Young Juniper Potting and "Twisting" Instructions

[oakandwalnut]

I received 3 shimpaku juniper "whips" in the mail today. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on what type of soil mix I should plant them in. I would like to plant them into a large (1 gallon?) nursery pot to grow them and thicken them. I am also interested in experimenting with them by wiring them and twisting them. They are about 10 inches long. I have found the "twisting" instructions that Smoke posted, so I am good with that!

Brad

 

[Eric Schrader]

Not sure why nobody answered your questions except that soil discussions are like a bomb going off sometimes. As you're growing them out you can probably use non-bonsai soil. I'd advise using larger than 1-gallon pots which they'd likely outgrow in a couple years. Don't forget to take the wire off after they're all twisted and grow out a bit.

 

[Bill S]

Not sure I would go bigger than the gallon pot, this can cause overwater issues as the small tree won't need that volume for a while, better to up in steps of pot size. Buld pots are a better way to go with that as they aren't as deep so you can slip pot your way up as a few years go by. Shimps aren't fast growers so a whip in a gallon pot will last for 2 -3 years without being pot bound.

 

[jk_lewis]

And try to start them out in pots that are wider than they are deep. For your whips, a one gallon pot, cut in half (top-bottom ) probably will do for the first year. Just because of drainage issues with small trees, I think I'd recommend bonsai soil (this is what I use my used soil for).

 

[berobinson82]

I was looking for shimp whips recently to attempt some grafts. Mind telling me where you found em?

 

[Smoke]

I disagree with the chaps above for one reason. NO REPOTTING!

The last thing I want to do with this juniper is take it out each year to up pot it. The whole reason for starting one of these things is to grow it as fast as possible, grow as much wood as possible and allow it to grow fast enough to scar the trunk deep enough so as the shape to stay.

Repotting yearly is counterproductive to this process. Why not just wire it, plant it, and forget it? It needs to grow for about 5 to 8 years depending on how large you want it to be finished. Why not pot towards that goal and get there with less fuss.

I planted the one in the article in Jan of last year. http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthr...ri-Style-Junipers&highlight=yamadori+junipers

15 months later this is the growth I have. About 9 inches on one branch and about 6 inches on another. One can see that near the top, where the plant is more active (apical) I have some trunk tissue bulging between the wires (good) so thet I will be assured I will have a set shape when the wire is off.

 

[Smoke]

As far as the pot it is in, I have it in a 5 gallon azalea clay pot. The pot the trident is in is a cut down ten gallon nursery container. The clay pot is similer in size and will serve as a good vessel for 8 years or more undisturbed with plenty of room for growth. Allowing room for roots to roam will ensure I get the fast growth necessary for making this technique work.

Just my thoughts, everyone has a different idea though.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Agreed completely, I got a 1-gal itoigawa from Brent a couple years ago that spent 10+ years in that can. The trunk is 2", and I had no problem combing out the roots this spring while moving it into a wider, shallower bonsai pot. Undisturbed root growth is crucial to getting the top moving...and a radial nebari is a plus, but not a requirement for good shimpaku.

 

[Eric Schrader]

Shimpaku growth rate is really dependent on the environment - when I live in SF I was lucky to get 1-2 inches per year. In SoCal I got 12-15 inches on some plants last growing season. The difference is the heat. If you get good heat for long periods you should get good strong growth. I stand by my advice to use larger than a gallon pot, you don't want to be repotting every two years when you're growing something out and the larger the container the faster the plant will grow given proper watering and fertilization.

 

[mrcasey]

I actually tend to overpot as some in this thread suggest. However, here is an alternate view offered in an article taken from Brent Walston's web site: http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/overpot.htm

One other thing to consider: It could be that starting with smaller pots and progressing slowly will normalize the diameter of the nebari roots.

 

[Bill S]

Missed some of the replies on this.

My thoughts were partly due to location, Mich will be more wet than you Al, and w/ whips to a 5 gal pot seems counter, I can agree with the ground, but feel there should be a limit, then up pot as needed, maybe the heat would be the difference.