San Jose Juniper #2335
Juniperus squamata ‘San Jose', 6 yr old Stock from a cutting from Muranaka Nursery in Nipomo. $40. July 2023.
Mixture of juvenile needle foilage that matures to scaled. After pruning, new foilage may be juvenile / needle and change to scaled.
Aug 2024 First styling
Cleaned up small branches or foilage in crotches or along the trunk.
Selecting a front. Has nice nebari.
Style at an angle, though will repot next spring—may be a grow box.
Mid-sized branches that do not serve the foliage design may be turned into Jin and add finer movement and contrast. Will Jin, wait a day to add lime sulfur, then wire in movement.
Will determine if trunk has taper for the desired height or if a new apex needs to be developed.
Wire branches lower.
Reduce foliage to 1” (partial defoliation) to encourage balance.
Initiate two sided Shari to develop life-line and wider growth, ideally add movement.
If a new apex is chosen, try to Jin a portion (asymmetry) of upper branches to add contrast and develop foliage pads away from or in balance to the array of Jin.
Jin high, Jin low
Progression
Trimmed fronds to ~1” long
Cleaned up downward or random needles
Style/Design Inspiration:
Care [Monrovia]
Highly adaptable and easy to grow in most well-drained soils; avoid overly wet conditions.
Water deeply, regularly during the first growing season to establish an extensive root system. Once established, reduce frequency; tolerates mild drought.
Apply fertilizer before new growth begins in spring.
Example for development:
Nursery stock was planted in the ground for three years to gain size. Then potted it and began to develop character. [guidance by Ted Matson]
In addition to the development of the trunk and branches, the root system has been trimmed so that the trees was able to be potted in an appropriate pot.
First step was to reduce all foliage to about 1 inch (or ¾ inch earlier in the year) to produce even balance. Ted explained that this tree is showing a lot of mature buds (scale rather than needles).
Ted explained that this tree is showing a lot of mature buds (scale rather than needles). He suggested trying to convert tree to this mature foliage, by pinching the mature foliage lightly to keep the energy flow and allow it to increase.
To help balance the top of the tree, he also suggested reducing the top portion by 5% so the bottom can catch up.
I diligently wired every secondary and tertiary branch. I later removed several secondary and treteriary branches on the left back branch. This allowed the remaining branches more room for placement.
I used guy wire to lower this branch. Again I focused on trimming all foliage for balance and ensured layering when placing the branches.
To improve health: It is better to cut the tips so side shoots can grow and continue the strength of the tree. Also observed that leaving the tree grow unchecked helps mature foliage.
Junipers prefer soil that is slightly dry, but it should not be exposed to prolonged dryness. It is best to water the plant well, allowing for proper drainage, and then allow the soil to become dry before watering again. The juniper bonsai tree needs a certain level of humidity for optimal growth.
Spring and summertime are the best seasons for pruning the juniper tree. New shoots should be pinched back once they reach a length of one inch. This can be continued from spring until the middle of September.
Bonsai tree gardener
Oct 2023 break
😭 Wiring initial trunk movement, used 4mm alum wire (possibly not close enough) and aggressive bend resulted in a spiral break. Applied cut paste inside and closed the break—reducing the wire bend. Will hope it heals over, but must not apply further torque or bending in that area—rather low and do not want to lose the upper tree.