Oriental Juniper February 2023 maintenance

by michaelruschena Posted on

This one has been left to it’s own devices for too long. Time to get some shaping in.

The before shot shows this has been left to grow unimpeded. To be honest, I’ve been enjoying the heavy and rich pads down below, given that previously they’d be getting a little anemic. But the shoots are just too long, and the pads are getting thick enough that they brown on the bottom.

Another subtle hint that this has been left alone too long: spider webs. And *so many* spiders hiding in there.

Let’s get some close ups of those pads:

Cut the buds growing underneath was about 60% of the initial direction for this plant.
Photography fail: don’t take photos against bright light.

Taking a closer look at those branches made me think about trying to create some clearer layers in the pads. So I cleaner them out and wired them up.

I could do some research to see if this is actually how to do it, but who has that sort of time?

This took a surprising amount of time, and I did a lot more wiring than I expected. But it did get done.

There are trees that look more like Dr Seuss trees, but I do find that a freshly pruned Juniper is a contender.

I kind of bottled on the top….

This isn’t a real top. That bit on the left is going to have to come off.

And, as according to ancient tradition, the cuttings.

Just looking at this and I can smell the pine. And feel the prickles.
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