Today on my never ending quest to find bonsai suitable nursery stock, I came across a very nice juniper procumbuns nana it is in a 6in 1gal pot it has a 1 1/2in trunk and stands about 10in from the top of the pot. The branching and foilage are so tight it's amazing.
My question is how do I get it into a bonsai pot. I tried it on another one about a month ago and it turned brown and died.
You would definitely want to follow normal seasonal repotting. Getting it into a "bonsai pot" in the middle of the growing season is probably not a good idea. During the dormat season, winter, and right before spring is, I believe, the best time for repotting Junipers. Keep in mind that Junipers are outdoor trees and will not do well in a home.
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rondo769,
My experience with Junipers is not extensive, I only have one and have re-potted it only once. I had no problems whatsoever with it but there were two key differences.
1. I transplanted it much earlier in the season. It is said that Junipers can be re-potted somewhat later than deciduous trees but as kdodds noted mid July was probably too late in the season.
2. I did not move straight from a nursery container to a bonsai pot. Instead I am utilizing a training pot. This is simply a container that is wider than it is tall. It will not be as shallow or as small (length x width) as a bonsai pot but should provide room to spread the roots horizontally without being overly large. Consider it a transition or intermediate step to getting your tree in a bonsai pot. I think mine has been in the training pot two years now and I might leave it for another.
It is essential that once you begin the move to shallow containers you have a proper, free draining bonsai mix. Although it may seem counterintuitive, shallow pots do not drain as well as tall pots. This is one reason why bonsai growers are so adamant about using large size particles in their medium. Since you are growing a Juniper this is even more important than if you were growing a tree more tolerant of damp soil.
Norm
My experience with Junipers is not extensive, I only have one and have re-potted it only once. I had no problems whatsoever with it but there were two key differences.
1. I transplanted it much earlier in the season. It is said that Junipers can be re-potted somewhat later than deciduous trees but as kdodds noted mid July was probably too late in the season.
2. I did not move straight from a nursery container to a bonsai pot. Instead I am utilizing a training pot. This is simply a container that is wider than it is tall. It will not be as shallow or as small (length x width) as a bonsai pot but should provide room to spread the roots horizontally without being overly large. Consider it a transition or intermediate step to getting your tree in a bonsai pot. I think mine has been in the training pot two years now and I might leave it for another.
It is essential that once you begin the move to shallow containers you have a proper, free draining bonsai mix. Although it may seem counterintuitive, shallow pots do not drain as well as tall pots. This is one reason why bonsai growers are so adamant about using large size particles in their medium. Since you are growing a Juniper this is even more important than if you were growing a tree more tolerant of damp soil.
Norm