I think I wrote several months ago about the juniper "bonsai"
that were donated to our Taoist Tai Chi Center. Both were very
sad specimens (though they were nursery plants and not Mallsai).

Anyway, I took on the job of rejuvenating these plants -- even
though I'm not the best grower of juniper bonsai. ----
understatement.

I put them both in the ground for a season. I potted up the J.
prostrata (or procumbens) this spring and it immediately went
into a funk. I thought I'd lost it -- it turned a sickly olive,
mixed with brown and felt limp. I seem to have nursed it back to
health, however, there's quite a bit of new growth popping up
everywhere and it generally looks and feels healthier.

My problem: Much of the new growth is at the end of long
spindly, brown twigs, as:

||||####

where is the old brown needle stubs that dried and blew
away as it was recovering and #### is the bright new growth way
out at the end of that long, skinny twig.

My question. If I snip that "branch" half way (or less), can I
expect to see more #### show up at the end of the shortened
branch? If not, what's the solution to this dilemma?

The other juniper is still growing in the ground, but it is one
of those horribly ugly bi-color (yellow and green) J. chinensis
cultivars and I'm having a very hard time imagining it as a
bonsai.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Jim,

I would not cut back beyond the green for now since the tree is weak. I
have found that if I keep the foliage at the ends pinched back fairly well
that buds will pop along the branch - often on rather old wood. Removing
the green is apt to cut off the supply water and nutrients from the roots
and result in death of the branch. My method is a little slower perhaps,
but far safer.

Of course getting them into a proper winter might also help - heck,
Tallahassee is not that much different from inside the house as far as a
juniper is concerned big grin.

In addition, junipers like to be a little on the alkaline side - some
dolomitic lime worked into the soil and avoid the acid fertilizers seems to
help. Dolomitic lime is a mixture of both magnesium and calcium carbonate
rather than straight lime which is mostly calcium carbonate. Most plants
seem to like some additional magnesium - Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) is
also used for this purpose, particularly for those that like acidic soil.

Marty

-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ] On Behalf Of
Jim Lewis
Subject: [IBC] juniper advice needed

snip

My problem: Much of the new growth is at the end of long
spindly, brown twigs, as:

||||####

where is the old brown needle stubs that dried and blew
away as it was recovering and #### is the bright new growth way
out at the end of that long, skinny twig.

My question. If I snip that "branch" half way (or less), can I
expect to see more #### show up at the end of the shortened
branch? If not, what's the solution to this dilemma?

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Jim,

I would not cut back beyond the green for now since the tree is
weak. I
have found that if I keep the foliage at the ends pinched back
fairly well
that buds will pop along the branch - often on rather old wood.
Removing
the green is apt to cut off the supply water and nutrients from
the roots
and result in death of the branch. My method is a little
slower perhaps,
but far safer.

Good. I suspected that, and I'll follow your advice.


Of course getting them into a proper winter might also help -
heck,
Tallahassee is not that much different from inside the house as
far as a
juniper is concerned big grin.

Now, now . . . it gets chilly enough to freeze pots here. ;-)


In addition, junipers like to be a little on the alkaline
side - some
dolomitic lime worked into the soil and avoid the acid
fertilizers seems to
help. Dolomitic lime is a mixture of both magnesium and
calcium carbonate
rather than straight lime which is mostly calcium carbonate.
Most plants
seem to like some additional magnesium - Epsom salts (magnesium
sulfate) is
also used for this purpose, particularly for those that like
acidic soil.

The tree is planted in almost 100% Turface, which I suspect is
slightly alkaline. I'll test pH.

Thanks for the info.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

I potted up the J. prostrata (or procumbens) this spring and it immediately
went into a funk. I thought I'd lost it -- it turned a sickly olive, mixed
with brown and felt limp. I seem to have nursed it back to health, however,
there's quite a bit of new growth popping up everywhere and it generally looks
and feels healthier.
My problem: Much of the new growth is at the end of long spindly, brown twigs,


The way to tell J. procumbens 'Nana' from J. squamata 'Prostrata' is not that
difficult. If it absolutely always produces nothing but juvenile foliage
(needles), it is probably J. procumbens. If it is J. squamata, it will
sometimes produce shoots of scale foliage, especially in the summer & fall.
I am not familiar with procumbens, but I have a squamata. It is reluctant to
bud back, but it will to some extent if you are persistent. Keep pinching the
tips of the long shoots & they should branch eventually.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Jim,
I'm with Marty on this, pinching is really the best way to get the juniper
to back-bud. Slow, but safe. I'd also recommend feeding with Schultz
10-60-10 (called Bloom Plus) at 1/4 the dosage EVERY time you water for the
next couple months, then switch to full dose feeding twice a month. This
has served me well with several of 'the brides' junipers in the past and
absolutely saved one of my much loved California junipers when it looked for
all the world to be belly up.

Regards,
Shelly Hurd Central CA - Sunset Zone 8-USDA Zone 9


"Jim Lewis" wrote:
SNIP
My problem: Much of the new growth is at the end of long
spindly, brown twigs, as:

||||####

where is the old brown needle stubs that dried and blew
away as it was recovering and #### is the bright new growth way
out at the end of that long, skinny twig.

My question. If I snip that "branch" half way (or less), can I
expect to see more #### show up at the end of the shortened
branch? If not, what's the solution to this dilemma?