Wiring frustration with Itoigawa

[dean.mckinnel92]

Hi guys,
Been interested in bonsai for a while but only recently got my first itoigawa juniper. I’ve lightly pruned it (ensuring not to take too much off etc.), cleared out all the little shoots that won’t amount to anything. Unfortunately, I am struggling to wire it as it has some awkward branches (have not done a lot of wiring, I understand I didn’t buy a “starter” tree as such but like the challenge) and I’m not the most dexterous. Any tips. Photos attached. Do I need to thin it more to give me more space to work? Already took about 10% off.
Regards
Deano

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

This may help...

Juniper pinching, pruning, and wiring

A good reminder… Do this: Not this: And when it’s time to thin out a juniper for wiring:

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

Itoigawa Trimming

This tree was tidied up for the Alabama club show in May, and left to grow until mid-August, when I trimmed it up again in preparation for the fall growth spurt. Look at those strong runners. Left …

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

 

[dean.mckinnel92]

This may help...

Juniper pinching, pruning, and wiring

A good reminder… Do this: Not this: And when it’s time to thin out a juniper for wiring:

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

Itoigawa Trimming

This tree was tidied up for the Alabama club show in May, and left to grow until mid-August, when I trimmed it up again in preparation for the fall growth spurt. Look at those strong runners. Left …

nebaribonsai.wordpress.com

Appreciate the help, thank you!

 

[Shibui]

I think the tree is already cleaned out enough. Not because of detriment to the tree but because you don't want to create a poodle. You may still find some excess growth as you start to arrange the branches but often don't know that until you start shaping or until you have had lots of experience.
Wiring most evergreen trees is slow and careful work. Just take it slowly, maybe a few branches at each sitting. Yours is reasonably small but could still take a few hours for a novice but you could spread that over several days. There's no rule that you have to keep going until it is completed. Some larger junipers take days to fully wire.

The lower part of the trunk has some attractive bends but the upper section looks like it could be much straighter with little taper. If anything needs to be reduced that's where I would be looking. Excess trunk is often reduced to a jin and a well placed side branch or 2 used to make the top of the tree.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Yours look like the same guy grew mine!

I sat on mine for about 2 years before moving the 5 "subtrunks" around. Since they would've been too hard to move later.

Still haven't really done much more, kinda sitting in a holding pattern, waiting on fate to kill off a branch, or the tap on the shoulder that says cut a trunk off, then it doesn't need to be wired. Fitting to wire in fall.

I think it may serve you well to hang in the same holding pattern.

Or, if you can find a piece of the tree you definitely don't want in your design, wore it now, so if it breaks, you know how to not break the rest in fall.

I'd say "nice" but my opinion is fully biased!

Sorce

 

[mrcasey]

This doesn't look like Itoigawa to me.