kittyvlekkie wrote:

, and by the way i want to correct your only mistake.

reserching is spelled like researching.
your english is nearly perfect apart from that error.

I think it would be best to not start correcting typos and/or incorrect usage of words in posts. Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes. Most importantly, not everybody is open to correction on a public forum. Only if a post is unclear one can ask for an explanation. But correcting typos / misspellings generally is not done on friendly forums. (And yes Kitty, I have seen quite a few bloopers in your posts too, so even on your side there is room for improvement)

Gnarlwood wrote:

It's difficult to prune evergreens at first. However, dont be afraid to prune it. Thinning some of the interior and bottom branches is a must. I would wait until the nightime temperature stays in the 40F consistantly.
I pruned both my spruce and they're holding their own thus far. However, dont be sad if a plant dies. There are plenty more to practice on and many more seasons to grow in experience.

Reading this post, three thoughts come to mind:

- Thinning the interior and bottom branches is important, yes. However you also need to ensure the top branches are thinned, as light needs to penetrate to the lowest branches or they will die off. Prune stronger in the top than in the bottem part of the tree.

- Junipers and Spruce cannot be compared so easily. What works on one species of spruce may work on another, yet not on a third. And spruce and Junipers are altogether different, except for the fact that both bear needles

- Trees are not there for us to practice, kill and purchase another one. Treat the material with respect, and use the experience from others to ensure you will not kill your tree. Often this just means: Be patient, don't tro to get a bonsai overnight.

Jeroen,

Nice tree. as mentioned in one of the previous posts: What are your idea with respect to size? Will it stay this size?

Assuming it will: Next year, try to keep all the branches that you would like to keep short. Long enough to get light, but don't let them grow too much. Rather, give 2 or 3 branches the opportunity to shoot out. This will create bulk for the trunk, creating a more aged look very quickly. Once you have decided the main stem is thick enough, remove the branches. The stumb you could turn into deadwood, or you remove them flush with the main stem. You could repeat this a few years in a row. As long as you let the remaining branches grow a little, and ensure light reaches them, you should be fine.

I find that you can trim junipers quite well. I removed a lot of foliage in early summer, all the way back to the last cm of green needles & green stem. These cuts produced massive branching around the cut, which I then thinned. You can do strimming on Juniperus when they are in active strong growth, untill September, considering a northern European climate (Winter with minus temperatures from mid october or so). After early September the tree is left to heal whatever wounds are there, stoch up on some nutrients and get ready for winter.

Considering your name, I assume you are Dutch, and understand the language. Have a look at my posts at the Dutch forum: www.bonsaiempire.nl/forum/vormingen/6286...us-communis?start=10 . Note that this is a different species though (!)

leatherback wrote:

kittyvlekkie wrote:

, and by the way i want to correct your only mistake.

reserching is spelled like researching.
your english is nearly perfect apart from that error.

I think it would be best to not start correcting typos and/or incorrect usage of words in posts. Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes. Most importantly, not everybody is open to correction on a public forum. Only if a post is unclear one can ask for an explanation. But correcting typos / misspellings generally is not done on friendly forums. (And yes Kitty, I have seen quite a few bloopers in your posts too, so even on your side there is room for improvement)

i understand but he said that his english is not so good and it would be helpful if he learned better english(not saying mine is better.)

sorry again and also this message kinda looks like
it's kinda unfriendly against me but there is no body language her so its harder to feel how someone talks to you.

(sorry if this offends anyone)

i don't want to let the tree become taller so i will cut the top, but leave the growth on the sides for thickening. the size of the sidebranching is also good so i wil not let em become longer. with pinching i think i can get good results for growth but don't know if i can do it this time a year. and some branches are stronger than others so here i will need to do something. and others i could use for jin.
this week i will go to the monthly bonsai meeting and take the tree with me, hoping for a experts point of view. and its always best to see the tree in real life.

i am glad that my english isn't half bad, it just took a while to type the text. ^^ and as kitty said there is no body language in a forum so u don't know how someone is talking to u. i personally have no problems with someone telling my mistakes. thats what u need to improve!

@leatherback: yes i have read ur post and its a very nice communis. hoping the graft does well. and i also saw ur tree on a belgian forum. multiple forums are useful.

grts