When to buy junipers?

Ply

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Planning on buying some juniper nursery stock. Just wondering what the best timing is? Ideally I'd put it in good soil first but afaik repotting season for junipers is in spring. Is there any point in getting it now (or this fall), and doing some priliminary pruning this fall and then repotting it in spring? (Or could I even already completely style it this fall?)

Or would getting one now be counterproductive, and better just wait till spring to get one, and repot it first?

I plan on getting a procumbens nana just to play around with and get some experience in styling junipers. And maybe some Itoigawa whips to put in the ground as a long term project.
 

Kodama

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If you find the one you want why not get it now? That way you'll at least have it and be able to study it and plan it's journey with you and learn how to overwinter it. You could at least clean up any dead stuff and think about what you want to do. Your climate might differ on tolerance but I wouldn't prune any big branches going into winter on a juniper as the I've heard the strength for the roots is in the foliage. I agree you should consider repotting first in spring as the root structure may determine a different styling idea or angle. Then after you chop roots you would have the foliar strength to rebuild those roots so the following year you could consider styling. Think long term and be patient with the process. One insult per year I think is good advice for success.
 

bbk

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Buy it.

It won’t stop you doing other things on the tree as needed.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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I buy them whenever I find nice ones.
Seeing how some nurseries close their outdoor section in fall and put everything either indoors or in the greenhouse, I wouldn't count on autumn or winter being the best time to purchase.

Procumbens are pretty bullet proof junipers.
 

Ply

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Fair enough, if I find one I like I'll just get it now. Thing I was worried about is that since it'll stay in nursery soil the soil might stay too wet during autumn/winter?

But is there anything to do with it now (that would actually benefit the proces in making it a bonsai)? I don't know too much about juniper care, but I've read that both pruning and repotting is best done in (early) spring?
 

Ply

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I buy them whenever I find nice ones.
Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.
 

ShadyStump

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Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.
If getting poked by a juniper stops you, you might not want a juniper at all. :p

But I know what you're talking about; so over grown that you can barely find the center. In these cases I sometimes take my hints from what I can identify in the branching. Poke around enough in the foliage to get a sense of what direction the branches move, and somewhere in there you'll be able to imagine the direction of the trunk. It's virtually impossible, or at least very unlikely, to have a branch thicker than the trunk, so if you find a thick branch that will hint to the minimum diameter of the trunk.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.
Yeah, that's how junipers work. Even the scale ones will have old needles on the trunk that will jam into your hands like a cactus needle.
I try tilting a pot to see if I can get a view, if that doesn't work, just grab the foliage and lift the branch. Ignore the pain and itching (especially on sabina and pfizer/media, those are in fact toxic and will give you a rash) and remember that it'll be gone tomorrow. Or the day after that. There is no other way, unless you use a hook or a clothes hanger or something.
Lots of soap will make it worse, as will disinfectant. Use some nivea cream or vaseline instead, especially in winter.
A good pair of clean tweezers will help get those needles out of your skin. Make sure the tips allign because you want to grab and pull just once instead of having to dig them out.

The longer the extensions on a juniper, the fatter the trunk. So spare yourself the hurts and skip the small ones.
 

bbk

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But is there anything to do with it now (that would actually benefit the proces in making it a bonsai)? I don't know too much about juniper care, but I've read that both pruning and repotting is best done in (early) spring?


Yes. Grow.

Someone else might buy it and you just get next years smaller stock.

Build the health of the tree with proper fertilisation etc ahead of next year’s growing season. The roots can still do a lot of growing.

You can also start tidying up the tree, by thinning out foliage where needed. This will reduce the stress on it later.

You can also take cuttings etc with those and start growing your own.

Maybe wire etc if needed.
 

Tele

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Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.
Just bought 3 online because I could not find any at nurseries (procumbens nana).
Even at home I needed quite some work to find out what I bought. They also often have quite a layer of soil over the rootbase and inverse taper could be hidden beneath.

