Alissamae323
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Location: Nebraska

Help identify my bonsai?

Hello,

My boyfriend just bought me a bonsai as a gift... And the seller really didn't tell him much about it. He did tell him that the plant is seven years old, and to repot it in two years.

My problem is that I have no idea what species of tree it is. I was hoping for help identifying it, and was hoping to join the community to learn how to best care for my new plant!

Thank you in advance!
image.jpg
Sorry the picture is so dark
Sorry the picture is so dark

tomc
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It is a juniper. You have rightly set it outdoors. If this was my Nebraska juniper, I would start my search for a slightly protected outdoors winter quarters for him, now.

If those rocks are glued on please remove them, they were place there to contain soil during shipping, and will interfere with watering.

Buy-make a wooden chop-stick. You will insert it daily and check the soiled end for moisture. If the stick comes out of soil damp, defer watering. If it is dry it is time to water liberally. Let it drain outside.

Junipers are grown from cuttings. They have a small root mass, so central heating and air-conditioning will overwhelm and kill it.

Commercially sold juniper are never as old as you were told. If you are lucky it will have struck roots.

Impulse-sold mallsai can survive, and have in the hands of a determined and methodical grower good potential to become bonsai. But your baby aint there yet.

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GardeningCook
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Yup - it's a Juniper & definitely needs to live outdoors.

I will admit that I bring my bonsai in when winter temps are predicted to drop below 20 degrees. However they come in just right up against the inside front door, so their temps are still kept dormant/cold, just not frigid. One wouldn't want to bring them all the way into the house, as the temp differences could break dormancy & harm the plant. But this method for me has worked successfully for a fair number of years now.

Alissamae323
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Location: Nebraska

Thanks for the help and tips!

I do have an unheated garage. Will it be fine just to move it in there when the temperature drops?

Was the merchant correct when he said not to repot for two years?

Thank you again.

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GardeningCook
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I'm guessing that Nebraska lows are most likely a lot colder than Virginia lows, but would think your garage would be fine - especially if you put your tree up against a wall. But hopefully a bonsai enthusiast more in your neck of the woods will chime in. Before winter hits, do some reading/research on wintering over bonsai so you're prepared on how best to help it through dormancy.

As far as repotting, I don't like doing any care - watering, feeding, repotting - of any plants on much of a set schedule. Prefer to just keep an eye on things & let them tell what they want. Depending on what soil your Juniper is planted in now, how old it is, & how well it's doing, it might need repotting in two years. Or four. I have one now in a very small imitation-rock-looking pot that I've had for four years & it's still healthy & looks lovely. I most likely WILL unpot it early next Spring to see what's what & to give it a light root prune + fresh soil, but will see how it looks after this Winter. If it's still as healthy-looking as it does now, I may hold off yet another year.

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rainbowgardener
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Your unheated garage should be fine. But don't move it in there until after the first freezes, so that the tree is dormant. Dormant trees don't need much light, but active ones do. And juniper is extremely cold hardy. First winter freezes will not harm it at all.

In the meantime, if those rocks are glued on, you need to get rid of them. They are put there just to keep the soil from falling out in the process of shipping it. It interferes with being able to tell when your bonsai needs watering and cuts down on air and water circulation.

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GardeningCook
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Yes - & even though it will be winter, it's important to never let your tree go completely dry & then freeze. That's a death knell. Another reason why I'm hoping someone with more experience with bonsai in Nebraska temps will chime in. I'm just not sure.

Alissamae323
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Thank you for all the help. I really appreciate it.

I did remove the rocks and have been using the chop stick method. It's been a huge help.

And when you say first freeze, do you mean the first time we literally get a frost? Or just when the temperature drops to freezing. Sorry I am so naive. I've been trying to read up, but it seems like different websites say different things. It's hard to determine what to believe.

I have been reading up on bonsais throughout the forum. But could you offer advice on pesticides and fertilizers? I haven't used anything and am not sure what I should use. If anything...


You all have been so helpful, I really appreciate it!

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GardeningCook
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I have yet to need to use any sort of pesticide on my trees, so don't have personal experience re: that. However, I would think that one would want to use a "less is more" approach since it seems easier to burn the vegetation on containerized plants than those in-ground.

As far as fertilizer, all the resources I've read strongly suggest using a urea-free product, of which there are several brands. This is the one I've been using, & so far so good:

https://www.amazon.com/Dyna-Gro-BON-008- ... fertilizer

Since it's a concentrate that you mix yourself with water, a very little goes a very long way, thus one bottle lasts a VERY long time.

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rainbowgardener
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They usually say fertilize half strength of what the directions say, but frequently. But by end of summer, you want to quit fertilizing. You don't want it putting out new green growth that will be killed by frost.

Frost/ freeze doesn't matter. What you want is to leave the juniper out unprotected through enough cold and frost that you know it is dormant, before you bring it in to any protection.

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GardeningCook
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rainbowgardener wrote: Frost/ freeze doesn't matter.
Actually, "frost/freeze" DOES matter if the soil medium is dry when it happens. Roots will be killed.

Alissamae323
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Location: Nebraska

Thank you for the link to the fertilizer! I'm definitely going to have to buy some.
As of now, I am out of questions. You all have been a lot of help. Thanks again!



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