New Shimpaku - help with choosing a front

Adrian

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Hi all,

I acquired this Juniper Shimpaku a little while back for a very good price (see photos below). As a relative beginner my judgement was that it was quite a nice little tree. Certainly one that I could develop over time. I haven’t done anything with this tree save looking after it and doing some very preliminary wiring. I know it is very messy and needs work.

Anyway, at this early stage I have two issues which are somewhat interrelated. Firstly, the foliage has mostly grown on one side of the tree (see Photo 1). At the same time, the best root spread is concentrated on the other side of the tree. So in essence, if I chose the front to be the side with the best root spread as the front, I am left with less foliage to work with (see Photo 2). Conversely, if I chose the front to be the one with the better foliage, I am left with a gap in the root spread. I know that the roots are the basis of a good bonsai and I understand that, its wether I can work with the sparse foliage on that side. the last two photos are of the base and roots from both sides of the tree.
Can anyone give any helpful thoughts/ideas/advice on my dilemma?
Thanks in advance
Adrian

Possible front.jpg = front?

0061.jpg = back

062.JPG

Nebari Juniper.jpg
 
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Stan Kengai

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I don't see the dilema. Photo 2 (your back) should be the front because of the strong base and nebari, and it appears you have better trunk movement from that angle. You can then wire the branches to bring the foliage toward that front, that is one reason we wire afterall (to move foliage where needed).

I recommend you take this to a club or a professional that can help you (and hopefully teach you) with this process. They should also be able to help you trim/thin the foliage before it gets too far away from the trunk.
 

Ang3lfir3

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totally agree with Stan.... your back is the front .... nice little tree there... just needs some thinning, wire and some time
 

edprocoat

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Yeah, the back is the front. That is such a nice tree it looks almost finished. Where did you get it from? This will be very nice really soon. The foliage needs a little thinning but I would not go overboard, just reduce a little on the left side of your front to show the branch structure. Are you going to repot it this summer?

ed
 

berobinson82

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Is that the price on the container??? If so, where can I pick up 10? Lovely tree in the making here.
 

jk_lewis

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Someone has pinched and pruned this tree so all the foliage is out on little round pom-poms at the end of the branches. I'm afraid you're gonna have a heckuva problem fixing that.

I think I'd shorten it by at least a third; that's a lot of foliage to be supported by a relatively thin trunk.
 

october

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Pic 2, should be the front, since it has better nebari. Even though it is tough to tell from pics. It looks like you have more than enough foliage on the side you think is sparse. In actuallity, to make this a nice future bonsai, you will actully have to trin this tree quite a bit. The first step would be to get inside of each foliage pad and see what is in there. I would remove all growth that is growing from underneath branches and also growth that is growing in crevaces.

Rob
 

october

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p.s. Many times, it is necessary to prune hard and take a tree down to it's bare bones, so to speak. Getting a good initial structure will help ensure that the tree looks balanced. Also, it helps with the health of the tree.

Here is an example. This tree was stripped down to a skeleton. In 1 1/2 seasons, this is what the tree became.

pictures2200141-1.jpg
 

Adrian

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Thanks for all your input :)

this tree was a good price from a small nursery who grows on a small scale. I have paid 3 times that much for younger less developed stock so I tend to go back to find more stuff. it has flaws such as pom-pom foliage but you work with what you've got.

I am no hurry to chop anything off or shorten the tree but I think that the bottom two branches may be superflous to any design if i was to keep the height of the tree as is. for now I'll leave them until i am sure of where I want to go with this tree.
I am keen to start cleaning and defining the foliage and begin some preliminary wiring. will this hurt the tree? (we are in Autumn in temperate climates - Perth West Australia). how much wiring should I be doing in any one time? the tree is in very good health and I don't want to jeopardise this.

again, thanks for all your collective wisdom and advice. if you have any further thoughts I would gladly receive them

cheers:)

Adrian
 

Ang3lfir3

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you should be fine doing some wiring (nothing drastic or crazy) on it right now .... it shouldn't mind

it would be good to put your location in your profile... especially being from Oz .... otherwise people are likely to give you inaccurate seasonal advise ...
 

Adrian

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Thanks Ang3lfir3 (try saying that 10 times ;).
I changed my profile to reflect my location. here in West Oz we have a pretty temperate climate with frost free winters (at least where I live on the coast) and very hot and dry summers.
Needless to say, my water bill sky rockets in summer. I have thankfully turned my auto system off and now water by hand when the plants need it.
I plan to wire the branches and maybe trim some foliage. I assume that I should cut foliage growing under the branches before I wire.? or should i leave these for later when the tree has grown somewhere. I could always wire the branchlets up and move the foliage upward?
 
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