Especially the smaller trees and especially these crawlers you can hardly judge in a store. Buy some and learn what to look for.

PS: Maybe you can find a time with hardly anyone there and pull it a bit from the pot / remove topsoil. From beneath is where you find everything that counts.
 

Mike Corazzi

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Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.
You put them in the cart, find the big tree section, duck behind it and get out your pruning shears.
;)
 

p_anova

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Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.
I bring it home, dig down to reveal trunk/nebari. If it is truly heinous, I put all the dirt back and exchange it.
 

Paradox

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Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.

I keep a pair of gardening gloves in my truck just for this reason
 

BonScience

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Also how do you guys check for nice trunks on juniper nursery stock? I looked at some a half a year or so ago, and I found the foliage to be so dense and prickly that it's near impossible to get a good idea of the trunk.
Gloves, Harbor Freight has some good ones for like $5. Nitrile dipped "cut resistant" (doubt it, but great for yard and regular abrasive work) Comfortable too, which is hard for me to find at that price. I've literally put them on in home depot to check the trunks on some junipers, just move the foliage around, no need to rip it out the pot. These are garden stock, cheap practice/starter pieces, not yamadori. No employee has ever bothered me about it, in-fact it's started a few conversations about bonsai with them and got one a bit interested. If you're worried or you have a lot of Karens where you live, just ask an employee and be delicate/considerate.
 

NamesakE

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Planning on buying some juniper nursery stock. Just wondering what the best timing is? Ideally I'd put it in good soil first but afaik repotting season for junipers is in spring. Is there any point in getting it now (or this fall), and doing some priliminary pruning this fall and then repotting it in spring? (Or could I even already completely style it this fall?)

Or would getting one now be counterproductive, and better just wait till spring to get one, and repot it first?

I plan on getting a procumbens nana just to play around with and get some experience in styling junipers. And maybe some Itoigawa whips to put in the ground as a long term project.
A lot of places here in Michigan put their stuff in sale (up to %40 off during the off season starting somewhere around late October and ending early March.
 
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Being new to this, I'm finding now is a great time. I've given up the buy, Edward scissorhands, repeat approach and have been purchasing as much high quality material as possible to learn each species and how to best care for them. I study, learn, watch people like Ryan and Bjorn to expand my mind, but am sticking to the inquisitive scientist approach for now, rather than doctor Blades. May not work for everybody, but it's been fun learning each tree and watching them grow and stay alive.

Point is, there is no best time, do what works for tour situation.
 

Japonicus

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Fair enough, if I find one I like I'll just get it now. Thing I was worried about is that since it'll stay in nursery soil the soil might stay too wet during autumn/winter?

But is there anything to do with it now (that would actually benefit the proces in making it a bonsai)? I don't know too much about juniper care, but I've read that both pruning and repotting is best done in (early) spring?
My pruning is coming to a close on my juniper, night lows mid 50's Fº starting to become more common.
Dec. 20th Winter begins here.
No worries on the soil over Winter. Don't water until nearly dry, even if it's monthly.
Just don't leave it fully exposed on the windward side of your home in full Sun for Wintering.

Spring brings an abundance of fresh plants to market, but anytime one is found that lends itself
to bonsai is the proper time to grab it up. I would caution to avoid foliage like the Blue Star and
long wimpy foliage like some of the golden or lace varieties.
I disagree with avoiding the smaller ones, but you get what lends itself to a style whatever size it is.

Now, you can clean out the duff on the soil after cleaning out dead and yellowing foliage.
While doing so, you find some minor areas to remove, but nothing wholesale.
anything pencil lead sized can be removed, but healing time is coming to an end hear
(the growing season). When you remove stuff, there's an imaginary line, between what exterior
foliage to remove and what little bit of interior stuff to remove. Experience will learn you that
but remember to keep interior growth that is viable, or usable for the project.
Generally, once a style is imagined or constructed, I remove foliage from the outside inwards.
So many newcomers do the opposite, clearing the trunk for a visual line 1st which is backwards.
 
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