I did watch a mirai video on this tree yesterday and on closer inspection of my tree it resembles the state the one on the video all branches are now making long growth now so dose this mean I can go in and prune it down like the video because I’m worried that is the first month of winter now or am I supposed to wait till summer to prune this species of juniper
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So… southern hemisphere. Is the tree cool enough to go dormant? Junipers need a period of dormancy to rest and grow.
If the tree is not dormant and pre- foliar growth, then it is an opportunity to clean and wire.
If the goal is to enlarge the tree, then leave as much foliage as possible to grow the trunk, main branches and roots.
What is the soil mix? If you want to encourage roots throughout the container you should do some surface treatment with moss and sphagnum to allow roots to grow near the surface as well as along the sides and bottom of the container .
Pruning on a juniper should occur after the foliage has “hardened off”. The tissue should be darker green and not softer than the other needles. So if the tree is telling you it is ready, then is the time to prune.
Take the time to answer the question. “What am I trying to accomplish?”
Have fun. Let us know how you are progressing.
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thanks heaps bob very help advice I think I will just let it grow for a year watch it and learn how it grows over the various seasons and learn maybe I’m just to keen to get in there and cut and style but maybe sitting back watching and learning might be my best option . I might just clear away the rocks on top so I can get a better idea at soil moisture and do the surface treatment you spoke about thanks again you helped by giving me a direction to head
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So one of my recommendations was to clean the tree. If you watch this live stream on procunbens juniper, Ryan describes the technique and explains why cleaning the tree is good regardless of any styling or wiring having been done. You want to encourage the growth of pads and remove weak branches that go straight down or straight up. This give more energy to the usable branches when it come time to prune or style the tree. https://live.bonsaimirai.com/library/video/procumbens-juniper
A clean tree is a happy tree. And, the bonus of being able to see into the tree AND increase air flow to prevent disease or pests using your tree as food and shelter.
Have fun, watch the streams, we live in a beautiful world.
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