Would you chop this jin?

[Mike Corazzi]

I vaccilate. One day I'm fine with it. Next day I'm "meh."
I wish it had more bendy but can't fix that now.

Also if anyone knows what KIND of juniper it is, I'd like to know.



Thanks in advance.










Guess I could have said WHICH jin.... so......

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Yes, that's somewhat what I was thinking, too.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Perhaps leave until weathering takes it?

 

[namnhi]

Jin for the sake of jin. I wouldn't miss it.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

It looks unnatural at that length. However the rest of your tree needs to be wired. I have a feeling once you wire out the rest of your branches and bring them down and out, you will find the jin creates too strong of a straight vertical line. I would shorten it to a stub, but probably not remove it entirely.

 

[M. Frary]

Also if anyone knows what KIND of juniper it is, I'd like to know.

Can't tell from the pictures but it looks to be a live one.

 

[Tieball]

I would leave it on.…shorter…but still on the tree. It seems to long to me. A creative stub would look better. To me it helps break up the lower nothing-special lower area of the trunk. I would guy-wire down the branch above that shorter stub. I’d probably remove that Jin on the upper right that looks like I forgot my crescent wrench on the tree and bend down the branch right to the upper left of that removal. But…..I can’t really see what’s behind or inside that upper area….that upper area may need pruning back.

 

[Dav4]

I vaccilate. One day I'm fine with it. Next day I'm "meh."
I wish it had more bendy but can't fix that now.

Also if anyone knows what KIND of juniper it is, I'd like to know.



Thanks in advance.


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Guess I could have said WHICH jin.... so......

So... you CAN bend jin after they become jin . Get a face towel or something similar and soak with in a container with boiling water. Wearing gloves, take the now scalding hot towel and wrap it around the jin in question for 15 or 20 minutes. The steam bath will soften the wood and allow it to be bent. Get some wire on the jin while subtle, then bend it to your design. The jin will hold the new shape. I did this years ago and it does work. There may be a thread or two here containing the process with pics but you'd need to do a deep search to find them.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Also if anyone knows what KIND of juniper it is, I'd like to know.

You need to take a close photo of the foliage to know what species is

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

Maybe you can bend the branch with steam bending it before taking it off.
Search Google for more info about this and there are also Youtube videos about it.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

It looks unnatural at that length. However the rest of your tree needs to be wired. I have a feeling once you wire out the rest of your branches and bring them down and out, you will find the jin creates too strong of a straight vertical line. I would shorten it to a stub, but probably not remove it entirely.

Gradual process that I've been working on for a few years.
It is more spread out than the shaving brush it was.
But you're right. It needs to be wider.
The smaller branches are tough to wire as there is so little room.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Okay. First thanks to all who made suggestions. Of course it let me wreck my arthritic fingers with more WIRING !!

It's now heading toward wider. Which I like.

The jin is jibbed shorter but I didn't have the balls to go all the way. I'll ponder on it some more.

I didn't remove the "crescent wrench" because bonsai NUTS need WRENCHES !!!



I did take a pic of the green stuff which for today's purposes, I'll call "foliage" and solicit you folks telling me what the hell kind it is.




Just for the helluvit, here's a gratuitouls pic of an ELM!
Which is for sure.... "foliage."




Now while my fingers heal, I'll just let it grow some more and see what else I screwed up.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

To me it doesnt look like a Juniper, it looks like Chamacyparis lawsoniana "elwoodi" or similar dwarf cultivar

 

[Mike Corazzi]

To me it doesnt look like a Juniper, it looks like Chamacyparis lawsoniana "elwoodi" or similar dwarf cultivar

The ends don't round off. They're like pipe cleaners.

 

[Crazy Diamond]

They are cultivars with juvenile foliage, the regular one have adult foliage with scales like other Chamaecyparis

 

[Paradox]

Okay. First thanks to all who made suggestions. Of course it let me wreck my arthritic fingers with more WIRING !!

You might be able to save your fingers a bit by using another wiring technique. This is hard to explain in text....but.... If you have a long enough wire, once you have it anchored, you can use your wrist or arm movement to turn the wire around the branch and use your other hand to move the foliage so it doesn't get pinched. Might help, hope it does.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

You might be able to save your fingers a bit by using another wiring technique. This is hard to explain in text....but.... If you have a long enough wire, once you have it anchored, you can use your wrist or arm movement to turn the wire around the branch and use your other hand to move the foliage so it doesn't get pinched. Might help, hope it does.

I do it that way. It's THICK wire that gets me. I usually get the first wrap and clamp it tight while winding the rest of the loops.

 

[Paradox]

I do it that way. It's THICK wire that gets me. I usually get the first wrap and clamp it tight while winding the rest of the loops.

yea thick wire is a pain for almost everyone honestly. I have trouble with anything over size 8.

 

[Potawatomi13]

yea thick wire is a pain for almost everyone honestly. I have trouble with anything over size 8.

Hear, Hear!