japanese juniper
Hello I'm new to this forum.Irecently purchased ajapanese juniper as a bonsai it is a 10yr old tree.I know junipers are outside bonsai,but here in indiana we have unforgiving winters.So I guess my question is can I bring it indoors on my back porchwhere I can keep the temp between 35&40 degrees no matter what the outside temp is?I tried my green thumb at this a few yrs ago with the same type of juniper but it died after 6mo.I think because I kept it indoors all winter.I would appreciate any feedback thank you rondo769.
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
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- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
rondo769,
Hello and welcome to the forum. You definitely correct in noting that Junipers are outdoor plants and probably correct as well concerning the demise of your previous tree.
Junipers are very hardy plants and don't require nearly the protection some other species do. I leave mine outside all winter, with proper protection of course. If you can remove the tree from the pot and have the root-ball remain intact it can be planted out in the garden until spring. This is how I handled mine the first year I had it. It was a nursery plant and had not yet been potted into my loose mix so the root-ball held together very well.
Last year I settled the tree into a sheltered location and mulched it in well after the ground was well cooled. The idea is not to keep it from freezing but to keep it from repeated freezing and thawing. That year it was in a grow box so I was not worried about the pot cracking. Snow make an excellent insulator and I usually pile it up over my pots.
While your tree does not require the same amount of light during the winter it still needs some. If the porch receives some light then that location could work for you. It still will require occasional watering throughout the winter especially if it is somewhat exposed. By that I mean not heeled in or mulched as I described above.
This may help, [url]https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/overwint.htm[/url]
Norm
Hello and welcome to the forum. You definitely correct in noting that Junipers are outdoor plants and probably correct as well concerning the demise of your previous tree.
Junipers are very hardy plants and don't require nearly the protection some other species do. I leave mine outside all winter, with proper protection of course. If you can remove the tree from the pot and have the root-ball remain intact it can be planted out in the garden until spring. This is how I handled mine the first year I had it. It was a nursery plant and had not yet been potted into my loose mix so the root-ball held together very well.
Last year I settled the tree into a sheltered location and mulched it in well after the ground was well cooled. The idea is not to keep it from freezing but to keep it from repeated freezing and thawing. That year it was in a grow box so I was not worried about the pot cracking. Snow make an excellent insulator and I usually pile it up over my pots.
While your tree does not require the same amount of light during the winter it still needs some. If the porch receives some light then that location could work for you. It still will require occasional watering throughout the winter especially if it is somewhat exposed. By that I mean not heeled in or mulched as I described above.
This may help, [url]https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/overwint.htm[/url]
Norm
Just wanted to point something out... you know those landscape "trees", the creeping evergreens that sort of hug the ground? Most of the time, they're Juniperus sp., mostly J. procumbens, a good portion thereof var. "nana". These are the same trees that are most often sold as bonsai material. Of course, these trees are in the ground, and therefore afforded a bit more protection than if they were in a pot. However, as Norm said, properly protected with some minor work, there's nor reason they could not be kept outside in you zone. 
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
rondo769,
If you obtain an appropriately size, inexpensive Styrofoam ice chest you can place the tree inside and mulch it in with Pine bark, Pine needles or even Styrofoam packing peanuts. Keep the foliage above the rim of the cooler.
This will keep the roots from experiencing wide temperatures swings that a south facing porch might cause. Continue reading and by winter you will be ready, here is another link.
[url]https://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_WinterCare.html[/url]
Norm
If you obtain an appropriately size, inexpensive Styrofoam ice chest you can place the tree inside and mulch it in with Pine bark, Pine needles or even Styrofoam packing peanuts. Keep the foliage above the rim of the cooler.
This will keep the roots from experiencing wide temperatures swings that a south facing porch might cause. Continue reading and by winter you will be ready, here is another link.
[url]https://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_WinterCare.html[/url]
Norm