New to Bonsai, bought a Blue point juniper. Decided to mess with it and cracked the bark...

WhatheBonsai

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20200702_180016.jpg

Hey everyone. This was my very first attempt at creating a bonsai. I know it's not great and I should have just left it alone, but I had to mess with it today. I added some additional bends and developed a small crack in the bark. Any advice on the crack or anything?
 

vp999

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I read somewhere that you can super glue it and put cut paste over to heal. Good luck!
 

WhatheBonsai

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Front and back of the split
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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A single crack on one side usually doesn't do much harm. What I learned is that I have the reflex to wiggle it back trying to seal the crack. Then junipers tend to crack on the opposite side as well. Same happens with pines.
Super glue or wood glue can work, but it'll only close the wound and it doesn't help it heal. Waiting is the only option.
On my procumbens juniper it takes roughly two years to close/heal such a crack.
 

Bonsai Nut

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A single crack on one side usually doesn't do much harm.

You will never learn unless you crack a few branches. Otherwise, as @Wires_Guy_wires said, as long as the break in the bark doesn't circumference the branch, it will probably heal. However as soon as you crack a branch, the key is too stop touching the branch. If you leave it alone, it will probably heal. If you continue to mess around with it, you will usually only make the break worse.

One other thing that can help is to wrap the injury site with wax grafting tape. It protects the site and provides a little structural support.
 

Eckhoffw

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Damn blue point junipers! Too soft and delicate for my liking. Descent wiring start. Sorry about the crack. Will most likely die back. -would like to see otherwise though ✌️
 

sorce

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Any advice on the crack

Don't get high off your own supply.
Don't lick it.

Seriously though.....

Is the wire annealed? Soft?

You can almost see how the wrap is a little tighter than the 45-60degrees usually instructed at that point.

Of course this(tighter wrap) does happen after you bend sometimes, especially when the wire is a wee big or stiff, or wrapped against the spin and bend of the branch.

That tighter wrap creates the fulcrum and leverage the branch cracks against. No matter how it gets there.

Preventing that situation ...
Proper wire. Proper technique. Further planning.
Which is really just practice practice practice.

But the laws of physics reign always.

Always bend branches with as much hand and finger support as you can afford to get in there.
Pressing each side of the bend in towards the bend allows less stress to the outside of the bend.
"My hands the raffia".

It's more of a hand habit than conscious practice, but I tear branches off things(large trees and shrubs) all the time just to futz. This can greatly help train your sense of touch to the inner workings of branch fibers.

Time of year also has bearing. Hell, time of day according to when you water has bearing, etc etc etc. Say, if you watered and that broke, it may not have if you watered after bending.

Sorce
 

WhatheBonsai

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A single crack on one side usually doesn't do much harm. What I learned is that I have the reflex to wiggle it back trying to seal the crack. Then junipers tend to crack on the opposite side as well. Same happens with pines.
Super glue or wood glue can work, but it'll only close the wound and it doesn't help it heal. Waiting is the only option.
On my procumbens juniper it takes roughly two years to close/heal such a crack.
I'm glad I did not try to bend it back. So, it seems like time is usually the solution with all things bonsai.
 

WhatheBonsai

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Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
Thank you
Don't get high off your own supply.
Don't lick it.

Seriously though.....

Is the wire annealed? Soft?

You can almost see how the wrap is a little tighter than the 45-60degrees usually instructed at that point.

Of course this(tighter wrap) does happen after you bend sometimes, especially when the wire is a wee big or stiff, or wrapped against the spin and bend of the branch.

That tighter wrap creates the fulcrum and leverage the branch cracks against. No matter how it gets there.

Preventing that situation ...
Proper wire. Proper technique. Further planning.
Which is really just practice practice practice.

But the laws of physics reign always.

Always bend branches with as much hand and finger support as you can afford to get in there.
Pressing each side of the bend in towards the bend allows less stress to the outside of the bend.
"My hands the raffia".

It's more of a hand habit than conscious practice, but I tear branches off things(large trees and shrubs) all the time just to futz. This can greatly help train your sense of touch to the inner workings of branch fibers.

Time of year also has bearing. Hell, time of day according to when you water has bearing, etc etc etc. Say, if you watered and that broke, it may not have if you watered after bending.

Sorce
That is a fairly soft 4mm aluminum wire.
The design was originally taller, but I attempted to compact it by twisting and pushing it down. I was a bit reckless as I had my noise-canceling headset on, so I couldn't hear what the tree was telling me. Picture of the original design below. 20200625_082400.jpg
 

WhatheBonsai

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You will never learn unless you crack a few branches. Otherwise, as @Wires_Guy_wires said, as long as the break in the bark doesn't circumference the branch, it will probably heal. However as soon as you crack a branch, the key is too stop touching the branch. If you leave it alone, it will probably heal. If you continue to mess around with it, you will usually only make the break worse.

One other thing that can help is to wrap the injury site with wax grafting tape. It protects the site and provides a little structural support.
Glad I didn't mess with it too much after
 
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