Hello. (newb asking for some help and advice)

[JMG021283]

Hello to all,
As stated I'm pretty well new to this whole thing. I've read up on several forums and I've really come to appreciate the advice and people that belong to this forum. I recently received a Chinese Juniper(feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) and a ficus nerifolia (which I'm not sure if it's really that, said it when I bought it). They we're both nursery plants and the juniper was repotted late december and ficus was last week. Soil wise they should be ok, I had a very good conversation with the bonsai expert at the nursery and pick up different soil for each. I water about every 2-3 days when soil seems to be getting dry and I mist about 2-3times.

As for the Juniper:(Watered today)
After some reading I've realized it may have not been a great time to do this. So I really need some advice at least on the juniper. Should I place it outside against the house? Should I keep it inside against the window as I have been? Or Any other suggestions? Also wondering for style suggestions. I like the look of the tree now but I'm open to ideas as well.

As for the Ficus Nerifolia:(watered 2 days ago)
I got it home and I think fairly stable from greenhouse. It wasn't dropping leaves or turning yellow. I set up a light with a grow bulb. Sadly I think I had it too close for this past week cause the plant started to have a yellowish tone. It was about a foot away from the light at that point, now it is 2 feet and 6 inchs. Hopefully it will work better and cause less stress on plant. Also doesn't help that my cat managed to attack it. So any suggestions to help my plant recover would be much appreciated. As well unlike the juniper I have no idea where I want to take this plant. I loved the leaves and trunk, plus it had some neat roots surfacing so I felt like taking it home.

Thanks for your time,
Joe

Pics:
Juniper & Ficus:
[img]https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p248/jmg021283/IMG_1968.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p248/jmg021283/IMG_1974.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p248/jmg021283/IMG_1975.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p248/jmg021283/IMG_1976.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p248/jmg021283/IMG_1977.jpg[/img]
Set up for them as of 1-17
[img]https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p248/jmg021283/IMG_1978.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p248/jmg021283/IMG_1979.jpg[/img]

[Gnome]

Joe,

Welcome to the forum, glad you found us. A couple of thoughts come to mind so I'll just jump right in. I don't think I would worry too much about styling the Juniper for a while. It is a pretty young tree and your first order of business would be getting it through the balance of this winter and its first summer with you.

They we're both nursery plants and the juniper was repotted late december and ficus was last week. Soil wise they should be ok, I had a very good conversation with the bonsai expert at the nursery and pick up different soil for each.

Neither of these should require re-potting anytime soon, so you won't be using your soil in the near future. Actually I kind of wonder why either was re-potted at this time of year unless it was for commercial purposes. Normally a Juniper would be dormant now and Ficus are generally re-potted during summer, although they are more flexible in that regard than other species.

Since the Juniper was re-potted recently and the winter is getting on I don't think putting it outside now would be appropriate. You said you spoke to the grower. What did they suggest?

It wasn't dropping leaves or turning yellow. I set up a light with a grow bulb. Sadly I think I had it too close for this past week cause the plant started to have a yellowish tone. It was about a foot away from the light at that point, now it is 2 feet and 6 inchs. Hopefully it will work better and cause less stress on plant.

What type of bulb do you have in the fixture? From your description I suspect you are using an incandescent bulb. These are not the best choice as they produce a lot of heat in relation to the amount of useful energy they produce for photosynthesis. The spot you have chosen would be ideal for two fixtures (one from each side) similar to the one you now have. Two, outfitted with CFLs could be placed much closer and not present the problem of heat build up.

Norm

[Ray Ashton]

HI. Joe. Bonsairay. Re your Juniper. I have several medium to large Junipers. My experience and advice is potting time in Australia, is late Spring when the days are warming up. I note your Juniper has been potted . I would keep your Juniper in a sheltered warm position until the weather in your neck of the woods gets much warmer. As for your Ficus. Here in Australia, we Defoliate, on the hottest day ( removing all yes all the leaves) only leaving a short part of the stem, and tip pruning to control the size of the plant. We pot into Bonsai pots or pot up on the hottest day as well. Ficus seem to enjoy this type of treatment. Styling and wiring is also done at the same time. all the best with both Bonsai. Ray.

[JMG021283]

Joe,

Welcome to the forum, glad you found us. A couple of thoughts come to mind so I'll just jump right in. I don't think I would worry too much about styling the Juniper for a while. It is a pretty young tree and your first order of business would be getting it through the balance of this winter and its first summer with you.

They we're both nursery plants and the juniper was repotted late december and ficus was last week. Soil wise they should be ok, I had a very good conversation with the bonsai expert at the nursery and pick up different soil for each.

