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Refining a Western juniper

August 17, 2012 by Jonas Dupuich

It’s been two years since I last showed my Western juniper at Bay Island Bonsai’s 11th exhibit. It hasn’t changed a lot since then. Knowing it could use some attention, I brought it to BIB’s recent workshop run by Akio Kondo. Here’s the tree before the workshop.

Western juniper

Western juniper

In the space of 10 minutes, Kondo suggested a new planting angle, made two cuts, and drew some lines on the trunk with a Sharpie. Before removing the tree’s main branch – his first suggested cut – he asked if I had plans to show the tree this year. I said no, he cut, and he smiled, telling me that I could show the tree again in just three years.

After removing main branch

After removing the main branch

New angle

New planting angle

Lines outline the new shari

Sharpie lines

Lines outline the new shari

More Sharpie lines

I did no more work on the tree during the workshop. A few days later, I brought the tree into my workshop to do something about the lines Kondo had drawn.

Carving tools

Carving tools

The lines were suggestions for widening the shari, or deadwood, along the trunk. I started by following Kondo’s lines with a grafting knife.

Marking the edge of the new shari

Defining the new edge of the shari

Marking the edge of the new shari

I’m working slowly – the knife is sharp!

Next I used the chisel to remove the bark and expose the wood beneath.

Widening shari

The new shari takes shape

Widening shari

Working with the grain, not against it

Widening shari

More new shari

The work took longer than I expected. Although I didn’t remove a lot of bark, I had to work carefully to avoid cutting into the bark I wanted to keep.

After widening shari

Shari complete

I then treated the edge of the live bark with cutpaste to help the tree heal. I didn’t cover all of the shari because I don’t want the whole area to heal over.

After applying cutpaste

Cutpaste along the edge of the new shari

My next job is to wire the tree, and to grow a new key branch. Kondo removed the main branch because it grew in front of the trunk. In the future, this area will be filled by growing the back branch toward the left side.

Foliage from left side

View from the left side

New main branch

The back branch that will fill in the left side

Ready to wire

Work complete for now

This fall I plan to wire the tree. I’ll work on establishing the main branches and then make the silhouette more compact. I’ll repot the tree at its new angle in winter. The current pot is a good size and style for the tree, but that won’t necessarily stop me from making changes when the time comes.

✕

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Filed Under: Bonsai Development Tagged With: Deadwood, Western juniper

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. owenbonsai says

    August 17, 2012 at 4:18 am

    Cool tree and the changes look excellent. More shari makes the trunk look a little thinner too : ).

  2. Tom says

    August 17, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    Looks great Jonas. I would have been too scared to cut that first branch!

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