Hello all, I recently purchased a juniperus procumbens (nana) as
a first bonsai. I bought it from the nursery without any prior
bonsai training.
Before starting the initial pruning process, I checked with
many sources as to how much is good to prune. Most sources say
that only about 1/3 of the original foliage should be removed at
one time. Others, however, make reference to trees with very
sparse foliage after a pruning, stating that the foliage will
later grow in in the desired amounts and positions. These trees
seemed to have much more than 1/3 of the foliage removed.
I pruned about 1/3 of the foliage off of my juniper but it is
still extremely congested looking, appearing more like a bush
than a tree. Would it be advisable for me to prune away all that
is necessary right now, or should I wait a month or so before
further pruning? Thanks alot for the help with this newbie
question!
John Smith - Morehead City, NC
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First, I want you to head on down to the Sanitary Fishmarket and
order a platter of steamed shrimp and crabs for me. I'll be
right over! ;-)
I'm no juniper expert by any means, but if you have done any
significant root work on this tree you probably need to leave
some top -- and vice versa. They don't seem to like both to
happen at one sitting.
If it is still in a nursery pot, you can do what you will with
the top -- then do the roots NEXT spring. One thing about
bonsai, you do NOT need to do it all today -- or even this year.
;-)
Jim Lewis -
- Tallahassee, FL - A former
student (in marine geology) at the Duke University marine
laboratory in nearby Beaufort who lived in Morehead City for that
idyllic period.
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