Dragon3185
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Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 3:24 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

New owner of a Juniper Bonsai Tree

I am a new owner of a Juniper Bonsai Tree and new to the art of Bonsai.

I have a lot of questions about Bonsai and raising a bonsai tree I hope you all could help me little.

Well the first time I ever seen a Bonsai tree was in the Corrode Kid when I was younger and liked the trees very much (I believe it was a Juniper tree as well). Over the past couple yrs I been at a debate to buy one since my lack of knowledge about the art and how to keep the tree alive. Well yesterday I woke up and my mom bought me one for x-mass. She said I cost around $150 with the pot and humidity tray.


Grower info:

My mom talked to the owner of the store witch also was the person who took care and raised the trees. He said he has been doing bonsai trees for around 34 years. I am going to try to talk to him as well to get some information in how to raise a bonsai tree.


Tree and pot info: (ill try to get pictures up some time today I am at work on break at the moment)

-the tree is a Juniper (age unknown. Ill be going back to the store to see if the guy knows)

-The tree sits around a foot and a half above the pot and about the same size wide from the farthest branch on the left to the farthest branch to the right.

-The pot is about a foot long and a half of foot deep and wide. The pot has two holes in the bottom of it (I guess for the water to drain?).

-There is a large flat rock in the pot kind of sitting behind the tree.

-There are small stones over the top of the soil (they are not glued down. I checked after reading some other posts. All the small rocks are free.

-There is maybe a about a 3in by 1in of moss on the one side of the tree.

-The tree looks like it has been kept trimmed and well maintained (I read some where that when you trim this type of tree most people trim off all the needles that faced downward. It said something about pointing to the havens?).


I added water to It last night since I didn't know the last time it was watered and the soil felt very dry. I put about 3 cups of water in it over a time period of 30 mins to let the water soak in before adding more. I also have been spraying the tree with a mist bottle. I read I should do this 2-3 times a day since I moved it from on location to another with a difference in temp. It is currently inside my house since I didn't want to put it outside since its late Dec. and the cold air might hurt it if I didn't ease it into it. Should I try taking it out in the day where it isn’t so cold an bring it into maybe my basement where it stays cool at night?


My questions:

-temp in my house is around 65-75F Is this ok for the tree or should I move it to some where cooler?

-The little book that came with the tree suggests a watering method called Immersion (where you put the pot and tree in a tub of water so the water over the top of the pot for about a min or till the air bubbles stop rising to the top of the water). Is this a good way to water it?

-Is there any way to tell how old the tree is?

-Is watering it 2-3 days to much?

I know I have more questions but they seem to slip my mind at the moment. Ill try to get picturesup if it would be any help.


Thanks for your help,
Dragon3185


edit: spelling I'm a poor speller lol
edit more spelling and more info about pot and tree

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Dragon,
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Joined: 08 Feb 2004
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Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 7:23 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cough, cough...

Authoritative bonsai care information available here:
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/bonsai/


Recent Juniper threads:

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3866&sid=f38ef8116d58b7c4278986b62886a699[/url]

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3845&sid=f38ef8116d58b7c4278986b62886a699[/url]

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3814&sid=f38ef8116d58b7c4278986b62886a699[/url]

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3806&sid=f38ef8116d58b7c4278986b62886a699[/url]
The little book that came with the tree suggests a watering method called Immersion (where you put the pot and tree in a tub of water so the water over the top of the pot for about a min or till the air bubbles stop rising to the top of the water). Is this a good way to water it?
In another thread I wrote:
Watering by submersion is not really the best way to manage your tree, I suggested it because of the description you provided. It is not harmful in the short term but if repeated long term, salts and minerals from your water can build up. It is effective in thoroughly wetting a compacted soil though. With the proper soil it will not be necessary. You should wait until the soil is approaching dryness and then water thoroughly. Water the entire root-mass from above until water runs from the drainage holes. Wait 5 minutes or so and repeat; this helps to ensure that the soil is completely wetted.
-Is watering it 2-3 days to much?
Probably, in another thread I wrote:
Thorough watering (volume of water) is good but not on any kind of schedule. It sounds to me that you may be overwatering it. Do you mean you water it every single day? If so that is probably excessive, especially if the tree is potted in a heavy peat based soil. Constantly soggy soil is never good.
And, not specifically aimed at Junipers.
If it doesn't need water, it doesn't need water. That is why it is impossible to put your watering on any kind of schedule. The watering needs of a plant will depend on many factors including species, pot size, soil texture, temperature, light level, humidity, etc. The link I provided suggests limited watering during the winter. Even tropicals can slow their growth when conditions are not optimal. With reduced growth will come, in turn, a reduced water requirement.

By way of example your tree will need less frequent watering if it is not actively growing, in a peat heavy soil, in a cool room and behind a curtain than if it were growing quickly, in a gritty/free draining mix, in a warm room, getting good light.
It is currently inside my house since I didn't want to put it outside since its late Dec. and the cold air might hurt it if I didn't ease it into it. Should I try taking it out in the day where it isn’t so cold an bring it into maybe my basement where it stays cool at night?
That sounds better than letting it sit in your hot, dry, dim home for the rest of the winter.


Norm



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