Dear Lynn:


Lynn Smith wrote:

Good Day All,

Being new to the art of bonsai can be frusterating. I have been
advised by
our local club here to start with some nursery stock. Junipers have been
recommended due to their ease of growing and taking the abuse a
newcomer has
to go through.

I chose a Blue Star Juniper. I love the color of this plant, I picked
through them to find one that I liked the shape of and came out with one
that is slightly slanting to one side of the pot. It is quite full and
will
need lots of trimming and work on it.

I would like to know if I can pot this juniper in a bonsai pot and do
some
pruning to shape it all at once?

I just answered Sebastian on another Email, and I quote: At the bottom
of every Email is the URL for the IBC Home page. There is a wonderful
article by IBC member Herb Gustafson on styling a Juniper. Herb has
written excellent books and I highly recommend them.

From my own experience it is not a good idea to style and then work on
the roots. In the article mentioned above Herb Gutafson walks you
through the steps in styling a Juniper, so I heartily recommend that you
read the article.

I have two pots one being 8"Lx5"W and 10"Lx7 1/2"W. The juniper is in a 1
gal pot at the moment. Which of these two is the better size for this
plant?


I would not be in a hurry to place your plant into a pot until you
understand a lot more about the aesthetics and the art of Bonsai. It is
a personal choice in most cases, however there are some rules that would
help.You should read and then read some more. You develop the "feel"
for the right pot by looking at hundreds of pictures of Bonsai.



Because it is on a slant already do you plant them to one side in the
pot or
in the middle?


As I said above do not be in a hurry to transfer yourt tree nto a pot,
but in general terms, the tree would be planted slightly behind the
center and off to the side, so that the plant would lean toward the
major part of the pot.
______________
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Something like this as a bird's eye view "o" beng the trunk
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Our club is quite new and there are some members that can help me if I
need
it but they are learning too. If any of you could be of assistance to
me I
would greatly appreciate it.

Have a nice day.........Lynn


Good luck and I hope this gives you some idea that you should not rush
into the complete process until you have a little more knowedge and
experience.

I hope some of the IBC members will jump in and add their experiences to
what I have suggested.

Welcome to the addiction!

Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7
http://bmee.net/rosner
http://www.jamesbaird.com/cgi-bin/Ja...d=00000068 48





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