Shimpaku Juniper Shohin

Hi All
I would like to share some pictures of this little shohin shimpaku juniper that I have been working on recently. I repotted this tree at the wrong time of year in 2012, which put the tree in shock and slowed down the growth for a while. It is now well on the road to recovery and is beginning to show some promise as a bonsai, I think. Constructive comments always welcome and appreciated

Before


After


If you would like to see more detailed pictures of the work and more discussion of the history of the tree you can see it on my blog
http://robertnochershohinbonsai.wordpress.com/2014/07/04/shimpaku-shohin-2-progression/

It's becoming an exquisite little tree Robert with a lot of potential. Would you possibly consider reducing the overall crown? The reason I say that is that it seems to compete a bit with your first branch.

Hi Orion
Thanks for your comments. Your right, the crown is a bit full at the moment and I would hope to reduce that in the next year or so. Ultimately, I would like to see all of the foliage a bit closer to the trunk.

It comes out of the soil at such a straight upward trajectory then has movement. Have you thought about changing the planting angle slightly?

Hi Kennedy Marx
Thanks for the input, I hadn't considered that to be a problem until you raised it  . I'll probably think about it constantly between now and the next re-pot     ,  and maybe go for a slight change in inclination

just my 2 cents: the straight up the trunk shari only adds to the vertical-ness of the lower trunk...
a slight sweep down to the right (if possible) would add some movement where there is none...

but otherwise, i really dig it...

Good idea Beer City Snake, I'll probably do that when it has recovered from the most recent work

hi Robert,
curve the jins too - the lower one continues to make a perfect straight line with the shari - it all points the eye away from the tree and out into space. Even when the tree's planting angle is changed it will still be in a straight line so i'd wire it if its not too dried out or heat it and wire it if its a bit stiff.

cheers, see you soon,

Marcus

Hi Marcus
Thanks for your reply. I will probably try what you suggest later in the year. The jins are several years old, so they will be stiff

oh ! and when repotting getting the feet of the pot lined up evenly with the front of the tree is the final detail - 2 choices - one foot to the front gives one feel and the two feet evenly spaced to either side gives another feel - one is stable one is delicate, your choice based on how you feel the tree will end up

cheers - you r going to be a bit busy with this little one - for an hour or two anyway   

I really like the tree and think it looks great. The comments that are being suggested would have never occurred to me, but, make sense. Every time I visit this site I learn something new.

I have a few questions. How did you go about creating the shari that runs the height of the tree? Did you do it all at once? How did you know vital branches wouldn't die back? Did any part of it die back? If so, is there anyway to predict which part that will be?

The reason I ask is that I have a shohin shimpaku as well. I'm creating a similar shari at a rate of about 1 inch every 2 months. The tree 12 inches tall so this will take about 2 years. I have read where this can be done all at once though.

Thanks.
Steve

steveb wrote:
.  How did you go about creating the shari that runs the height of the tree?  Did you do it all at once?  How did you know vital branches wouldn't die back?  Did any part of it die back?  If so, is there anyway to predict which part that will be?  

The reason I ask is that I have a shohin shimpaku as well.  I'm creating a similar shari at a rate of about 1 inch every 2 months.  The tree 12 inches tall so this will take about 2 years.  I have read where this can be done all at once though.  

 

Hi Steve - its really safe to make shari on juniper in one sitting if you study the tree closely before you start. the main roots will supply the bulk of the sap to the trunk and create a slightly swollen live vein. the sections of trunk between the veins is the best place to carve the shari as this part of the trunk is not supplying the foliage. you need to trace the way up the tree following the curves and twists so you dont cut across the working parts of the trunk. use chalk or a pen to mark the areas to be cut. i'd be wary of carving the areas below the major branches - this can be risky and weaken parts of the tree

This is just stage one - little junipers look best when the live veins are narrow and plump and the deadwood shari section is wider - each year you can recarve the deadwood wider until you have ribbons of live vein curving with the movement in the tree - using wire is the really easy way - wire the trunk quite tight, shape it if needed, let it cut into the tree over the next few years and the veins swell in between the wires - then just take the wire off and carve off the bark that was under the wires - now you have perfect plump live veins -wire in irregular coils to look better - if its perfectly even it looks too false.

cheers

Hi Steveb
The way that you are going about it is a good way to start if a little on the slow side. The shari on my tree is not continuous all the way up the trunk. It is carved in 2 parts. The first part starts  at soil level and ends where it meets the jin on the lower right of the trunk. the second part starts at the jin at the top of the trunk and winds down to a position just above the bottom branch (See Picture Below).

The reason I did it this way is that the centre of the grain of the bark from my starting point at the top passed straight through the middle of my bottom branch. When you peel bark back it follows a natural grain. You can steer the bark using a sharp knife to cut across the grain but this can be risky on such a small trunk with complex twists. Better to err on the safe side initially, you can always return to it at a later time when you know it has recovered from the first work.
To speed up the work on your tree, you might want to try cutting several separate sections at a time and connecting them up at a later time. As Marcus said it is a good idea to trace the path of the shari through the tree using chalk and try as far as possible to follow the grain of the bark
Good luck

Thanks Marcus for the information.  The wire idea was great.  I did this by mistake on the trunk of an elm I was styling.  This left an ugly bulge in the middle of the trunk.  I never thought of doing this on a juniper and carving away what remains under the wire when removed.  I have another juniper where I think this would work great.  I'll be sure to make pictures and post them...even though it may be a while.   

That's really impressive Robert how you created that shari.  I would never have thought that it was done in sections.  Great idea.  I see now how I'll be able to create a shari on mine.   Below is my juniper.  I just increased the shari toward the bottom and just started the one on the top.  I'm thinking they will eventually reach toward the back of the lower left branch.  Please disregard the pot, the mesh holding the soil in place, and the rope pulling the crown down.  Sorry, I don't mean to hijack your post.  Please feel free to delete, or ask me too.  

Thanks again Robert and Marcus for the valuable information.

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