needsAmr.Miyagi
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:20 pm
Location: Dallas, Texas

Worried about doing things right!-(Juniper)

I recently bought a bonsai, by recently I go tit yesterday. I'm very worried because I read all this about how hard they are to keep alive and to learn the bonsaai ways. I have a juniper I belive its like an evergreen tree, its on my desk in my office right now. I have read three how to care for your bonsai books today along an dall three tell me different stuff. Like if after I water my plant and water comes out of the bottom of my pot thats bad. But another book says it has to come out of the bottom of your pot or that means the water is sitting and the soil will become toxic. I also notice at the base of some of my small branches the junipers are brown is this a warning sign? How can I be assured the soil is right and the water is right? I'm so lost on what I should do that I feel like its going to die. The tree is about 15 inches tall and is said to be about 20 years old. I would like to keep it until I die! Is it possible to keep this tree indoors if its right under a flourescent light?

alisios
Senior Member
Posts: 298
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:25 pm
Location: Sedona, Arizona

Hello!

Welcome to the forum!

If it really is a Juniper, it will need to be outdoors. No ifs, ands or buts. I think the temps in Dallas are good now to be putting it outside now.

As far as watering, you'll need to get the water to come out of the bottom. As I understand it, this way the soil can clear itself of any collected salts and buildup from the water - your soil will also need to be well draining for this...

If you can post a picture of the tree and soil, it would be helpful!

alisios
Senior Member
Posts: 298
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:25 pm
Location: Sedona, Arizona

Here's the juniper...

[img]https://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g288/chevy71_ryan/Video001.jpg[/img]

alisios
Senior Member
Posts: 298
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:25 pm
Location: Sedona, Arizona

It looks pretty good! There are new buds, it's green..

Just remove all the brown needles by pinching them off, put the tree outside with lots of light and keep it on the dry side - water only when the soil is almost, almost dry, and give it some food from time to time... :D

Also, you'll want to make sure it's not in a "peaty" type of soil - Junipers hate "wet feet"...

More info about Junipers:

https://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Juniperus.html

If you want a bonsai inside for your desk, look for a different type of tree - this one will croak on you if you keep it indoors - even with flourescent light...

kdodds
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1436
Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 7:07 pm
Location: Airmont, NY Zone 6/7

Juniper = Outside. ;)

Good indoor starter trees:

Jade (Crassula) or Dwarf Jade (Portulacaria) Plants are great first trees, very hard to kill, as are Umbrella Trees (Schefflera). The problem with these is that they don't look very much like what most people think a bonsai should look like, especially when younger. Ficus spp. then become, for those who wanta tree that "looks like a tree" a very good choice. There are several small-leaved species that make awesome choices. Currently I'm working on F. "Too Little", but there are at least a dozen other species/varieties that are equally as suitable. Grewia (Lavendar Star) is also a very forgiving species that grows well and requires little more attention than other houseplants. Two last mentions, that I just found and am working with, and look like species with awesome potential, Luma and Anisodontea. The first is notoriously difficult to kill, the second is a bright pink flowering mallow which has incredibly small and very oak-like leaves. I have not attempted wiring yet on either. Luma looks like it would accept it well, the mallow probably not, which brings me to a drawback in that the mallow grows very straight and angled, which would mean a lot of experienced pruning (if it can't be wired) to acheived the desired shape. HTH.

moulman
Cool Member
Posts: 94
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 1:35 pm
Location: Idaho, USA

Alisios , did you forget who you were logged in as.....?
:P

alisios
Senior Member
Posts: 298
Joined: Sat Jun 09, 2007 11:25 pm
Location: Sedona, Arizona

moulman -

No, I was posting the picture for "needsAmr.Miyagi" who sent me the link via PM...

:)



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