AusBonsai

Hello all,
Very green and first post so please be gentle I purchased this Juniper shimpaku from a nursery early this summer.
Full of enthusiasm and without a clue I took to it and have brought it to its current sad state. Before I do any more damage can I please have some advice on how (if possible) I can put this tree on the road to recovery. The tree seems to be quite healthy despite my attempts and killing it. It currently stands about 45cm tall.

These are some of the issues I can see.
*No nebari (There are a few very small woody roots submerged)- How can this be encouraged? Fertilise with a boost of Phosphates?
*Small branch at bottom of top third- This tuned yellow, withered and lost it's scales. Is there any chance it will grow again or is it a lost cause?
*Orientation? Would using another aspect be better?
*Lack of taper at the top- Should I cut the tree down? Would any of the branches be suitable to form a new leader?
*Lower branches- Obviously a mess and was not sure what to do so I left the small bottom bar branch and the large 4th branch which has little/no taper. Was thinking of using the 3rd branch as the 1st but it may look a bit naked if i cut everything else off
*6th branch is thicker than the bottom. I attempted to train it down but the wire I used was not thick enough

Any advice greatly appreciated!

http://imgur.com/a/2SJt8#gpINQWO

Hi mate,

Welcome to our world!

Your juniper looks healthy! Thats a plus.

Given were in the warmer months at the moment in Melb, you should just be letting the tree grow.

In your first picture, have a look at the lowest little round pad on the left - if I had my way, that would be your future tree.

Note: junipers are not really displayed for Nebari and often don't have amazing taper. Its the live vs dead wood that really sets these guys apart.

I wouldn't worry about Nebari at all actually, just let it grow for now, fertilise well as the next month or two will see many days around 20-25 degrees so your tree should grow well.

Work on it in the colder months and see how you feel then. A trunk chop, bending the thing into a pretzel, or just growing on for a thick base are all options you must consider.

Cheers for posting!

-Mo

Hi mate,
You're off to a good start, for mine I would reduce the height by 1/3 and find a new leader ( the trunk is not thick enough to be that tall). If you are finding hard to wire the heavy branch down use a tire wire ie wire from the branch to the pot or back to the trunk. You could wrap some damp raffia and use heavier wire, but develop the smaller branches is most important as they are your future branches. In doing all this don't forget to protect bark from scarring from the wires. Check out some of the web site regards junipers will help. Keep going you'll get there!
Cheers Rod

Hey matey, and welcome!

Dont be shy, everyone here is really friendly

Im in cahoots with Rodm, cut it down to a bit above half that height, and grow it back a bit more "naturally", and basically just let it go. I let a Juni grow for a bit and before i knew it, had massive scarring, so keep an eye on it, you will prob need to re-wire before the hot weathers out.

the fact that your trying to train branches that arnt thick enough to be handled shows that you just need to give it some time to develop a bit.. dont rush it, in the end bonsai's are what they are because its time and patience over years.

And have fun with

Wire all the lower branches out and down at the same angles and with some movement in them.
Let them Grow so they thicken up.

Chop back to about 1/3 height and grow a new apex from one of the upper branches.

Ken

Thanks for all the excellent replies!
It's growing well and I've just started feeding it every other week. Will update once some progress has been made.
Cheers