San Jose Juniper

Would like some comments on what to do with the dead wood...and the tree as a whole. Thanks-John

John,
Take a loo0k at Bonsai Techniques II by John Naka pg. 74-76 or pg. 179-180
Have fun.
Patrick Giacobbe

Thank you patrick,,,,,,I don,t have that book..i know everyone has a copy..i just stopped buying books a few years ago..someone will give some advice i hope..thanks take care john

Here are my suggestions:
- Shorten the jin. Short jin will highlight the beautiful trunk more.
- Use Raffia and a thick wire to make a coil bend around half-way up the trunk and coil the foliage closer to the base of the tree (my virtual looks 2-dimensional but it is hard to depict a coil).

Honestly, the trunk looks flexible enough to bend it in any direction... so choose your own design. It helps to sketch before touching the tree.

Suburbia,,i like your virtul a lot...thank you for takeing the time..You think the trunk will bend like that?? i will check it out..thank you take care john

Hi John,

The virt of suburbia is good and to me looks doable. If however you are not comfortable with the suggesstion, then add a few bends to the trunkline to give it some movement. You can then style it as a Bunjin....

Ravi

moyogijohn wrote:Suburbia,,i like your virtul a lot...thank you for takeing the time..You think the trunk will bend like that?? i will check it out..thank you take care john

You do not have to make that bend all at once. Do it over one (or two) entire growing seasons.

I agree with Jim.... The bend is possible in one season, but if you are not comfortable or experienced enough with wiring, then take the Juniper to your club for a wiring session, or attend a workshop with wiring.

Notice that I have emphasized on the word 'coil', which is different from just bending 2-dimensionally. Try to visualize the bend as a spiral going clockwise (in this case, downwards though upwards won't look bad either). It will be a lot easier for you to bend it this way since there will be less stress on the wood, as opposed to just bending the trunk by pulling it down towards the base.

Plus, visually you will be able to create a shorter trunk, and the 3-dimensional look will be more natural.

Thank you very much Suburbia,,Ravi,,and Jim,,,I am going to try this virtul with the tree..it will give a learning experince and if it does not work i will try again!! thanks for your help take care john

It's easy to make assumptions that something can be done on the basis of having done it before on a different species of tree. Having said that I don't mean to throw jabs at any who have suggested you can do it. The idea has great artistic value and this is the way you should go. I think it is probable that you can make this bend in one season and if the tree were Shimpaku I would be certain of it. However; over the years I have become cautious about recommending someone do something this severe with a tree I have not myself performed a similar action with. I would advise that you get some input from someone familiar with San Jose Juniper and its nature and tolerance for this aggressive kind of maneuver.

If you decide to attempt the drastic bend, allow the tree to dry out, wrap with wet raffia, then wire over the raffia, then bend. I have seen strips of black plastic bag used instead of raffia. The raffia/plastic supports the bark and helps prevent tearing.

I have worked with San Jose Juniper. It is not easy to bend. It is very brittle, even if the branch is small. However, I don't think this is a San Jose Juniper. The tree is too young to have all that mature foliage. San Jose takes over 10 years ( I believe it is between 12 and 15 years) to develop mature foliage. And even then it is not that evenly distributed. You would spot the mature growth more at the tips of the new growth.

If this tree was sold as a San Jose, then perhaps it is a mix with lots of parsonii in it. Just my thoughts.

-dorothy

I agree with Dorothy. San Jose would be full of Juvenile foliage at this stage and is a more coarse plant.

I THANK EVERYONE,,For the advice and following this post..I tried to bend and set the movement with the trunk...but my friends the trunk snapped beyond repair...it is ok because it was a learning expercince...that trunk though small was very brittle..i will find another and i did learn something..thank you all i will need your help in the future...take care john

moyogijohn wrote:I THANK EVERYONE,,For the advice and following this post..I tried to bend and set the movement with the trunk...but my friends the trunk snapped beyond repair...it is ok because it was a learning expercince...that trunk though small was very brittle..i will find another and i did learn something..thank you all i will need your help in the future...take care john

I am sorry to hear that John.

I think we have pushed you and tree too far.
this should be a learning experience to most of us seeking advice. IMHO- If we are going to go with the advice given, we should take all the necessary precautions before we proceed, including testing of branch, possible sketch of our own perceived target, and the testing of tools and materials to be used. And this should not deter people from giving advices based on their experience as well. again, based on their own experience. Pictures can be deceiving, and the actual nature/condition of the tree is very hard to predict.

regards,
jun

I am sorry to hear that....

This is definitely a learning experience for me as well as an advice giver to state as much precautions in the post as possible. I want to emphasize a point that I made earlier in my response is to engage your club members, or someone experienced in doing something that you are not sure of.

On a side note, the way I practiced wiring was to take a couple of freshly cut branches of varying thickness from the trees around my yard and practice on them. There is a decent video clip on wiring posted on YouTube by Graham Potter... check it out.

Thanks.

Suburbia,,,NOT to worry..it was a learning experince thats all..you gave good directions....no club here at all i learn from you people on this web site..great teachers here!!!!! take care john

Another possibility with a very brittle branch would have been to split the branch,even a small section, before bending. Of course if you split the branch it would require raffia or something similar.