Is my tree dying?

[Rick Ram]

Hi i had my tree for about a month now and i have left it outside in the day and under my porch at night. The needles on the tree are turning like a whitish colour and there are some brown spots on it. Please let me know if this is normal or if there is something i can do to help it. Thank you.

[uzeyr]

hi i think the white stuff might be somekind of bug but am no sure
since its a juniper as long as the whole shooots arent turning brown u should be ok .
it looks pretty healthy to me good job on keeping it outside

[Rick Ram]

Thanks for the input but its too cold for insects and i don't see any visible on the tree! I really don't know whats wrong with it.

[uzeyr]

well i think u might be worrying too much for no reason then maybe that is just how it supposed to be
if its growing fine just leave it where and how it is

[Rick Ram]

I am a little worried. The tree is not growing fine. Its turning white and yellow.

[Kenshin14435]

The tree looks healthy to me. Can you define turning white and yellow? From the pictures that loaded(not all of them did), I really don't see any issues with your tree. To me it looks pretty healthy.
But, heres some stuff you may want to cross reference with your current care habits.

ALWAYS keep Junipers outside. They should do just fine in low temperatures.

Normally, Allow for full sun. No shade necessary except during the spring/summer time when the suns rays could be very strong that day. On those kinds of days, put it in partial shade but keep it outside.

Make sure you have a semi-free draining soil. Junipers are famous for suffering from root rot. Root rot is when the soil around the roots is too moist for too long of time, resulting in the roots to rot.

Water once or twice weekly. If that. A good way to check if your bonsai needs watering is to take a toothpick and stick in all thw way in the soil. Then pull it out. If it is wet, do not water. If it is semi-wet, do not water. If it is damp but not dry, that is the time to water.

Try misting the foliage of your tree once or twice a day. They seem to like it

Take Care and Good Luck

[Kenshin14435]

I just noticed your soil. Your soil seems like a fine mix.
Just make sure your not over watering. Since there is still snow in your area, it may take longer the soil to dry out a bit before watering.

Take Care

[Gnome]

Rick Ram,

I took a close look at your pictures and all in all I think you are doing fine. I don't really see much in the way of browning. Sometimes Junipers take on a slightly different color over the winter. I suspect that once the weather warms up and you give the tree some fertilizer it will green up again.

BTW, I leave my Juniper exposed all winter. It is on the ground and mulched in then covered with snow. The snow cover has just melted here but it is still mulched.

Norm

[Rick Ram]

Thanks for the advice! After looking at my photos, it is hard to
notice any problems. My camera catches pictures vividly, so i
show you guys before and after pics.


This is when i first bought my Juniper. You can see that the needles
are a dark green and the bark is dark brown. No signs of fading





After about a month of cold temperature. you could notice fading
from the needles and the bark has become lighter in color.





I hope this will help you guys out a bit. This is my first bonsai and im learning through trial and error and with the help of you experts. Thanks again!

[kdodds]

Junipers (and other evergreens) may retain their foliage year round, but that foliage can change in color, texture, and form, depending on species. We've landscape plants that are golden yellow spring through fall, and fade to dark green during the winter months, as well as Rhodendrons you would swear are dead/dying from the brown, drooping leaves. For J. procumbens, I do believe a characteristic is a whitish/bluish cast during the winter months, for J. horizontalis it's more yellowish, somebody correct me if I'm wrong. All in all, your tree, in all pics, looks healthy to me. If the needles are still hydrated and flexible, you're probably doing just fine.

[Rick Ram]

Thanks for the tips! I can now sleep better at night!

[Rick Ram]

Hi again... I just spoke to someone at a nursery and the kind lady there told me that the reason for the tree turning a fading whitish color is that the tree is getting to much direct sunlight during dormancy. She also said that, while dormant. evergreen bonsai exposed to direct sunlight can even kill the tree. She is telling me that the best place for it is in a shady area away from the sun during this time of year. Is this true? I have read that junipers need lots of sun? Can someone help me clear this up?

[Gnome]

Rick,

This short article may help clear things up. In a nutshell the concept is that during Winter photosynthesis is slowed greatly and therefore light requirements are lessened.

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/dormever.htm

Norm

[Rick Ram]

Okay i got it. shade in the winter.. Full sun in spring.