Juniper Bonsai Leaves Dried Up. How to Revive it?

[sanchalf]

I was given a Juniper bonsai about four months ago, and recently the bonsai stopped growing. Not only that but it leaves have turned dry all the way. I tried watering it and gave it lots of sunlight. Is there something that I need to do to make it turn green again? or is there no hope for this little guy? I really want to revive it and make it grow.

PS: It started to dry up like about two months ago.

ANYONE PLEASE HELP

here is my email as well: sanchalf20@gmail.com

[Meatburner]

There is a bonsai forum you probably will get answers from. Scroll down on the front page toward the bottom to find the forum. Welcome and good luck.

[sanchalf]

Thanks!

[rainbowgardener]

Junipers die slowly from the inside out. By the time it is showing much on the outside, it is probably completely dead and not revivable. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.

Did you have it indoors? Junipers are NOT indoor trees and are pretty much guaranteed to die indoors (despite whatever the person who sold it to you might have said - there are plenty of ignorant/ unscrupulous dealers out there who either don't really know or will tell you whatever you want to hear to make the sale).

But if it started looking bad a couple months ago, which was only a couple months after you got it, it may well have been well on the way to dying when you got it. Many of the little juniper bonsais you see all over the place are just cuttings, mass produced, stuck in a bit of soil and sold off. They may have hardly any root system.

If you are thinking about replacing it, do some more reading and learning first and then look for a reputable dealer and spend a bit more money buying an older tree that is better established.

Your typical little "mallsai" juniper cutting looks something like this:


https://www.gifttree.com/images/super/70 ... Bonsai.jpg

without spending a fortune, you would be looking for something more like this:


https://www.dallasbonsai.com/v/vspfiles/ ... 06Pic3.jpg

notice development of trunk and roots.

Alternatively you could spend less than you did on what you have and buy an actual juniper in a nursery pot and work on gradually cutting it down (roots and top) to be a bonsai. You will learn more about bonsai and end up with a better and healthier tree.

This was probably a bigger tree/ shrub that has already had its first trimming...


https://lexicon.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341 ... 280970c-pi

[sanchalf]

Thank you so much for the tip!
I understand now how to take care of it. Ill buy some good lighting for the Winter since its cold in Texas. But other than that I'm sure itll make it

[tomc]

San. Juniper is a northern hearty tree. Providence meant it to live outdoors in humidity and daily temperature changes.

if a thousand new growers try to keep juniper indoors, 999 of them fail.

A dry and brittle juniper is already a dead juniper. I am very sorry for your loss.

[rainbowgardener]

Did you read what I said?

Junipers die slowly from the inside out. By the time it is showing much on the outside, it is probably completely dead and not revivable. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.

Did you have it indoors? Junipers are NOT indoor trees and are pretty much guaranteed to die indoors (despite whatever the person who sold it to you might have said - there are plenty of ignorant/ unscrupulous dealers out there who either don't really know or will tell you whatever you want to hear to make the sale).

It doesn't need (indoor) lighting, it needs to be outdoors. But in fact yours likely just needs a decent burial.

Junipers are extremely hardy. The grow well up in to Canada and handle weather like minus 30 degrees. Texas cold is nothing for them.