Another new guy

[casualcats]

Hi, I recently bought a bonsai tree from the asian lady who parked her van on the side of the road.

Please take a minute to laugh.

This tree is a japanese juniper and I live in south dakota. Winters here can get as low as 30 below with wind chill, but as of right now overnight lows are between 20 and 30 degrees.

Today I noticed that some of the pine needles near the branches are beginning to turn brown. I've owned the plant for six days, and watered it five of them. I've been reading around and I'm starting to think I may need to take it outside.

My questions are:
1) is the plant already dead? able to be saved?
2) what should a yearly cycle for this plant in this climate be?
3) are there bonsai trees that stay indoors year-round and aren't so finicky?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[TomM]

Oh yes, another chuckle - as you suggested.

Please understand a few basics. There are trees that can not live indoors. They are hardy. That means they grow in the ground year round, or in bonsai pots, even in South Dakota. They go to sleep in winter (a needed period of dormancy) as an important cycle of life. They also need the natural sunlight, darkness, temperature variations, moisture, etc. Without these things they die.

Juniper is one of these. They die indoors. Yours might survive if placed outside where it belongs, cared for properly, and if it was truly healthy to start with - meaning having a good root system, well established in the pot, and in good bonsai soil. BUT the Asian lady who parked her van at the side of the road (sorry I'm laughing again) can not 'guarantee' these things. She made her sale(s) and has moved on. Many of us have seen her (or a clone) and her boss-man in seemingly every corner of this land. There must be thousands.

For indoors - you must find a tree type that you can fool into thinking it is in its native environment AND provide those conditions that makes it happy. Those would be 'tropical' plants, from warm, uh 'tropical' parts of the world like ficus, dwarf schefflera, bougainvillea, grewia, natal plum. There are many choices. See the "INDOOR BONSAI" section of these forums.

Then learn all about creating the indoor conditions these tropicals need - lighting, humidity, proper watering, soils, fertilizing, circulation, etc. You might want to check out www.bonsaihunk.com. Who's laughing now? No, seriously - this guy is a real expert on growing indoor bonsai in a cold climate. Please check it out.

Don't know if your juniper is dead or alive. Time will tell.

[rainbowgardener]

But also watering every day sounds like too much. In general (not only bonsai) it is a lot easier to kill plants with too much water than too little.

Type chopstick method into the Search the Forum Keyword box, to read about how to tell when to water your bonsai.

[tomc]

A hearty tree in a tray where the snow pack is deep, or its cold-windy enough to knock the pants off a bronze statue may well need a cold frame to temper 'outdoors' a little.

In leu of a cold frame, a bin fulla leaves where you can nest the trees pot into, in your garage or shed may be what'cha got for this year.

Still your temperate zone tree needs a winters slumber outdoors, or as near as you can get it.

If I could grow azalea in NH, you can too.