Mounding vs Running

Ryan has said in the past that running junipers need to run before they will mound (as I remember it). My question is ‘once it has run, how do I encourage the mounding’. Do I leave it long or cut back hard and if so when eg post flush, prior to growth in spring. My tree is a sabina. It was cut back hard last year and has a little juvenile growth also just to make it a bit more interesting :face_with_raised_eyebrow:.

Search live stream “Shimpaku design Pt.1 or PT 2” he goes over this in detail

Thanks for this tip off. I’ve found the livestream (shinpaku :wink: ) . I must have seen it before but I didnt have Juniper at the time so I’ll rewatch it/them with renewed vigour.

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Ive watched both part 1 and part 2 now. The opening sequence of part 1 refers to running junipers elongating, the elongation acting as a battery for the foliage behind. In part 2 more discussion whilst the foliage is being wired discusses how the elongation is required before the foliage behind will mound. This (both) implies that the elongation needs to be left until the foliage behind has mounded but its not stated whether this is in the same season or after a year or two or even how much elongation is required. If anyone hase any further input on this I would appreciate it. In the meantime I will just leave the elongation in place until I am happy with the pad density.

Is it advantageous to wire and lay out the elongated branches to improve photosynthetic efficiency or does it not make any difference?

I think when Ryan says ijuniper needs to run before it mounds .means after it runs it will mound. You remove the runner and the mounding will happen

I believe you let it run eventually new growth at the base will then develope much tighter at which point you remove the runner

Maybe someone in here can tell me is a juniper chinensis daubs frosted a running juniper or mounding juniper. Haven’t had very much success finding an answer.

This is the closest I have found. I watched ‘juniper refinement’ at approximately 01:02:00 Ryan demonstrates the difference between the section that has run and the ‘compact tuft of foliage’ behind it that he then prunes back to. I think that’s the best you can ask for.

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All - In the Mobile App courses Junipers 101 ‘Running Juniper’ Ryan explains the approach in detail I note again that he refers to interior density as opposed to mounding. He explains that as the tip elongates the auxin that drives that growth moves further away from the base. This allows the interior density to build up. This running tip is then removed before the tree decides it could be a big tree and sheds the interior foliage.

Hope that helps

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Thank you I have heard this explanation many times the tips have been running but there seems to be no interior mounding growth, which is my dilemma. I wonder how long it takes to develop the interior density I guess only time will tell

Ryan includes chinensis in the examples of mounding juniper in the juniper 101 mobile app video.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you had to prune the interior growth as well to further increase the density. When Ryan prunes his running juniper I think he cut out central growth leaving a minimal amount of new growth behind