I just got what I believe is a Juniper bonsai. May be a Procumbens? I have a post in Bonsai Identification.
I did research but I'm still not 100% sure what the proper care instructions would be for my little tree. Pleas help.
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DeborahVentura
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Victrinia Ridgeway
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- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 11:46 am
- Location: Bremerton, WA
It is almost certainly a procumbens nana...
Care for them is relatively easy... as was suggested make sure you remove any glued down rocks...
If it looks like there is a lot of brown matter like bark (vs. lava - or other hard particals in the soil) you won't want to over water it. Get some chopsticks from a resturant and use them to gently probe the soil every day or so depending on the heat and dryness of where you live. If the chop stick comes out damp... skip a day.
The tree will do best in morning sun and afternoon shade... it will also help the bonsai not to dry out too quickly since you live in a warm place.
Do not keep the tree in the house for more than a day or so at a time to enjoy it... otherwise always keep it outdoors... especially in winter.
The tree is young, maybe 4-5 years old... it'll put on a bushy crown but not a lot of trunk thickening since it's in a pot. Feel free to pinch the foliage when it starts getting really thick later this summer to shape it into a pleasing form. Use your finger tips for this... if you use scissors be sure to cut back down to hardened wood as it will make for ugly brown spots in your foliage if you do.
Try and make sure you get a little light in towards the middle of the crown, or all your inner foliage will die back due to lack of light.
Junipers like to back bud readily on old wood... and are generally easy keepers. You can feed it Miracle Grow every two weeks, but don't give it full strength... just a light amount will do.
In the winter make sure it's in a protected place, but unless it rains a lot where you live, don't let it stay dry all winter. Junipers are never truly dormant... they just slow waaaaayyyy down. So water is still needed if there is a dry spell... just not as often.
Oh... and be prepared... you have to have someone you can give it to for care if you take vacations... that is a bonsai reality. Or you have to set up an automatic watering system.
Kindest regards,
Victrinia
Care for them is relatively easy... as was suggested make sure you remove any glued down rocks...
If it looks like there is a lot of brown matter like bark (vs. lava - or other hard particals in the soil) you won't want to over water it. Get some chopsticks from a resturant and use them to gently probe the soil every day or so depending on the heat and dryness of where you live. If the chop stick comes out damp... skip a day.
The tree will do best in morning sun and afternoon shade... it will also help the bonsai not to dry out too quickly since you live in a warm place.
Do not keep the tree in the house for more than a day or so at a time to enjoy it... otherwise always keep it outdoors... especially in winter.
The tree is young, maybe 4-5 years old... it'll put on a bushy crown but not a lot of trunk thickening since it's in a pot. Feel free to pinch the foliage when it starts getting really thick later this summer to shape it into a pleasing form. Use your finger tips for this... if you use scissors be sure to cut back down to hardened wood as it will make for ugly brown spots in your foliage if you do.
Try and make sure you get a little light in towards the middle of the crown, or all your inner foliage will die back due to lack of light.
Junipers like to back bud readily on old wood... and are generally easy keepers. You can feed it Miracle Grow every two weeks, but don't give it full strength... just a light amount will do.
In the winter make sure it's in a protected place, but unless it rains a lot where you live, don't let it stay dry all winter. Junipers are never truly dormant... they just slow waaaaayyyy down. So water is still needed if there is a dry spell... just not as often.
Oh... and be prepared... you have to have someone you can give it to for care if you take vacations... that is a bonsai reality. Or you have to set up an automatic watering system.
Kindest regards,
Victrinia