Neither of these should require re-potting anytime soon, so you won't be using your soil in the near future. Actually I kind of wonder why either was re-potted at this time of year unless it was for commercial purposes. Normally a Juniper would be dormant now and Ficus are generally re-potted during summer, although they are more flexible in that regard than other species.

Since the Juniper was re-potted recently and the winter is getting on I don't think putting it outside now would be appropriate. You said you spoke to the grower. What did they suggest?

It wasn't dropping leaves or turning yellow. I set up a light with a grow bulb. Sadly I think I had it too close for this past week cause the plant started to have a yellowish tone. It was about a foot away from the light at that point, now it is 2 feet and 6 inchs. Hopefully it will work better and cause less stress on plant.

What type of bulb do you have in the fixture? From your description I suspect you are using an incandescent bulb. These are not the best choice as they produce a lot of heat in relation to the amount of useful energy they produce for photosynthesis. The spot you have chosen would be ideal for two fixtures (one from each side) similar to the one you now have. Two, outfitted with CFLs could be placed much closer and not present the problem of heat build up.

Norm

I actually repotted it before I knew the right time to do it. Originally they were in a peat like substance which seemed kinda bad. The grower didn't really say much on repotting to be honest. He just really gave me the info on how too. Sadly if I would of known half the stuff I do now, I would of had a lot more questions at that time. I've been keeping the juniper in the window sill, hoping the coldness of the window would help. If not my garage in the basement might be an idea. But light would be a problem there.

As for the light, it's a grow bulb(Same bulb or similar: https://www.homeharvest.com/spotgrowlightbulbs.htm ). I'll actually pick up another fixture in the next day or two. If I switch to CFLs should I be going with a certain wattage, the current one is 60w.

Thanks Norm

HI. Joe. Bonsairay. Re your Juniper. I have several medium to large Junipers. My experience and advice is potting time in Australia, is late Spring when the days are warming up. I note your Juniper has been potted . I would keep your Juniper in a sheltered warm position until the weather in your neck of the woods gets much warmer. As for your Ficus. Here in Australia, we Defoliate, on the hottest day ( removing all yes all the leaves) only leaving a short part of the stem, and tip pruning to control the size of the plant. We pot into Bonsai pots or pot up on the hottest day as well. Ficus seem to enjoy this type of treatment. Styling and wiring is also done at the same time. all the best with both Bonsai. Ray.

Appreciate the advice Ray. I'm thinking keeping the juniper inside is probably a good idea. I really want to stick it outside, cause I hear it's better for the plant. But I'll probably wait til spring. Ohio weather tends to be pretty crappy sometimes.

Another thought or questions as well. I've got moss and fertilizer. I was going to wait till spring to use either since plants are newly potted and I'm not 100% sure what's going on with them. Anyhow off to work. I'll be picking up the extra light fixture.

[djlen]

Hi Joe and welcome -

I'm never a fan of keeping a Juniper inside for any length of time as the dry heat in the house is very hard on them. We still have almost two months of cold to get through so I'd advise keeping it in as moist an environment as possible by using a drip tray under it and misting often. When you get a 'warm' day (in the 40's) it would help a lot to set it outside,
out of the wind, for the day to let it absorb some of that humidity. If it were mine I'd try to acclimate it to the cooler temps. gradually and get it out into your unheated garage, especially if you have a south or west facing window in it. Just my opinion.

The Ficus should be fine. They are tough little plants and bounce back well.
BTW, it is a nerifolia. When you buy your fluorescent bulbs, get the highest wattage you can find in the store. Usually a 28w fluorescent is equivalent to a 100w incandescent. You can then put the light fixture within 6" of the plant without worrying. The farther away the light, the less effective it will be. The heat is negligible so don't worry about that.

The Ficus can be fed at 1/4 strength with each watering or 1/4 strength, every couple of weeks with an all-purpose fertilizer such as MiracleGro 24-8-16 or 20-20-20.
The Juniper will require MirAcid for evergreens, but should not be fed until spring as it is relatively dormant at this time. They are so hard to keep alive inside. I wish you the best with both of your trees.

[Ray Ashton]

Joe. It appears there is some wiring between the 1st branch and the main trunk of your Juniper. If so , watch the wire does not cut into the area where the wire touches. If and when the growing season in your part of the woods begins. I presume Spring, remove the wire and re-wire if you wish to style further. Junipers need a fair amount of T.L.C. after potting so keep it warm and out of the cold. As advised . If you are going to have a warm day and a fair amount of sunshine place in the sun and remember to take inside to keep it warm with a good watering. Ray Ashton.