My next victim

[HankB]

I was disappointed to say the least that I lost mi first Bonsai. (https://bonsainut.com/threads/heat-damage.27680/) And embarrassed that it took me so long to even realize it was gone. It seemed to do so well the first summer and then never came out of dormancy in the spring. I'm going to have another go at this. Today I ran out to Home Depot (where all the cheapskates get their material (*) ) and bought this.


The tag identifies it as SHORE JUNIPER 'BLUE PACIFIC' Juniperus conferta. It cost me $9US and change. Now that I have it home, I'm wondering where to start. The previous Juniper was purchased as a Bonsai and so it had a start in that direction. This one is ready to be planted as a shrub. The first question to answer is to decide if I should separate it. It looks like there are two plants on one pot.


I suspect the grower does this to provide a viable product should one not survive or perhaps does it to make the resulting plant look fuller. All the ones I inspected looked like two plants in one pot. If I should separate, it seems like the first thing to do (and to get the two plants established individually.)

Would it be wise to separate and plant in the ground to get them to put on some growth? I presume that if I do that (or put them in pots, for that matter) I should leave the tops alone.

What would you do if you were starting with this?

(*) I'm truly cheap and have dug up some weeds that I intend to tame including Honeysuckle, Forsythia, Chinese Elm, Silver (?) Maple and an Eastern Red Cedar (that looks an awful like a Juniper itself.) But they're a subject for another time.

Thanks!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I love shore junipers! I have a couple in my landscape by my koi pond, including one that is about 8' long. I have a little shohin that I am partial to as well.

One thing you should be aware of, these have a low mounding growth habit. The 8' shore juniper by my pond still has a trunk caliper at the base of maybe 2". They will throw long branches, but won't bulk up much unless you stake them up to convince them they are supposed to be a tree So if you were wanting advice on this particular plant, my first advice would be to choose your main trunk, get a piece of strong copper wire, and wire your trunk upwards to both give it character and to make it look more "tree-like". Then you can decide which of the other branches you wish to keep (they reinforce your design) and which to get rid of.

Even though the natural tendency of this tree is to cascade, I would not train it as a cascade (personally) because the trunk will never bulk up and you will always have something that looks too much like a landscape plant.

Also these are very closely related to Tosho - the classic Japanese needle juniper. You might want to hone up on Tosho development skills, including pinching to develop ramification.

 

[HankB]

One thing you should be aware of, these have a low mounding growth habit. ... So if you were wanting advice on this particular plant, my first advice would be to choose your main trunk, get a piece of strong copper wire, and wire your trunk upwards to both give it character and to make it look more "tree-like". Then you can decide which of the other branches you wish to keep (they reinforce your design) and which to get rid of. ...

Also these are very closely related to Tosho - the classic Japanese needle juniper. You might want to hone up on Tosho development skills, including pinching to develop ramification.

Thanks for the tips. Yes, it is clear from the picture and even more obvious from inspection that this one wants to spread out. Training as you suggest will be my first goal (I suppose after I get the two plants separated.)

I will look up shohin and Tosho.

best,
hank

 

[Bonsai Nut]

By the way, I don't pinch any junipers other than my shore juniper. I trim (cut) all others. And sometimes I cut the shore juniper as well - depending how far I am pushing back the growth.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Here's a very interesting tosho to feast your eyes on from @Owen Reich blog:

Blood, Sweat and Tosho

 

[HankB]

Here's my plan. I'll pull the pair out of the pot and separate as carefully as I can. One will go back into the pot and another will be planted in the ground. I'll pick a vertical for each and try to align it as best as possible when repotting and then wire it into shape.

Do I need to do anything with the roots such as shaping or pruning? They'll be disturbed quite a bit by separating them. Tips for performing the separation with a minimum of harm are welcome.

My understanding is that top growth is needed to stimulate root recovery following transplanting so I should not prune the top at this time.

Does the one going in the ground need to go into a colander to restrict root expansion?

Please feel free to point out any flaws with this plan or suggest an alternative.

Thanks!

 

[AZbonsai]

Here's a very interesting tosho to feast your eyes on from @Owen Reich blog:

Blood, Sweat and Tosho

So was that juniper attached to the dead wood "tanuki" style?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

So was that juniper attached to the dead wood "tanuki" style?

Doesn't look like it. The article says it was a collected tree.

 

[AZbonsai]

That always amazes me.