First conifer
A juniper, pine or larch, whose work is different: wire, deadwood, patience.
7 itemsRoughly £60 to £180, our estimate: check the shop.
Conifers are wired more than they are cut, and their wounds are made on purpose. This list adds what a first juniper or pine needs beyond the beginner set.
In the order to buy them
Copper wire (for conifers, once you're comfortable wiring)
Copper holds a bend at a thinner gauge and ages to the colour of bark; for the branches that must stay put.
Check price on Amazon Search eBayWhat to look for
Annealed (soft) copper: it holds a bend at a thinner gauge than aluminium and darkens to the colour of bark. Harder to apply than aluminium, so start with that.
Anodised aluminium wire, 1 to 4 mm
Still the wire for the fine work, and for the first year while you learn copper.
Check price on Amazon Search eBayWhat to look for
Anodised brown aluminium in 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 and 4 mm; 100 g or 500 g reels. Easy to apply and remove; use a gauge about a third of the branch's thickness.
Jin pliers
Deadwood is part of the conifer's story; these peel bark and split wood cleanly.
Check price on Amazon Search eBayWhat to look for
For peeling bark and splitting deadwood on junipers and pines; the first deadwood tool worth owning.
Lime sulphur (deadwood preservative)
Preserves and bleaches jin and shari; a little, outdoors, on a dry day.
Check price on Amazon Search eBayWhat to look for
For bleaching and preserving jin and shari on conifers; brush on, outdoors, in dry weather.
Lava rock (kiryu or black lava, 3 to 6 mm)
Conifers want a sharper, drier mix than deciduous trees: more lava and pumice, less akadama.
Check price on Amazon Search eBayWhat to look for
Crushed lava or Japanese kiryu; structure and drainage for conifers. Sieve for dust.
Unglazed ceramic pot (rectangular)
Unglazed, frost-proof, rectangular: the pot a conifer looks right in.
Check price on Amazon Search eBayWhat to look for
Frost-proof stoneware, unglazed, with real drainage and wire holes and feet. For conifers. Check 'frost-proof', not 'frost-resistant', for an outdoor tree.
Slow-release organic fertiliser pellets
Pines and junipers are fed steadily through the season, with a low-nitrogen autumn feed.
Check price on Amazon Search eBayWhat to look for
A balanced organic pellet (fish or seaweed based) in baskets on the soil, topped up through the growing season; a low-nitrogen autumn feed for conifers.