• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Bonsai Tonight

An educational website about bonsai development

  • Blog
    • How-to Guides
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Bonsai
    • Books
    • Soil
    • Soil (wholesale)
    • Supplies
    • Tools
    • Video Consulting
    • Northern California Bonsai Resources
  • About
    • Workshops

Summer clean-up on a Western juniper

July 28, 2015 by Jonas Dupuich

Some of the least exciting bonsai work happens in summer. This is when lots of watering and fertilizing happens, but it is also a good time for jobs that can get put off during busier seasons like fall or early spring. A few months ago, the Western juniper below was wired and cut back. After putting on a lot of spring growth, it’s looking shaggy.

Western juniper

Western juniper

In looking closer at the tree, I saw that the wound sealant I applied after widening the deadwood along the trunk three years ago was due to come off (see “Refining a Western juniper“). Now is as good a time as any to remove it, so I scraped it off with the spatula found at the end of bent nose tweezers.

Cut paste

Wound sealant Joint Caulk-A

Removing cut paste

Removing the sealant with spatula at end of bent-nose tweezers

After removing would sealant

After removing wound sealant from a curvy section of the trunk.

Because a lot of new foliage had grown since the tree was wired, I checked to see if the wire was cutting in. When checking from above, everything looked fine, despite a suspicious bulge at the base of a branch.

Checking the wire

Wire looks good from above

The same branch from below, however, revealed that some wired had begun cutting in. I removed the wire and several others that were cutting in.

Wire cutting in

The wire is cutting in

After removing the wire

After removing the wire

Wire cutting in

Another wire cutting in

After removing the wire

After removing the wire

I took note of a large shoot at the top of the tree that will help me fill in the apex when it’s time to wire the tree again, but didn’t wire it as I want it to grow as much as possible for now.

New foliage

Spring growth

That was about it for the work this tree received. It still looks shaggy, but I’ll have less work to do when I revisit the tree later this year.

Western juniper after cleanup

After summer cleanup

Subscribe to Bonsai Tonight

New Posts Delivered Every Tuesday and Friday

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by Kit

Filed Under: Bonsai Care Tagged With: Western juniper

Previous Post: « Distinguishing old growth from new growth on junipers
Next Post: Redirecting growth on pines »

Footer

Follow Bonsai Tonight

Subscribe

Instagram ● Facebook ● Twitter
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • About

P.O. Box 6560, Alameda, CA 94501 · 510-915-2025 · jonas (at) bonsaitonight (dot) com

© Copyright 2009-2025 Bonsai Tonight · All rights reserved · Privacy · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can opt-out if you wish. Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT