What's the recommended way to increase juniper pad density?

[Mike Corazzi]

Most of my club Juniperistas are repotting from now through November.

I'm ready to do a fairly large one (species unknown) and the pads are a bit sparsish.
They're healthy but just not "filled out" yet.

I'm not going to mess much with roots but will put in the new pot with a bit of ....er....akadama ... this year.

I've been pinching a lot of uppy and downy growth but not completely sure if I'm doing enough.

Any "tricks" I should know?

 

[Victorim]

oh? why through November?

 

[0soyoung]

My recommendation is:

Wait until it has started pushing growth next spring (March-ish), then mow the foliage. After that, let it grow. Sometime after the summer solstice (aka Father's Day) it should have several long runners - cut them and only them. Maybe you have another bunch of long runners by September - cut them and only them then as well. Finally leave the foliage alone; maybe repeat this whole process in the following year(s). When you've got the pad density close to you want, there will be no more spring mowing, only cutting long runners in the summer.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Nice and specific. Thank you.

 

[M. Frary]

My recommendation is:

Wait until it has started pushing growth next spring (March-ish), then mow the foliage. After that, let it grow. Sometime after the summer solstice (aka Father's Day) it should have several long runners - cut them and only them. Maybe you have another bunch of long runners by September - cut them and only them then as well. Finally leave the foliage alone; maybe repeat this whole process in the following year(s). When you've got the pad density close to you want, there will be no more spring mowing, only cutting long runners in the summer.

When does the pinching come into play?

 

[Adair M]

Go read my thread “THIS is why you don’t pinch junipers”.

 

[M. Frary]

Go read my thread “THIS is why you don’t pinch junipers”.

What?
We don't?

 

[Adair M]

What?
We don't?

You shouldn’t

​

 

[M. Frary]

You shouldn’t

​

Except when nobody sees.
Then I'm all over it.

 

[Vance Wood]

I have to tell you all honestly: Since the new school of Juniper cultivation has come along I have seen fewer Junipers that were not grafted trees, that I would walk across the street to look at. There's a lot more to be said about this but I don't want to get into the middle of an argument. There have been a couple of trees seen here that I have notice decline since the new school took over.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I have to tell you all honestly: Since the new school of Juniper cultivation has come along I have seen fewer Junipers that were not grafted trees, that I would walk across the street to look at. There's a lot more to be said about this but I don't want to get into the middle of an argument. There have been a couple of trees seen here that I have notice decline since the new school took over.

Probably wise, since you would have a very difficult time convincing anyone with two touching brain cells that not pinching leads to declining health of junipers; or the necessity of grafting.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Go read my thread “THIS is why you don’t pinch junipers”.

Got a link?

Title and author doesn't work in search.

 

[Vance Wood]

Probably wise, since you would have a very difficult time convincing anyone with two touching brain cells that not pinching leads to declining health of junipers; or the necessity of grafting.

I didn't mean to insult anyone I'm sorry you did not see this as worthy of discussion which is why I'm leaving it alone. Eventually people will see.

 

[Velodog2]

Probably wise, since you would have a very difficult time convincing anyone with two touching brain cells that not pinching leads to declining health of junipers; or the necessity of grafting.

Well insulting is certainly a proven way to shut down discussion.

The method Oso promotes does seem involve pinching back - but renamed it “mowing” and only does it once per year.

I also have trouble getting healthy compact juniper foliage. Some trees have it and some don’t and I’m not at all sure of methods. Roy Nagatoshi advocated something at a club meeting I remember as similar to what’s been described in this thread, but honestly when a tree is putting out dense foliage there don’t seem to be many shooting tips to worry about, making me wonder how much effect pruning techniques have at all.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Well insulting is certainly a proven way to shut down discussion.

The method Oso promotes does seem involve pinching back - but renamed it “mowing” and only does it once per year.

And not knowing how to handle juniper foliage is certainly a proven way to shut down growth.
Mowing foliage is something Osoyoung would have to demonstrate with some before and after shots before I could comment, but what I do to my lawn does not resemble what I do to my junipers, and if anything, they’re too dense!
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/itoigawa-trimming/

 

[plant_dr]

Got a link?

Title and author doesn't work in search.

Really?

 

[Adair M]

And not knowing how to handle juniper foliage is certainly a proven way to shut down growth.
Mowing foliage is something Osoyoung would have to demonstrate with some before and after shots before I could comment, but what I do to my lawn does not resemble what I do to my junipers, and if anything, they’re too dense!
https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2016/08/13/itoigawa-trimming/

Excellent blog post, Brian!

My Kishu doesn’t bother to try to send runners anymore, so all I have to do is remove the shoots growing down, and thin to let air and sunlight in.

 

[MichaelS]

The way to increase density on scale junipers is to pinch new growth. You pinch the very tiny tender shoot the sticks out of the profile which will have two more on each side of it. Pay no attention to the ''you should not pinch junipers'' rubbish out of California.

 

[M. Frary]

The way to increase density on scale junipers is to pinch new growth. You pinch the very tiny tender shoot the sticks out of the profile which will have two more on each side of it. Pay no attention to the ''you should not pinch junipers'' rubbish out of California.

Another pincher! Excellent!
My name is Mike Frary and I also am a pincher.

 

[Vance Wood]

We ought to start the JPAA; The Juniper Pinchers Anonymous Association. There is a way to pinch without doing the kind of damage some are saying that pinching does, if anyone is interested.