My itoigawa shimpaku shohin

[KennedyMarx]

I bought this last year around June (I think) from New England Bonsai Gardens website. I pulled it out of the pot to inspect the roots and the wet dirt pretty much fell away from the entire rootball. So I repotted it into lava/akadama/pumice in the only bonsai pot I had laying around. I've just let it grow since then and decided to slip it into a different pot. I like the drum pot more but it still seems a bit big. The tree needs thinned and wired. I am hesitant to do it by myself and I'm thinking of taking it to a study group to work on.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Just be sure you respect the trees of the person you're working with. All too often, the loudest member isn't the best artist.

 

[Cypress187]

You shouldn't wait too long i tink, it looks very dense and the middle doesn't get much light and could die off.

 

[KennedyMarx]

I was trying to just let it grow without fiddling with it too much, but I did remove some weak and yellowing interior growth before slipping it into this pot. I was trying to use Milorganite for most of my fertilizing last year. It did not produce the growth I wanted and the soil surface got gunked up pretty badly. Not again.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Just be sure you respect the trees of the person you're working with. All too often, the loudest member isn't the best artist.

Sikadelic went to the study group I'm talking about. I've been meaning to go by there (Bogan's Bonsai) for a while. Now I have an excuse besides acquiring more plants. I need help figuring out what I should remove and keep as far as the branches go. I'd like to go with a more feminine or bunjin style but I haven't developed a good eye for styling, especially when it comes to junipers. They're some of my favorites though so I want to get better.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

It looks nice and healthy. Take your time; there's a nice bonsai in there.

 

[zelk]

The tree looks much healthier now! good work. As others have said already, take you're time. I like the pot.

 

[M. Frary]

I came close last year ordering one of those trees myself. That one actually looks like the one I looked at. Nice.

 

[Adair M]

Two things you can do to get started. Three, actually, but you've already done one:

1). start by eliminating the dead and dying weak interior growth. (You've done this already).

2) select primary branches. These will generally be on the outside of curves. You want to wire these in position in the fall. But for now, using one hand hold it against in the position you want the branch to be once it's wired. Any growth growing straight down should be eliminated.

3) determine if you have faulty branches that need to be eliminated. These would include branches growing on the inside of the curve, heavy branches up top, etc. these would be good Jin canidates. If you do make Jin, summer is the best time as the bark is easily removed when the cambium wet. In the late fall, the tree removes all moisture from the cambium, and it's much harder to get the bark off!

 

[The Bonsai Herald]

I agree with Adair, looks nice and healthy, and loving the boon soil mix. It's amazing what good soil will do for the health of the trees!

Andrew

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here is a before--> after shot showing how to clean up a shimpaku branch. Leave alternating shoots with strong tufts of foliage.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

And wiring the same branch:

Clean up the undersides, and you're good to go!

 

[Eric Group]

Great little tutorial Brian, thank you. You should post this in resources!

 

[MaverickLancer]

And wiring the same branch:
View attachment 77312
Clean up the undersides, and you're good to go!

This is seriously one of the most helpful things I've come across for Junipers in general. Thanks, Brian!

 

[KennedyMarx]

I found a pic from the day I got it in the mail. Seeing these pics really drove home how important it is to document your projects. I thought it had barely grown until I saw the pics.