[not updated][Kigawa] Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii

[Kigawa]

This plant was purchased in the autumn of 2010 from Ray Nesci Bonsai Nursery for $30.00. At that time the plant was seven years old. In August 2010, this tree was re-potted and three thicker branches on the lower trunk were completely removed. Since that time, the root system of the tree was severely affected by beetle grubs, which slowed down its growth. No other work has been done on this tree. Its current height is 440 mm. Images ‘a’ and ‘b’ show the plant from two different sides. Image ‘c’ shows a close up of the lower trunk.

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[Kigawa]

Yesterday, I put an air-layer to remove the top part of the plant. It is a bit late in the season to do that, but there is a competition deadline to consider. The air-layer is shown with an arrow.

[Kigawa]

It has been three months since the last update and there has been no progress with this plant . Below is the photo to prove that.

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[Kigawa]

A couple of weeks ago, checked the air layer on this plant and found that the wood is still exposed all around, but there are no roots. The air layer has been done six months ago. I've been trying to upload a photo of the plant for the past several days, but there is something wrong with my computer. The photo whoud've shown that the plant has hardly changed since the start of the competition. I was planning to re-pot the plant after the air layer is taken off, but it is not happening. A few days ago, I re-potted this plant hoping that the change of soil will invigorate the plant and promote the growth of roots. The potting mix is 3 parts commercial potting mix, two parts zeolite, two parts diatomite, with some lime and slow release fertilizer. We’ll see what happens now.