Pruning Juniper Bonsai for Beginners

Pruning Juniper Bonsai for Beginners

Do you have a juniper bonsai tree at home but do not know what to do? Why do you have to prune or leave it as is? Well! Worry no more because the answer is pruning juniper bonsai will keep your juniper bonsai tree growing bushier, strong, and more beautiful. It’s good to show your artistic side in styling and pruning bonsai. Taking care of your juniper bonsai offers a wonderful way to get to know it and learn how it grows. You only need a critical eye, a tree branch cutter, and a bonsai branch to start your bonsai tree pruning. Read more to know all about bonsai shaping for beginners.

 

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 What is Juniper Bonsai Tree?

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You’ll find Juniper Bonsai trees in any plant store. That’s how popular they are. Also known as Green Mound Juniper Bonsai Tree is a non-flowering tree from China. Junipers are hardy-conifers making it the easiest bonsai to care for. But, juniper bonsai is low growing, but with consistent pruning, you’ll have a bushy and artsy bonsai in no time. Juniper bonsai‘s selling point is its hardiness; in fact, they are outdoor trees. More than fifty varieties of Juniper bonsai trees are available on the market.  Varying in different shapes and sizes, from shrubs to tall trees reaching 15 to 16 feet in height. The wood’s toughness makes it an excellent choice for cabinetry.

Juniper Bonsai trees are often long-lived but slow growers. Making them a great choice for beginners. These bonsai are not picky when it comes to maintenance. Its requirements to thrive are appropriate sunlight, regular watering, and airflow. Its ability to be easy to shape and train the branches. Due to its scale or needle-like bright leaves gives a pop of color to your home. It is important to distinguish what types of juniper bonsai. For you to know how to train, shape, and care for your tree.

 

Types of Juniper Bonsai

Juniper Bonsai is a coniferous or deciduous plant part of the Cypress family. Junipers have a wide range of varieties scattered in Europe, Asia, and North America. Junipers are divided into two groups: scale-like foliage and needle-like foliage. Pruning bonsai is important for different types of juniper bonsai. If you want to have lush foliage. These are commonly found in mountainous and rocky areas. You can train them by cutting lower branches of trees. To identify the tree, look at the leaves, fruit, blooms, and tree bark. It requires intense tree trimming and the ability to live in compact spaces. The leaves are a different shade of green than the rest of the plant. Read on for some helpful hints for gardening.

Scale-like Foliage

• Chinese Juniper
• Japanese Shimpaku
• Itoigawa Shimpaku
• Savin
• Sierra Juniper
• California Juniper.

Needle-Like Foliage

• Japanese Needle Juniper
• Green Mound Juniper
• Common Juniper

 

 

 

 Maintenance in Juniper Bonsai Tree

 

 

The juniper bonsai tree is the best when you only want an easy-to-care bonsai tree. They are naturally outdoors plants that can thrive even in the worst conditions. To spice up your juniper bonsai game, you can start by tree trimming  to invite more sunlight and air into the tree. Pruning juniper bonsai is a hit or miss when you start tree pruning. But what you can do is leave plenty of foliage growing. Never cut hedges on your juniper bonsai to keep it nice and beautiful.

Be careful in “thinning out” the foliage and only maintain the branches going lateral. Cut off a tree branch that goes straight down to the main branch. This helps in shaping your bonsai tree.

Find a semi-shade place for your juniper bonsai to avoid drying in direct light. Juniper bonsai tree loves slightly dry soil, so you can just mist the foliage. It should not be kept dry for long Periods. Good drainage is important for junipers. Before watering again, be sure the soil is completely dry. Also, put the plant in a humidity tray with regular misting. 

Removing the excess foliage/branches allows the:

• An extension of a branch’s crotch
• Expansive foliage that extends beyond the outline of the tree
• Plants with straight-growing leaves and branches

Why do you prune the Bonsai Tree?

Did you know that you can train your juniper bonsai? Yes! It’s possible in pruning where you can reshape and style how the foliage and branches grow. Isn’t cool, right? To allow your Juniper bonsai tree to have more energy, you must do tree pruning. Another benefit of pruning is more light diffuses deep into the structure. It’s vital to prune these areas regularly to encourage growth closer to the tree’s core components.

When you start pruning your juniper bonsai, it will make it look compact. Then you’ll have your very own miniature bonsai tree. Bonsai trimming huge branches gives it a customizable shape that matches your preference. But if you don’t prune your juniper bonsai, you’ll have branches and foliage going crazy in all directions. This will make your bonsai lose its spark. 

Doing maintenance pruning gives strength to the bonsai tree to continue growing. Do not just use a pair of scissors for tree trimming; instead, use a tree branch cutter. Remember that using the right tool is also important if you want to achieve a good prune. Depending on your choice, you can either do maintenance or structural pruning. Most experts recommend only performing one major maintenance at a time (or even once a year).

 

Best Time To Prune Juniper Bonsai

Juniper Bonsai can tolerate aggressive pruning. Be careful because once you trim off that branch or foliage, it will take forever to grow again. It is recommended to start pruning juniper bonsai during early spring or late autumn. Just do it at the peak of its growing season to ensure it can sustain the tree pruning. But never during the heat of summer months. Remember to leave some foliage to encourage growth for your next pruning session. Moreover, the exact date varies depending on the species.

Pruning Juniper Bonsai

 

Most types of juniper bonsai respond great to any pruning technique as long as it is done properly. If you overdo your prune, once a Juniper branch is chopped naked, it will stop growing. Always care to leave some foliage on the branches of the bonsai tree. You want to achieve its maximum growth.

• Best to pinch the new tender shoots using your finger as if cutting a hair.
• Avoid using scissors; this will make the branches turn brown. Instead, opt for a tree branch cutter.
• We use a concave cutter to prune bigger branches. The cutter’s form is visible, leaving an open incision that heals faster than flat wounds.
• Long branches protrude from the silhouette. Trim at the base throughout the growing season to form leaf pads.
• Prune the branches that are growing, not lateral to the main branch.
• Using a Twig shear, prune long branches.
• You’ll have more room to cut if you prune most of the branch first.
• Because eliminating all the juniper’s growth points can weaken the tree, trim it like a hedge. Put the trimmed paste into the open wound to speed up the healing process.
• It is necessary to thin the foliage pads at the base if they have become dense. The Juniper Bonsai is a sturdy tree since it can withstand a lot of pruning.
• Use the thinnest wire to hold the branch in the desired position when shaping your bonsai. 

Conclusions

Pruning your Juniper Bonsai is another great hobby if you want to level up your bonsai tree. It is easy that is beginner-friendly. You will only need a pair of tree branch cutters. Then you’re good to go. But if you start pruning juniper bonsai, you can customize and style your bonsai tree depending on your preference. 

When you start bonsai tree pruning, it allows more sunlight and air, which helps in growth. You can explore different pruning techniques and find which suits your Juniper Bonsai. As we say, Juniper Bonsai can tolerate aggressive pruning but is sensitive to over-pruning its branches. You will need lots of practice to get it right, or you can do it on the first try; who knows. Plus, knowing how to prune is an important skill as a gardener.    

 

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