Marsman
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Location: Coventry, CT

Spring Juniper Project

This coming Monday, 3/15, my club, the Greater Hartford Bonsai Society, is having a BYOB (Bring Your Own Bonsai) workshop. I have so many trees I want to work on, but I've chosen this Juniper to try and tame.

[url=https://s956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/?action=view&current=DSC_0014.jpg][img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/th_DSC_0014.jpg[/img][/url]

What I'm thinking is to make a cascade out of the right side. It's not very evident in the two pictures, but there is a nice 'cloud' section that sticks up over that side.

[url=https://s956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/?action=view&current=DSC_0001.jpg][img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/th_DSC_0001.jpg[/img][/url]

This is a club member's tree that I'm going to use as a general guide. I need to dig around and see what kind of trunk is hiding under all that foliage.

[url=https://s956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Hartford%20Flower%20Show%202010/?action=view&current=DSC_0010.jpg][img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Hartford%20Flower%20Show%202010/th_DSC_0010.jpg[/img][/url]

Any thoughts, feel free to comment.
Last edited by Marsman on Tue Mar 16, 2010 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

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djlen
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Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:37 pm
Location: Just East of Zone 7a

This is the fun part of the hobby for me, especially when you have great material to work with such as J.procumbens. Getting in there and trying to make a decision as to what goes and what stays is the challenge......and the fun. My only problem with this plant was finding something that is upwardly inclined. J. procumbens nana just wants to grow flat or down.:)
The model you chose is a good one and an inspiration. Please keep us posted.
While I'm at it....two observations. It sure looks great on your new stand!!!:)
And I went up to N. Jersey over the weekend and was amazed to find snow still covering most of the ground as I see you are still experiencing in Hartford (my mom's from E. Hartford). I now feel fortunate that save a few patches where it was piled, we are snow free here in South Jersey, and the weather is beginning to feel a bit on the Spring side................finally.

Marsman
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Location: Coventry, CT

I don't know what the trunk undernieth looks like, but here's my conception of a possible outcome.

(I did this using Photoshop Elements.)

Step 1: Remove unwanted back of tree
[url=https://s956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/?action=view&current=Base-Juniper.jpg][img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/th_Base-Juniper.jpg[/img][/url]

Step 2: Prune it!
[url=https://s956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/?action=view&current=2-Juniper.jpg][img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/th_2-Juniper.jpg[/img][/url]

Step 3: What it might look like in a pot
[url=https://s956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/?action=view&current=3-Juniper-1.jpg][img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/th_3-Juniper-1.jpg[/img][/url]
Last edited by Marsman on Tue Mar 16, 2010 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

TomM
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Location: Cedarville (SE of Utica) NY, USA

Nice work Marsman!! Showing your plans in a 3 stage development is very helpful. Of course when you actually jump in and start removing branches not necessary to your design you may find other avenues to take. But having an initial plan helps. I hope that all your surprises are good ones. Let us know the results after Monday's BYOB workshop.
If you run into a Tom Pape ("TP") at the Hartford Society tell him Tom, from back home, says Hi. :shock:
TP gave us a nice demo on air-layering in Utica last month.

Marsman
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Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:19 am
Location: Coventry, CT

Worked on the juniper last night at the club meeting. It's no where near done yet, just a work-in-progress.

Proposed Front:
[img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/ea74a31b.jpg[/img]

Back:
[img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Juniper%20Procumbens/8e871949.jpg[/img]

There is an chance the 'back' may become the front. Still need to work it out. New pot coming in next week and will plant the tree on an angle.

Lessons learned: Ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different answers on how it should be shaped, pruned and potted. I'd prune here and someone would say, "Oh, you should not have done that" or "OK, now cut this off". Then someone else would contradict the other person. When all is said and done, it's your tree. Take it all in and make up your own mind.

Don't let the nay-sayers get to you or you will go crazy! [img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Fun%20Stuff/insane_homer-418.gif[/img]

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djlen
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Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 8:37 pm
Location: Just East of Zone 7a

Marsman wrote:Worked on the juniper last night at the club meeting. It's no where near done yet, just a work-in-progress.
Lessons learned: Ask 10 people and you'll get 10 different answers on how it should be shaped, pruned and potted. I'd prune here and someone would say, "Oh, you should not have done that" or "OK, now cut this off". Then someone else would contradict the other person. When all is said and done, it's your tree. Take it all in and make up your own mind.

Don't let the nay-sayers get to you or you will go crazy!
Truer words were never spoken. I had the same issues on Sat. morning in my club meeting. "Do this........no, don't do that, do this" etc.
It's you project. Do you own thing with it.
The tree looks nice, btw.

Wish you'd have left the originals in. Then we could see some before and after. :)

Marsman
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Posts: 650
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:19 am
Location: Coventry, CT

Ooops! Link is broken. I changed the name of the directory. I'll re-link them now.

EDIT: Fixed! :D

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SHS
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Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2010 11:13 am
Location: South Florida - Zone 10

This looks like it has great potential for the cascade style you are working toward.

I had a similar experience in my meeting, lots of advice and much of it was contradictory. I am with the rest of you, it is my tree and I will make mistakes but learn at the same time. I also listen and learn from others but there is no way to use everyones suggestions, we all have a slightly different appreciation for art.

Marsman
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Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:19 am
Location: Coventry, CT

One guy was telling me that I should leave on the lower branches to thicken up the trunk. Makes perfect sense and we've all heard that before. Another guy, who I know well and respect his opinion very much, comes over and says that junipers don't grow like that and that the lower branches won't add to the trunk. So, I chop them off. Well, the first guy goes nuts and the second guy walks away, leaving me standing there with my heart in my throat. On my GOD! :shock: Have I just wrecked my tree? I felt awful. But, after I calmed down, I said to myself, "It's done. Live with it and move on."



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