Old landscape juniper, grafted.

GrimLore

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That is great progression and I would not worry about show results. Keep up the pace and you will be plenty happy with it in years to come. Good work!

Grimmy
 

Paulpash

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Hi Eric,

Great transformation. Do you have any pics of the actual grafting process that you did with Boon? I want to graft a few branches next spring. Do you have any advice on the best procedure?
 

buddhamonk

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I feel the way the shari starts is a bit unatural. The shari forms a V. If you were to connect the shari with the jin at the base of the tree, it would like a lot more natural.
 

edprocoat

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Eric, I only see one MAJOR flaw with this Juniper, its not setting on my bench.....


ed
 

Nomiyama

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Thanks. Nice progression, just shows the beautiful outcomes available with some time invested in a given tree to take it to the next level.
 

Eric Group

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The 2014 BIB show is history and this tree was among some amazing trees in the part of the show that is for large size. The tree was dwarfed by many of the other trees in the room, and alas was not even "nominated" for a members' choice award.

In the run of displays:

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the single display:

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And the winner of the large conifer award? Perhaps you've seen it before if you follow Boon on Facebook; an amazing Japanese Pot:

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A crazy good root base and trunk:

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A huge and amazingly powerful tree with a great canopy, congrats to Jeff for his hard work on this California Juniper over the last decade:

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Cheers,

Eric

I like the angle in the first picture here.. maybe I am not seeing something from the 2 D image that you can see in person, but I think the trunk has better movement from this angle and the foliage mixes in better and looks more naturally intertwined with the trunk and branches from the side angle!

Regardless, that is a really great tree and it shows the true value of grafting to create great results from a juniper with questionable foliage traits. You did a fantastic job with this one!
 

mcpesq817

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I like the angle in the first picture here.. maybe I am not seeing something from the 2 D image that you can see in person, but I think the trunk has better movement from this angle and the foliage mixes in better and looks more naturally intertwined with the trunk and branches from the side angle!

Regardless, that is a really great tree and it shows the true value of grafting to create great results from a juniper with questionable foliage traits. You did a fantastic job with this one!

Funny, when I was going through your pictures, I liked the angle in the first picture with the row of trees also. Really nice work on it - congratulations.
 

Eric Schrader

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Do you have any pics of the actual grafting process that you did with Boon? I want to graft a few branches next spring. Do you have any advice on the best procedure?

No, I don't. We used approach grafts, which is the reason for the black pots tied to the trunk. Check bonsai tonight here for an article showing scion grafts on juniper:

http://bonsaitonight.com/2013/04/30/grafting-utah-juniper-a-post-without-words/

But I don't have a good resource for you for approach grafts. Scion grafts can be done just as the recipient plant is coming out of dormancy in spring. Ideally, keep the source of the scions in more shade or a colder spot so they remain dormant while the recipient is starting to grow.

Approach grafts can be done any time, which is why I often use that technique. But it's better suited to larger material as the logistics are quite hard on smaller plants. Scion grafts are faster to do and if you have a greenhouse you can skip the bagging procedure. Note that the blue tape in the Bonsai Tonight article is to provide a little shade to the newly attached scions. Make sure you cut deeply enough into the wood of the recipient to be able to get the scion cambium to match the cambium on the recipient. If the union starts to swell and you have to remove the tie, re-tie it until you're sure it is well-attached.

Good luck!
 

GO-OK

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Really great work. Why not itoigawa??

Google search shoujuen. It is run by Mr. Lura and his son near Obuse. I visited there this summer in August. It was amazing and it peaked my interest in grafting foliage and roots. Many many projects and many other professionals bring them trees to graft new foliage.

Congrats on a nicely done project tree.
 

Eric Schrader

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Really great work. Why not itoigawa??

Itoigawa is not such a great variety for San Francisco. The summers are too cool for it to grow well and it frequently reverts to juvenile foliage. I also prefer the color of Kishu to itoigawa which always seems a bit on the yellow side when I see it locally.

Actually, I really don't see what the Japanese prize Itoigawa so much for. Takeo Kawabe is a big juniper grafting guy and it's the only thing he uses for foliage. He uses a bunch of other varieties for root and trunk grafting but always itoigawa for the finished foliage. Perhaps the density compared to Kishu is better for medium and small trees when it grows in a hot and humid summer climate. For me summer is cool and relatively dry, although the fog does contribute to humidity somewhat.
 

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Mame
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Thanks, makes sense and good to know. I think you are right, itoigawa is a much tighter foliage, but also it produces shoots horizontally where as kishu pushes new growth up, down and horizontally.
 

Poink88

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that would be a mistake, hampering the flow and balance

I see it differently (almost opposite to yours) then since I feel the 2nd virt has better balance and flow. But that is highly personal taste I guess. :)
 

Poink88

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I feel this is a MUCH better front...partially because the lower foliage shows the tree closer to my 2nd virt. Of course the movement is MUCH better too. Again JMHO
12087340454_fc831a2518_c.jpg


What do you think?
 
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I see it differently (almost opposite to yours) then since I feel the 2nd virt has better balance and flow. But that is highly personal taste I guess. :)

I like the trunk line softly curving up to the right with foliage flowing back to the left. I'd minimize foliage on the right and sweep foliage to the left to balance the composition.
 

Poink88

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What I see is something like this but more compact and "thinner" foliage.
 

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I feel this is a MUCH better front...partially because the lower foliage shows the tree closer to my 2nd virt. Of course the movement is MUCH better too. Again JMHO
What do you think?

what appeals to your eye is personal preference; flow and balance are not. I think you are 100% wrong with your assessment of the better front and trunk movement. movement is not simply wiggle, its the line and where it takes the eye.
 

Poink88

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what appeals to your eye is personal preference; flow and balance are not. I think you are 100% wrong with your assessment of the better front and trunk movement. movement is not simply wiggle, its the line and where it takes the eye.

True but on the other side of the argument...that is where the ART part kicks in. It is not all about balance, sometimes you want imbalance. JMHO :)
 
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