✳️ AT Workshop - Oct 11, 2025
Juniper dead word
Look for the live vein, carefully probe around in the dead area until you see a change of color. You can use a pick or a rotary tool with fine grit and gently remove all bark.
Use the finest grit rotary bit to remove tool mark and any signs of bark.
A stiff wire brush can smooth out transitions, remove tool marks, and add a little texture to the grain.
The long and straigh deadwood branches are not of much interest and will likely be removed. Deadwood branches with more movement will be kept.
Foliage can be moved anywhere and the live branches are very pliable now.
Homework: Study the tree for what will be the front and what is most attractive, come up with a design, and we will move the foliage next time. The front should include live vein and deadwood, so the current front having all deadwood may need to adjust to show some lol I’ve vein.
Does not recommend using lime sulfur in every case. Adam prefers the more natural whitening which is very realistic. Lime sulfur is a wood preservative only when the wood starts to show sign of decay. Otherwise try to let the deadwood whiten naturally.
Before clean up
Nicking the live vein
Be more careful; used cut paste
Edge of live vein on the left
Note: Adam was displeased with the potted tree movement, repotting with insufficient fixation.
Watering
Looking around the garden one has a spot what needs to be watered.
Converse or plants in larger pots are less likely to need water even if the topsoil looks dry. Try not to disturb or touch the soil that might break down Akudama. But just below the top soil may be moist signs of moisture.
If there are similar plants in the same area, on average look for signs if the smaller pots look dryer. Look under the pot for moisture, often the larger pots nearby are OK.
Small plants like mommy often dry out quickly, and a bowl full of water that you can dunk them into and let drain baby be sufficient.
Growing a Forest
When growing trees individually before arranging as a forest, grow them to about pencil thick. Don’t worry about taper or branch work. You’re just growing for size. Try not to grow them all at the same size; possibly across different seasons, for variation in diameter and height.
Juniper Design
More movement in branches as you move higher.
Pads should point towards the viewer from the front.
Tools
For deadwood work, buy or make small knob cutter and grind the sides narrower
