New Bonsai Tree, HELP!

[Bonsaichild]

Hello, I am new to this forum and to owning a bonsai. I just bought this one a few days ago. However, the only care instructions they gave me were "water it once a week"

I have been doing some research to figure out how to care for it, but I have been seeing a lot of conflicting information so I figured I would come here for help.

I am not sure about the species, but I am pretty sure it is a Juniper? How do you tell how old it is?

My first question is about the moss. It came with it already on there, but I have read that it can be hard to maintain and that it can prevent the soil from absorbing enough moisture when you water it. Is this true? Should I just remove the moss?

Also what is the best method for watering? Some people say to submerge it totally in water, some just pour water on top? what is better?

https://I.imgur.com/Z7FDOqSh.jpg
https://I.imgur.com/KoRaNyXh.jpg
https://I.imgur.com/gdB8vbsh.jpg

[baileysup]

Your pics didn't work. Where are you from, and what's the climate like there. Stick a chopstick in the soil, and pull out every day to see if the soil is dry and ready for water. I would water from the top, liberally. If the tree is small to medium sized, I'm sure you could bottom water as well, but I prefer top water. I think if your tree is in crappy soil, that has dries out too much and become hard as a rock, it would be beneficial to let it soak for 5-10 minutes (bottom water). Otherwise, I would top water. Also, I do not like moss, because it limits how well the soil breaths, and moisture evaporation (my climate is not very hot though). Moss can also make it more difficult to monitor what's going on with your tree. If it is a juniper, it should be kept outside year round, because of higher moisture/air circulation. Plus most trees will die eventually, if kept inside. See if you can get some working pics up, cause that will help a lot. Right now we don't know what it is, or pot sizes.....ect. Thanks

[Bonsaichild]

Some pictures of the tree, I think they will work this time

I live in Upstate New York, it is cold most of the year and snows/rains a lot

[rainbowgardener]

It is a juniper. No way (that I know of ) to tell how old it is, but not very. A lot of times what they sell as juniper "trees" are rooted juniper cuttings. Yours might be that.

I would remove the moss and then put your tree outdoors. (If it is already cold where you are, you may need to harden it off gradually.) Junipers die indoors. They are extremely cold hardy and they need cold dormancy. They don't tolerate hot dry indoor conditions well, and without a dormant period, they eventually die exhausted. It might (or might not) make it through winter and spring, but sometime around next summer or fall when it still hasn't had a dormant period, it will just die.

There are many threads here about this.

Here's an article about your juniper bonsai:

https://betterbonsai.blogspot.com/2007/1 ... nners.html

[tomc]

At some point I think you will want a mica pot to overwinter your juniper in. First lets work on keeping your new tree-baby alive.

Juniper are quite cold hearty, so berming it into a box of bark mulch should be enough winter protection.

Juniper don't show changes in health status, this is both its virtue and bane. It can be dead for months before you'll know of it.

Your tree baby truely is a baby and has been a division as recently as a few months ago.

Please pick off moss and any glued on rocks, both will interfere with watering. Use a chop-stick as described by earlier poster.

Mica pots are mostly plastic, they don't split from frost. if you have any mobility disabilities (I do) they also bounce...