This tree or shrub has a very shredded like bark and this can look very nice if used in bonsai and it adds a lot of interest to the trunk of the tree but can in the case of bonsai harbor and hide little pests like bugs and ants and other insects so most often when working one of theses plants into a bonsai most people will peal and work that bark away down too the trunk where you will begin to see the reddish colored trunk appear..
You will of course loose some of the trunks interest but your tree will be much safer from insects and not be as apt to get any fungi and or other pests under the shaggy bark.. I acquired this plant from a fellow bonsai enthusiast and it was a very good price and deal for me as I love junipers anyway and thought it would make a nice little addition to my collection..
The tree is too small in trunk girth to have much of a nebari and is lacking there of and might have been the reason the other fellow did not want to keep it or work it any more.. I will always be the first to agree that a strong and well placed nebari on a tree trunk truly will make the tree shine and look fantastic but some times mother nature just does not give it too us in our life time and so we must settle for less than the best effort and take what is handed to us and try our best to still create something nice to view anyway. Or at least I do. I have often times been accused of not even letting a dandelion die even though it is a weed.
I bought it from him anyway and brought it home and re applied some Lime sulpher to re brighten up the Shari on the trunk and then later that day decided too also give it a nice looking pot. Now I know any master would think that I'm totally crazy and wasting my time by not only working this plant and would truly balk at me for giving it a nice pot but oh well rules are meant to be broken at times and I can not stand any plant in my collection not having a decent pot... Plastic and or wood crates and the like just do not cut it for me...
I have no idea how old this little guy is but not too old I suspect as its trunk size is way too small to have been around for too long.
This juniper like most any other conifer likes well drained soil and lots of full sun if you can provide it and although it will tolerate wet feet too some extent I do not leave it or any of my other plants stay that wet and of course since I do live in the Great Northwest I need not water as much like most others will in there areas as here mother nature provides much rain and remains my constant garden hose most all the time.
Some junipers produce berries and believe it or not the berries are used for spice in a fairly wide variety of food dishes and also the berries are used in some kinds of gin, mostly for a special flavor and it has also been used in certain beers.
Pruning should be carried out in early spring and you can trim or pinch some growth most any time of year but always try to pinch off new growth and stay out of the way of your older wood as it will not grow back to readily in the older areas of the tree or shrub. Re potting of this like most all conifers should be done in early spring before the tree begins too bud up and start any new growth.
Junipers are pretty hardy and strong so you do not have too much to worry about with growing this tree or shrub in your garden or as a bonsai.. Nursery's most often have a wide variety of juniper plants on hand so you should not have any problem at all finding a nice plant to work with and create into a nice bonsai in a lot of different styles.
You could even plant one in the ground for several years taking care to dig it up ever other year or so and cutting back some of the root and also to prevent it from getting too deeply rooted this will of course get you some nice trunk caliper and hopefully a nice nebari to start off with and then when your ready dig it up and benign work on it as a bonsai.
Jin and or Shari of course is not recommended for the absolute beginner you should wait for this until you have a good total understanding of creating bonsai and then you could play with the idea and use it for its intended purpose and that is hide and or cover up a particular messy part of the tree, or old and or or dead wood, a possible branch that is interesting and has died and most often will just be cut away could instead be made into Jin and add the perception of age to the tree and or add other wise too its over all appearance.
In the case of jin on a bonsai it is a matter of scrapping or pealing all of the bark off in a particular area of the tree and making sure that you have it fairly clean and as smooth as possible and wet too some degree and then you paint on a coat of Lime Sulpher over the area that you wish too have as Jin and it will turn a grayish white giving off the appearance of drift wood or weathered wood too the tree. Be careful and wear goggles and use rubber gloves and also be careful and mindful as to not get any of the sulpher mixture down into your soil as it could or may cause the death of the tree. I usually cover the soil in the pot with some sandwich wrap and or an old towel then begin my work.
The Lime sulpher should be applied once in the spring and then again at or just before fall and then again in the next spring and as needed to keep the gray white weathered appearance after that. A lot of the finer master pieces in bonsai have some areas of the tree or shrub that have been made into Jin.
It certainly does not need to be done but is a matter of personal preference and or the choice of the creator of the bonsai if he or she wishes to Jin or create Shari on any given tree or not.
Lime sulpher is not expensive and if you grow roses and or any fruit trees it can also be used to control fungi and pests so you can also get the other benefits of this product other than just for bonsai use. And as with any and all chemicals first read and understand the label before using for any application.
Thanks for reading.
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com
