#27 Peter Tea - Juniper Bonsai

In this episode I got to sit down and chat with my teacher, friend and mentor Peter Tea after a long but very fun day of working on trees.  Peter is currently a top tier Bonsai professional based in Auburn California who previously apprenticed at Aichi-En Bonsai nursery in Nagoya Japan.  Our conversation was primarily on the subject of Juniper Bonsai, but we explored a few other interesting rabit holes as well.  Peter's knowlege and insight regarding Juniper Bonsai is truly exceptional and he drops some absolute gems during this chat.  This is one of my personal favorite episodes  and I really hope you enjoy hearing from Peter as much as I did.  Thanks for listening!     More from Peter Tea Bonsai: www.ptbonsai.com  Instagram: peterteabonsai  Chapters (00:00:00) - Drinking Scotch and Whiskey cold or room temp(00:03:03) - Living With My Parents(00:05:18) - How often do you work in the year?(00:07:01) - Fun Days in the Bonsai World(00:09:37) - There is a Bonsai Professional Shortage(00:14:18) - A Taste of Bonsai(00:15:56) - Bonsai Pro-Judges(00:21:34) - What kind of judges should the PBE have?(00:24:59) - Grafting a California Juniper Tree(00:29:43) - What Makes a Good J&P?(00:36:11) - How to Build a 100 Year Old Bonsai(00:40:01) - What is a really old bonsai?(00:44:27) - How Long Does a Juniper Need to Be Wire?(00:50:01) - Grafting junipers(00:52:40) - Can you get a better Bonsai tree in the US?(00:56:18) - Can a Field-Grown Juniper Compare to a Yamador(01:01:11) - Japan's rare junipers(01:04:10) - Yamadori Deadwood Texture(01:09:14) - PBE tree root grafts(01:10:13) - Grafting Yamadori Bonsai(01:16:47) - Do coarse foliage make a juniper tree leggy?(01:22:32) - Don't Let Your Bonsai Look Older Than It Is(01:28:17) - Kishu vs. California Juniper: Which One Is Better(01:33:17) - Kishi trees(01:39:50) - Bonsai: Is my tree finished?(01:45:08) - Kishuu vs Itoigawa in Juniper Trees(01:48:22) - Is Itoigawa Better Than Kishu?(01:52:52) - How to grow a dense Rocky Mountain Juniper(01:56:16) - Rocky Mountain Juniper(02:01:07) - Do Californians or Rocky Mountains Junipers Need Graft?(02:04:04) - Bonsai 101: Sierra Juniper(02:06:00) - The Art of Grafting Junipers