Juniperus chinensis (Chinese juniper)

Juniperus chinensis itoigawa #6

One of the most popular variety of Juniperus chinensis is known as shimpaku juniper or Juniperus chinensis sargentii in botanical Latin. It has been discovered just about a century and a half ago in Japan, but since then it has been over-collected and it is now almost extinct in the wild.

A special kind of shimpaku called itoigawa was discovered by a collector around Mount Kurohime near the city of Itoigawa and its qualities soon lead to a very high demand causing its disappearance from the area. But it is possible to find trees in nurseries that initially came from cuttings of those collected specimens.

Varieties

• Itoigawa
• Kishu

Propagation

Cutting

• Take cuttings in mid-spring to benefit from a longer growing season
• Cut at a 45-degree angle to increase the surface area, using a sharp razor blade
• Add a piece of wire to secure the cutting if needed
• Fill a pot with fine substrate particles and water it
• Create holes about the same size as the cuttings
• The base of the cutting should be at the middle depth of the pot
• Place the pot out of the wind and intense sun
• Mist once or twice a day
• Repot the cuttings into separate containers next spring

Links

• https://www.bonsaitreegardener.net/bonsai-trees/species/juniper
• https://www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/juniper
• https://www.mistralbonsai.com/en/all-about-bonsai/bonsai-datasheets/outdoor-bonsai/juniperus-chinensis/
• https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/juniperu.htm
• https://nebaribonsai.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/much-ado-about-shimpakuand-itoigawa-and-kishu/
• http://wbffbonsai.com/Info/ShimpakuJuniper.pdf
• https://live.bonsaimirai.com/library/video/propagation