Pruning a new Procumbens Nana Juniper in early fall?

[OneFeather]

I just brought home a garden juniper from my local garden center. For context, I live in hardiness zone 4b (according to both Canadian and USDA hardiness methods). I've asked in a few different forums and researched my own but I'm getting conflicting answers on whether or not I can prune away some of the dead or smaller overgrown branches. It has an interesting trunk line (I think, I can't see it very well with the dense growth) and I've been told to just keep it alive and leave any work for the spring while observing its growth pattern. But in its current overgrown state, there's nothing really to observe. Additionally, I'm reading in some places and even getting advice from someone in my area with experience on these trees that you can still perform some pruning and light wiring (not overboard) at this point in time and there's no reason not to.

I guess I'm looking for a bit more feedback on either point of view.

 

[Tele]

I have 3 of these at the very same stage. Didn´t touch 1, another I used a thick wire to pull the main leader up and for the last u pulled it out of the pot, searched the rootbase and used a big wire to get the main leader up. Also I cleaned up a bit (not enough).
I think you do not have to wait for spring but I would suggest going slow at first. Clean a bit, look at it, clean a bit, look at it daily. You might want to put some wire but it is of little use because there is no growth in winter.

 

[OneFeather]

I have 3 of these at the very same stage. Didn´t touch 1, another I used a thick wire to pull the main leader up and for the last u pulled it out of the pot, searched the rootbase and used a big wire to get the main leader up. Also I cleaned up a bit (not enough).
I think you do not have to wait for spring but I would suggest going slow at first. Clean a bit, look at it, clean a bit, look at it daily. You might want to put some wire but it is of little use because there is no growth in winter.

I think I might as well at least just remove the dead branches and clean up just a few to get a better idea for the tree

 

[orangeyeoman]

Clean anything from the bottoms,and tops of branches, as well as anything dead. You'll have a much better view then. But I'd leave any heavier work until early spring.

 

[sorce]

If you leave those long runners you can pretty much guarantee life in spring, though that life may not offer much for design if you remove too much else and things die off as a result.

Leave them and remove half, but not half everywhere, half like, directly in half, and it will wake up in spring like nothing happened.

The reason you don't want to remove half from everywhere, or attempt a "styling styling", is because this is a poor time for a reaction pruning, ie backbudding.
So the resulting growth will probably be very weak and a terrible read for the future.

I sit firmly in the camp of, it's foolish to remove anything so late in the growing season that could help protect it for winter.
While simultaneously sitting in the camp of, open it up to ponder, as soon as you get it.

That's the trick though, how to open it up to ponder while not ruining the growth habits you seek to identify, in order to get the most out of it.

Sorce

 

[OneFeather]

If you leave those long runners you can pretty much guarantee life in spring, though that life may not offer much for design if you remove too much else and things die off as a result.

Leave them and remove half, but not half everywhere, half like, directly in half, and it will wake up in spring like nothing happened.

The reason you don't want to remove half from everywhere, or attempt a "styling styling", is because this is a poor time for a reaction pruning, ie backbudding.
So the resulting growth will probably be very weak and a terrible read for the future.

I sit firmly in the camp of, it's foolish to remove anything so late in the growing season that could help protect it for winter.
While simultaneously sitting in the camp of, open it up to ponder, as soon as you get it.

That's the trick though, how to open it up to ponder while not ruining the growth habits you seek to identify, in order to get the most out of it.

Sorce

Thanks for the great insight Sorce. I don't think I understand what you mean about the half. Do you mean don't cut any shoots back entirely all over the tree, and rather (aside from the long shoots) maybe trim some of the growth back to half of its length?

 

[sorce]

Half.


Be the season.
Winter will take a half.

Sorce

 

[OneFeather]

Half.
View attachment 456014

Be the season.
Winter will take a half.

Sorce

Oh dear I wish I was brave enough to do that! I'll just take out the dead growth and check on the roots this season. It's quite literally the only thing with a trunk thicker than a pencil I have, so I'd like to do my best keep it alive! Thank you though!

 

[sorce]

You can be that brave by next spring.

Sorce