Overwhelmed - don't know where to start on this nana

[mmp77]

I usually look at a specimen and think of what I want to do with it but this was $12 at a local nursery here in Houston that I snapped it up. Got really busy with work so I haven't really touched it. When I went to do that today and started examining all the branches while churning through ideas, I realized I have no idea what direction to take this.

There's so much material in so many directions I don't even know where to start.

Any guidance, ideas, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bonsaichile]

First thing I would do is to clean it up to try and see the trunk. Without a clear view of the trunk, it is hard to give advice on styling it

 

[Joe Dupre']

I like Walter Pall's advice......first look for something you don't like and get rid of it. There are bound to be branches that are too big, too small, too vertical or too thin to keep in the final version. That should give you a good starting point. My thing is to sleep on it. Put it aside for a day or two and look at it again. I've put a tree on the turntable 4 or 5 times before styling it.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Not life and death for you. However doing something with tree just to be doing may be death for it. Wait, be patient, study periodically until inspiration hits. No rush exists so divert energy elsewhere like the gym.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@mmp77
First - do no harm. I often will let a tree sit on the bench for a year or two before I do anything. This happens most often with trees that have many options.

Getting rid of unattractive parts is not bad advice, remove a little, then leave it grow until ''inspiration strikes''.
Look for branches that are too straight, these can be pruned short, with the stubs left to be turned into jin, deadwood.

An exercise, that can help,,
Examine the tree multiple times, using only one criteria for picking the ''front'', and make a temporary mark, be it chalk or toothpick, or bamboo skewers. When done with the exercise you will have 3 or 4 markers in the pot, sometimes, sometimes all different sides of the tree, sometimes several will like up on the same side.

Look at the nebari, avoid looking at anything but the nebari. Mark the front based on the best nebari, using either chalk mark on the pot, or a toothpick stuck in pot, or some other temporary marker.

Then go back and look at the tree, looking for the best trunk line - mark with a different stick or color chalk on the pot.

Then do back and look for the best ''unique feature'' and mark the front where this is best visible.

Then go back and focus on branches,, and where the current branches would make the best front, mark that.

WHen all done, if you are lucky, the majority of your markers will be on the same side of the tree. Then you know that side is your best candidate for front. Then you need to decide which feature should be the main driver for deciding how to style the tree. Pick the best asset of the tree, and design to take advantage of that.

Let this process take time. Or repeat the process several times before beginning to remove branches. Repeat the process months apart. Then when you feel confident you have identified the tree's best features, it is time to style the tree. Don't rush.

 

[mmp77]

Much appreciated everyone. I'll continue to watch this as it grows and fills out.

I was able to move around some branches to get a better look at the trunk. It is short and flatly angled. The surface of the soil under some bark compost from the nursery is filled with abundant tiny feeder roots. See the attached pics.

Any thoughts on lowering the soil level and cutting back some of these roots to see if I could expose more trunk?

 

[Soldano666]

cutting back some of these roots to see if I could expose more trunk?

Don't think I'd cut them as oppose to letting them dry out and die back naturally.

 

[mmp77]

Don't think I'd cut them as oppose to letting them dry out and die back naturally.

Great! I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't hurt it. I gently used a chopstick and followed the trunk under the soil and I think it stays relative thick at least 2-3 inches below the current level. I was thinking of going down that low and than slip potting it from the nursery container into a larger pot.

 

[Soldano666]

Great! I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't hurt it. I gently used a chopstick and followed the trunk under the soil and I think it stays relative thick at least 2-3 inches below the current level. I was thinking of going down that low and than slip potting it from the nursery container into a larger pot.

Solid plan. Not sure your climate or repotting window but I wouldn't do this in my zone til mid May or mid August. Those are my 2 safe times to repot juni

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@mmp77
Any and all manner of repotting disturbs the fine root hairs. Root hairs, the finest ends of the roots do 90% of the water absorbtion, even "slip potting" will damage significant amounts of root tips and root hairs. Don't "slip pot" do a proper repotting. Then give the tree several months to a year or more to recover. Even after slip potting you need to allow recovery time, you may as well do a proper repotting to get the most out of the exercise.

Yes, work your way down the trunk to where roots begin to sprout out of the trunk. For junipers, these surface roots are often small diameter, junipers often do not have much of a nebari. Stop when roots start to come directly from the trunk. Even if they are small diameter. That will be the nebari.

 

[R3x]

Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai just recently posted few parts of beginner series on Youtube and one of them deals with cleaning up coniferous material. Have a look at it here: