Two years ago I grafted a prostrata juniper with itoigawa foliage (see “Side-veneer graft aftercare” for details). Since then, I’ve been incrementally reducing the original foliage. Here’s a photo of the tree eight months after making the graft. October, 2018 I repotted the tree the following spring. A few months later, I removed the branches […]
juniper
Onuma’s mini-bonsai growing techniques
A number of you wrote with questions about the techniques Kazuo Onuma uses to create his mini-bonsai last week. Here are some answers! Chojubai Onuma grows chojubai by starting young cuttings in round, plastic containers. After several years, he removes the containers and lets the soil – red lava in this case – fall away […]
When to graft and when to bend: evaluating branch structure
Since repotting a neglected San Jose juniper last fall, I’ve been thinking about the tree’s options for future development. The main question is whether to work with the existing branches or graft new branches. San Jose juniper Whenever possible, I like to work with existing branches because it’s much faster to develop a tree by wiring […]
Side-veneer graft aftercare – bag technique
When performing side-veneer grafts on conifers, it’s important to provide extra humidity for the scions to prevent them from drying out. Two popular approaches for doing this are to cover the scion with a small plastic bag or wrap the scion in stretchy material such as paraffinic tape or Buddy Tape. While I appreciate both […]
Spring maintenance for junipers – removing the berries
When it comes to juniper bonsai, spring is great for watering, fertilizing and letting new shoots grow freely. It’s also a good time to remove newly formed berries. Chinese juniper grafted on California juniper – 17″ Chinese junipers, or shimpaku, can produce both male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers, which […]