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Fideon
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Location: Monterrey, MX. Zone 10-B

New Juniper at home

Hello users of helpful gardener forums.

Posting once again to show my newest bonsai prospect, a young Juniper.

I acquired it a week ago from a local plant nursery.

Since then I've kept it outside as it should be. The employee at the nursery told me that it should be repotted soon and showed me that if you pull the tree up it smoothly leaves the pot along with all the dirt, like compacted. Sorry if I can't explain myself, ESL.

Anyways, I don't really know if this is an indication that the tree should be repotted soon. I would really like to move it to a bigger pot tho, I would like to see my tree grow big and I want its roots to have lots of space.

He told me I should water daily, just a little bit. I've kept true to what I've read from you guys and I only water it when the soil is kinda dry.

The inner leaves have turned brown and dry and some of them are falling, however the outer leaves are green and nice, maybe this is because we haven't had lots of sun lately? It has been cloudy and rainy. Actually the tree was outside while it rained a little bit and it got really wet, woke up in the morning and ran outside to move it somewhere shielded from the rain. That happened 2 days ago, I haven't watered since because the soil isn't really dry yet. What do you think guys?

The only cutting I've done since now is cut the new grow sprouts in undesirable places and a branch that was completely out of place.

Also, should I fertilize? I've read mixed opinions on fertilizing, some say before spring, others on spring so I don't know, what works best in your opinion?

Anything else I should know? Should I actually repot? Is the "high drainage soil" available at home Depot good enough? Or should I buy one from a specialized bonsai store? The store sells a soil mix that is supposedly specifically for bonsai the likes of Juniper, very drainy, 50 gravel 50 soil.

Is worm hummus good for fertilizing? How much should I apply and how?

Any advice, recommendations, feedback, scolding, whatever is accepted and appreciated.

I really want my tree to grow into something beautiful worthy of being called a bonsai. Now pics!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p491qxcffmpa8 ... 5.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wn9m7cj5pr0q0 ... 9.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mwztazptpy8hc ... 9.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s9w1qk6ux9qkr ... 0.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/piwobndlixjmk ... 4.jpg?dl=0

tomc
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1. Please note in your profile or signature block where you live by region (example: Montreal QUE) and USDA zone.

2. Please read basic skill sets in the bonsai learning forum here. Especially on how to check for water needs with a chopstick.

3. May will be soon enough to repot. There is commercially prepared bonsai (cactus soil will do inna pimch) soil available at most big box stores.[/quote]

4. I would not fertilize till 4 to 6 weeks after repoting. Only one insult at a time.

5. If your soil is very compacted, poking it a hundred times or more with a chopstick can be a stop-gap.

6. Material high in tiny particle sized organic material will make your soil even worse for your tree. NO worm castings.

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Fideon
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Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: Monterrey, MX. Zone 10-B

Thank you for your reply tomc.

I have noted my location and USDA zone in my profile.

I've already read about the basic skills for bonsai available in this webpage. I'm actually using the chopstick technique for watering.

I'll look for the cactus soil you mention.

Thanks for the tips on fertilizing and the poking trick, all noted, this info will be very useful. Thanks for your help and thanks for helping me frow my bonsai!

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rainbowgardener
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Very nice little juniper! Much nicer than the skinny little juniper cuttings that are often sold as juniper bonsai

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


I agree, in the spring you really need to get it in to good bonsai soil that will much more free draining than what you have.

I was curious about you wanting to grow your tree big in a bigger pot. What are you aiming for? Bonsai is often thought of as the art of maintaining miniature trees in small pots. There are of course large bonsai.

Image
https://www.herons.co.uk/graphics/BigjWpmultiTrunk1.jpg

if what you want is to thicken the trunk up, you want to put it in a very big pot or maybe even in the ground and just let it grow out for awhile. But you could just aim to keep it the size it is now and give it better shaping.

