new nana .. what to do

dazz

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passed by a plant shop that was having a sale. i had to look in and found this quite intriguing juniper nana. it was only $10 so i took it. looks quite healthy, fat trunk and a developing nebari

suggestion on styling? cascade? im thinking of keeping it in the nursery pot for now as winter is coming then repot before spring?

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Vance Wood

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Remove the tree from the nursery container and take a look at the trunk. All bonsai styling starts with the trunk, especially the base. Take a picture when you have done this, then you may be able to get some serious advise.
 

Vance Wood

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Selecting Procumbens Junipers without first looking at the base and primary branching of the tree is kind of like a TV game show where your are asked to choose what's behind the three doors. You don't know if it's a Ferrari or a bag of bread crumbs. It takes a number of years to figure out that all bonsai starts with the trunk regardless of how well grown the top is. This is especially true of nursery trees that are grown for the landscape trade where they are trimmed, clipped and pruned to keep them tight and close to the ground. Under this system the trunk is nothing more than something that grows the money shot of a lot of dense branches that will look good in someone's garden for a couple of years.

Don't get discouraged, most of us, when just starting out, brought home one of these Junipers just to find we were overwhelmed by a lot of branches growing out of the ground and nothing like we hoped we would see useful for a bonsai. That doesn't mean this one is not, but you wont know till you examine it more closely.
 

dazz

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here it is. took me an 2 or so hours sorting out the branches, pinching and stuff.
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any hope for this bonsai to be? whats next?

problems i noticed:

roots growing up higher on the trunk
there are 1 - 2 weak branches in the ideal place
 
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jk_lewis

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Lots of hope. It's a nice looking plant. If it were mine, I'd shorten the tail by about 1/3. I'd be careful about doing too much work on the roots AND top this year. You're in early winter. You might comb out the roots and put it in a fairly deep pot with some good bonsai soil, then try to resist doing much to it until you see if it survives what you've done so far.
 

dazz

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yeah i was beginning to be hesitant on removing more foliage once i noticed the big pile i had on the table.

the tail consists of 2 long branches. the question is . should i trim it back now or wait until it has healed from what ive done so far?

what should i do about the developing roots up higher on the trunk?? leave it and see what it becomes?
 

waltr1

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I would remove all of that long cascading truck/branch, right where the trunk makes the 90° bend. This would leave only the vertical part of the trunk. Then grow the tree from that one small branch that is pointing straight up.
 

jk_lewis

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I would remove all of that long cascading truck/branch, right where the trunk makes the 90° bend. This would leave only the vertical part of the trunk. Then grow the tree from that one small branch that is pointing straight up.

???????????????!!!

You're probably better off leaving it alone until you know it has survived all the surgery so far. It's not going anywhere. That root can go later -- or stay -- depending on how you feel after a few months of studying the tree you have started.
 

dazz

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yeah, ill let it heal for a bit. what should i do with the long branch. (5th picture, right branch)
 
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