itlduo2001
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
Location: Oklahoma

my bonsai tree

We have had our bonsai tree for a month and now it doesn't look very healthy its not bright green anymore and I have watered it like it said to gave the nutrients that the guy gave us but it seems to be dry in the middle don't know if I have killed it does anyone have any suggestions please help I have never killed any plants before don't want to start with this one :o

User avatar
froggy
Senior Member
Posts: 269
Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2010 4:54 pm
Location: Toronto, ON, zone 5a

search the forum for 'skewer method' - its a good guide on how to know when to water your tree.
It's not about how much (plenty is the answer to that) but how often / when to water your tree.
if it is indeed bone dry, give it a good soaking (15 mins of having the pot submerged in water should do) and then only water when the soil is getting dry (again, skewer method)
as for nutrients - cut down on any fertilizing until your tree is actively growing again.
If you've kept your tree too wet, it may have root rot - which would take away its ability to absorb water through its roots. - you'll need better help with that than I can give you.

knowing the species of the tree, type of soil, where it is placed, temperatures you're having, type and amount of fertilizer etc would be of much help in giving more specific advice.

and pictures make it more fun :)

good luck

kdodds
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1436
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:07 pm
Location: Airmont, NY Zone 6/7

I'll go out on a limb here and guess that it's either a Juniper (90% chance) or some quasi-indoor tree like a Fukien Tea or Chinese Elm. Any of those, get them outdoors ASAP. If it IS a Juniper (or false Cypress or something like that) and it's already crisp, the prognosis is not good at all. Otherwise, it can be moved outdoors and will probably be just fine there as long as you shelter the pot somewhat if you get subfreezing temps in the winter.

TomM
Greener Thumb
Posts: 749
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 7:28 am
Location: Cedarville (SE of Utica) NY, USA

Totally agree. 90% chance it's a juniper is a safe guess. Dry and crispy in the center - uhhuh - sounds like juniper to me - kept in the house when it belongs outdoors.

Get it out in the rain, cool, or hot and dry 'heaven' where it belongs. Just hope it isn't too late.

itlduo2001
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:33 pm
Location: Oklahoma

its starting to grow on the tips but I took all the dry stuff off and I do beleive its a juniper I have it sitting on my bar in the kitchen I had it in the window where it would get the evening sun but took it out should I put it back? the guy we bought this from didn't give any suggestions and said to keep the soil moist so I have been and I used the solution he gave just as the instructions said too, it looks a little frazzled since I took all the dry stuff off of it but the green on the tips are sorta giving me hope any suggestions or is it to late????
Thanks everyone

kdodds
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1436
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:07 pm
Location: Airmont, NY Zone 6/7

If it's an evergreen, pine-like, juniper-like, cypress-like, it really should be outside. I din't know of many (any really) expert bonsai keepers that can and have kept these trees indoors successfully. If an expert can't do it, that should probably say something right there. They need humidity, they need "dormancy" even if they don't shed their leaves like maples and oaks, etc. Indoors? No siree. The only pine-like tree that's kept indoors with any success is the Norfolk Island Pine. Doubtful yours is one of those if it looks "bonsai like" to you. Smaller Norfolks are becoming more common, but they're mere whips, with no discernible bark. So, in short, the longer you keep it inside, the worse its chances get of surviving.

Little factoid here, these "bonsai" Juniper trees are almost all J. procumbens 'nana'. This cultivar grows, pretty much, like a bonsai. You know those carpeting junipers you see used in landscaping strip malls? Yeah, that's them, or a similar low-growing, small, species/variety. So, the guy who sold you the tree? He didn't raise it. It was dug up from the ground, pretty much as is, and then chopped and fitted into a pot. Most Junipers are already dying before they hit the mall cart. The REALLY sad thing is that they still stay green, even when crispy, so the unknowing purchaser is none the wiser.

tomc
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2661
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:52 am
Location: SE-OH USA Zone 6-A

A harsh lesson I had to learn was to start reading (about) and observing my tree closely just about daily.

If you persist growing tray-trained trees, expect your on-line reading, or library shelf will grow at least as fast as your collection of trees does.

My morning tour of my trees with a cuppa, and a splash of reading about trees in the evening becomes ingrained.

Some people count dreamland sheep as they fall into slumber. Bonsai growers turn their dreamland trees on an etherial turntable...

joedes3
Full Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2010 5:07 pm
Location: Massachusetts

There is a wealth of knowledge here. Keep reading and asking questions. The people here will do their best to answer your questions.

Marsman
Green Thumb
Posts: 650
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:19 am
Location: Coventry, CT

Can you post a picture of the tree for us to see?



Return to “BONSAI FORUM”