In this video I introduce to you my work for client from Thailand on his Juniper Itoigawa. Full restyling, pruning and repotting.
This tree was exhibited at a selling area during national bonsai exhibitions Gafu Ten in Kyoto and Kokufu Ten in Tokyo.
Watering: Be careful not to overwater, as the juniper’s roots don’t like soil wetness. Before you water, the soil should slightly dry. Misting the tree can be done regularly, especially after the tree has been repotted because it benefits from air humidity. Continue reading about watering Bonsai trees.
Fertilizing : Use normal organic fertilizer pellets every month during the growing season or a liquid fertilizer every week. If you’d like to see strong growth you can apply some higher nitrogen levels in the spring.
Pruning: To develop the foliage pads, long shoots that stick out of the silhouette can be pinched or cut at the base with sharp scissors throughout the growing season. Do not trim the juniper like a hedge because the removal of all growing tips will weaken the tree and the cut will turn the needles brown. When the foliage pads become too dense they must be thinned out with sharp scissors at the base. The Juniper Bonsai is generally a strong tree that also withstands aggressive pruning very well. But it cannot bud again from bare tree parts, so take care that there is some foliage left on every branch you wish to keep alive. Continue reading about pruning Bonsai trees.
Wiring: Junipers produced for Bonsai are often heavily wired when they are very young. Dramatically twisted shapes are very popular and correspond with the natural shapes that used to grow in the Japanese mountains. Junipers can be bent aggressively, but be sure to wrap branches with raffia or tape for protection. Use caution when bending areas with deadwood as those parts do break easily. If they are large and old, you can split the deadwood to bend the more flexible living parts. The foliage pads should be wired and fanned out after thinning, to let light and air get in, otherwise, the inner parts of the foliage pads will die, and dense pads also increase the risk of pest infestation. Aesthetically, we want unobstructed structures to avoid the juniper from looking like broccoli.
Repotting: Repot the Juniper Bonsai tree once every two years using a basic, or slightly more draining soil mixture. Very old trees can be repotted at longer intervals. Do not prune the roots too aggressively.
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