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Fideon
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Location: Monterrey, MX. Zone 10-B

Yeah I would really like it to grow bigger, maybe not as big as the pic you posted, but perhaps this one

https://dupuich.smugmug.com/Bonsai/Exhib ... cYsU-S.jpg

I'm thinking of buying this pot that is 34 X 24 X 11 (L/W/H) Centimeters. I don't know if that is big enough for the bonsai to reach a size like the one in the pic I linked. My bonsai's current pot is around 21 X 16 X 6.5 Centimeters.

Thanks for your advices, I'll repot on Spring then and I'll look for a good soil.

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Fideon
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Hello helpfulgardener.com people, just thought I would update everyone on my Juniper progress.

So far the Juniper has begun to develop a new set of leaves! Yeah!

There's plenty of clovers and small foliage on the soil, I don't know if I should remove these or what. I really like how they look but in the end once I change soil I will lose them won't I? Sad.

Waiting for May to change pot and soil. For now, just proper watering and as much sunlight as possible, it's been really cloudy lately though.

I'll upload a picture, right now the Juniper is inside because it will rain a lot today and tomorrow, notice how the clovers fold at night really impresses me.
Attachments
20150321_001833_Calle Cazadores de Galeana.jpg

tomc
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You may want to use shade or a shade house with your current residence. You may also need to check and water more than once a day.

The new growth is heartening.

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Fideon
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I've been watering on plant's demand, but I had never thought that I should water more than once a day, probably I will have to once summer comes around, it can go above 40 Celsius around these parts so I will definitely have to water more than once a day.

Also the shade, dumb me would've left it in the direct sun all day during summer thinking it would be good for the plant, Thank you very much for your advice tomc.

tomc
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Fideon, the only way us old guys get to win is we get more people hooked on our passion.

Pick up your tree and talk to it every day. Nose-to-branch. Until you are sure you know its every frailty, keep having the morning coffee tree in the other hand...

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rainbowgardener
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As you are aware, since you quite properly have been keeping it outside, indoors is not good for your juniper. I would not be bringing it in and out. Lots of changes of environment are not good for trees. If you are worried about it being beaten down by torrential rains or soil washing away you can arrange some kind of roof over it, or put it under a bench or something. If you have properly well draining soil (bonsai soil is mostly stuff like small rock bits and bark pieces), it won't matter if it gets rained on.

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Fideon
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Thank you very much for the bench tip rainbow, I'm afraid the sun here is really strong I'll definitely have to do as you say.

Anybody got any tips for repotting, I'm really afraid I may kill my tree after all I have cared for it. Any and all advice is welcome

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rainbowgardener
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Well, you do have a climate that is really difficult for most junipers. Many junipers are temperate forest trees that are extremely cold hardy and need chilling hours in winter, but don't like heat. There are different varieties though. If this one doesn't make it, you might look for one better adapted to your climate.

Creeping juniper (juniperus horizontalis) which is what many juniper bonsai are made from, has a native range throughout Canada up to the Arctic circle and including only the northern tier of US states.

Eastern red cedar (juniperus virginiana) has a native range of the eastern half of the US including south eastern TX and MS, AL, GA. It would probably do better for you

The most southern juniper I could find is pretty rare and has a really restricted range, is the Pinchot juniper: Juniperus pinchotii (Pinchot juniper or redberry juniper) is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America, in Mexico: Nuevo León and Coahuila, and in the United States: southeast New Mexico, central Texas, and western Oklahoma. It grows at 600–2,100 m altitude.

Easiest choices for you for bonsai would be to look for some native trees of Mexico or tropical evergreens (like ficus) that can be grown as indoor bonsai.

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Fideon
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Location: Monterrey, MX. Zone 10-B

Thanks for your comment rainbow. I think the weather here is too much even for a sun needy bonsai.

I'm starting to see some white powder on the exposed roots and rocks. Should I worry about this?

Also, the sun has been plenty lately, the soil dries almost completely. Check the pics, I'm no expert but this ain't right, right?
Attachments
2015.03.28_15.39.04_Calle Cazadores de Galeana.jpg
2015.03.28_15.39.06_Calle Cazadores de Galeana.jpg
2015.03.28_15.39.12_Calle Cazadores de Galeana.jpg



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