
 

Clorgan

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Hey guys, here's an update after covering the roots with new soil!

Any advice on styling, tip?

View attachment 322151

Thanks :)

Other people here are MUCH more qualified to advise than me! All I can offer is that I would remove the bottom left branch crossing the trunk. Nice tree! 😊

Edit - as Leo said though, I'd just let it be until next year and ponder over it until then!
 

rawlyn

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. . . first priority would be to repot the tree to sit it lower in that pot. .

Agreed. This is a great tree, but the roots are still a bit of a distraction at the moment. Perhaps some more time with *all* roots entirely buried can produce a bit more balance than the nebari have now.

- Mike
 
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