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Signs of health

December 10, 2013 by Jonas Dupuich

A friend brought a healthy California juniper to a Bay Island Bonsai workshop last weekend. I don’t think I’d ever seen such a healthy specimen.

Healthy California juniper

Healthy California juniper

Junipers tell you when they’re ready for wiring and cutback – the shoots at the ends of branches elongate.

California juniper shoot

The most vigorous shoot

Although I’ve seen plenty of healthy California junipers over the years, I don’t know that I’ve seen any with shoots like this. What to do if you don’t see elongated shoots on your juniper? If the tree is receiving adequate sunlight, water and fertilizer and still no shoots appear, it might be time to repot.

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Filed Under: Bonsai Care Tagged With: juniper

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John Demaegd says

    December 10, 2013 at 5:42 am

    Is this true even on Shimpaku junipers?

  2. pepaulmier says

    December 10, 2013 at 6:19 am

    I would love to have a bonsai but I can’t seem to keep them, I am good with plants but some just give me so much trouble. What to do?

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      December 11, 2013 at 8:57 am

      @pepaulmier – sorry to hear bonsai have proved so tricky! Some of the forums have lots of basic advice – http://bonsaistudygroup.com is a good one to try.

      Best,
      Jonas

      • pepaulmier says

        December 11, 2013 at 12:28 pm

        Thanks

  3. Jonas Dupuich says

    December 11, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Hi John – yes, this is very much true for shimpaku junipers. New shoots won’t always be as strong as they are here, but until they elongate, I hesitate to work on them. Related: http://crataegus.com/2012/08/26/how-to-pinch-junipers/

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