Trunk bending and repotting in one season, is it safe?

[proninyaroslav]

This is the Chinese juniper "blue alps". It has not been repotted by its previous owner for about 4 years.
This season I decided to replant it (since the soil contains quite a lot of organic matter) and change the style by bending the trunk a little more downward in this area using guy wires, thick wire and raffia.
This is an important area, as it connects all the needle mass to the main trunk. Will this be a lot of stress and maybe I should split this operations for spring and fall? If so, what is the best thing to do now?

 

[Japonicus]

I would wait to do a major wiring of any kind till at least next year.
In the meantime begin some minor opening up and relieving areas necessary for wiring later, well after recovery...Summer solstice cleaning.

 

[Dogestoevsky]

Cool movement in this juniper. If it were me I would repot in spring and save the bending for later. But I’m timid and tend to stick to “one insult per year.”

Additionally, in spring the bark is very loose and sloughs off easily. (Is it spring for you? Fill out your location for better feedback)
Others with more experience might make it work with raffia or coban, but I have scarred up a few junipers by trying to do big bends in the spring.

Good luck!

 

[Japonicus]

I don't see your location in your profile

 

[River's Edge]

I would recommend splitting the tasks, repot first, gauge the recovery and then any heavy bending or wiring after recovery.
Suggest a good time for the heavy bending and wiring about this time next year if the recovery is positive.
Times adjust for climate/location. The general guide for heavy bending/heavy wiring on juniper is February/march/April in milder climates like Japan. For colder climates move forward a bit. In a 5a zone I would suggest likely late March to mid May might be more appropriate. Timing is best obtained from experienced people in your own area.

 

[proninyaroslav]

Additionally, in spring the bark is very loose and sloughs off easily.

I heard that this should not be done in the summer, but haven't heard about spring.

I don't see your location in your profile

Russia.

 

[Dogestoevsky]

Yep I just mean when sap flow is high it’s easier to damage the bark. Late winter/early spring or late fall / early winter are great times for bending. Either way use raffia or coban with those big bends

 

[proninyaroslav]

I'm planning to make a bend soon, but I think night frosts are still possible. It can go down to -1C in the shelter. Is it safe to make a bend with a raffia?

 

[Shibui]

-1C is only just below freezing temp - and I assume that's overnight. Daytime temps will be higher?
I do a lot of work - bending, root pruning, repotting, pruning during our winter when temps are similar to this so I'd say go ahead.

 

[proninyaroslav]

Done. I stopped at this, I think there is no point in bending further and it's a bit dangerous. Maybe later. I hope nothing is damaged. At least I didn't hear any cracking. I had to use a wood clamp to bend it to this degree (the kind used to hold wood together when gluing). I'll do the rest of the styling later.

 

[Scriv]

You can definitely bend and repot in the same year with Junipers…

They derive their strength from the foliage… so as long as you aren’t doing a major foliar reduction, you should be fine.

If it puts on strong growth this spring, you can safely style once the growth has hardened off in the late summer early fall.

Especially with young trees like this one.

 

[proninyaroslav]

You can definitely bend and repot in the same year with Junipers…

I repotted it last year (when I created this topic), and I don't plan to do it this year. It grew vigorously last summer, and I'm thinking of stylizing it now, the primary structure with a wire and minimum of pruning. Do you think will it be safe after this bend? The inner branches suffer from lack of light and strong shoots.

 

[Scriv]

If you live in a temperate zone where temps very rarely drop below freezing, and if the tree put on a lot of growth last year, yes you are safe to style now.

If temps regularly drop below freezing or if you live in a very wet climate, I would wait until spring color returns (that rich, vibrant green) and temps increase.

Either way, if the tree is healthy you can go ahead safely style this year. No need to wait another year.

 

[proninyaroslav]

Yes, there may still be drops to -1C -2C. Humidity is also quite high. I made the bend earlier that the spring to make it easier and not to tear the cambium.