The creeping juniper is a suitable material for making bonsai

The creeping juniper generally has no upright main trunk, with dense branches and leaves, distinct layers, small emerald-green leaves, evergreen throughout the year, elegant posture, a long lifespan, and is easy to shape. The creeping juniper has strong adaptability and can grow well in both the south and the north, making it a good material for making bonsai.

1. Tree shape creation

The branches of the creeping juniper are thin and long, and soft, suitable for making cascade style, curved trunk style, lying trunk style, and various bird, animal and other animal forms. When shaping the creeping juniper, one should do more wiring and less pruning. The wiring material can be metal wire or palm fiber. After the general outline is wired into shape, according to the needs of the shape, the small branches should be shortened or cut off from the base. Summer and early autumn are the seasons of vigorous growth for the creeping juniper. After pruning, the sap tends to overflow, which is unfavorable for growth, so shaping and pruning should be done in late winter and early spring. The creeping juniper generally needs about 2 years of wiring to take shape. If the wiring material is removed too early, the branches often return to their original state. After the shape is set, the metal wire should be removed in time, because if the wiring time is too long, the metal wire cuts too deeply into the branches, which is not only unfavorable to plant growth, but the remaining marks are also unsightly, and it takes about two years for the marks to disappear. The branches and leaves of the creeping juniper bonsai are mostly processed into cloud-like or natural forms.

2. Planting and pot selection

The creeping juniper likes sunlight and can also tolerate shade. It has strong adaptability and is not strict about soil. It can grow in neutral, slightly acidic, and slightly alkaline soil, but the best is fertile, moist, well-drained soil rich in humus. The growing soil can be prepared with 2/3 humus soil and 1/3 sandy surface soil. Planting is best done in March to April. Different pots should be chosen according to different shapes. For the cascade style, a purple clay tall cylindrical pot is suitable, and the main root should be left appropriately longer to bear the pulling force of most branches and leaves hanging down outside the pot; for the curved trunk style, an oval purple clay pot or glazed pottery pot can be used; for the slanting trunk style and lying trunk style, a rectangular shallow purple clay pot is best, to display the graceful posture of the trunk. For the latter two shapes, the roots should be cut shorter, retaining more lateral roots and fibrous roots. To prevent bacterial invasion, a layer of erythromycin eye ointment should be applied to the cut openings of the roots.

3. Maintenance and management

(1) Location. After the creeping juniper is placed in a fine pot, there is relatively little soil in the pot, and some roots are close to the pot wall. Under exposure to sunlight, the roots are easily damaged, which is unfavorable to plant growth. Therefore, creeping juniper bonsai in fine pots should, in the hot summer, be placed under a shade shed where a certain amount of light can be received, maintaining a certain humidity. When the climate is dry, water should be sprinkled on the ground to increase the humidity of the microclimate, and there should be good ventilation conditions. In spring and autumn, they can be placed outdoors for maintenance. For potted cultivation in the north, they should be moved indoors in time in late autumn or early winter to overwinter.

(2) Watering. The creeping juniper likes a moist environment, but fears waterlogging. In summer, water frequently to keep the pot soil moist. In hot weather, spray water on the leaves once each in the morning and evening. In winter, water less.

(3) Fertilizing. Creeping juniper bonsai in fine pots should be given decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer. During its growing season, applying liquid fertilizer once about every 20 days is sufficient. Fertilizing should not be too much or too frequent, otherwise the branches will grow excessively and affect the tree shape.

(4) Shaping. During maintenance, the creeping juniper sometimes grows overly long branches that ruin the tree shape, and these should be cut off in time. To make the branches and leaves short and dense, proper pinching should be done to promote the growth of side branches.

(5) Pest and disease prevention. Creeping juniper bonsai has relatively few diseases and pests, and the main ones to prevent and control are rust disease and red spider mite damage.