Help): with Juniper

[Cassylovescats]

I'm not sure what type of bonsai I have but I bought it from Meijer and I did research and I believe it's a juniper. Though my plant is an indoor plant. It has been growing great for months. Then I went on vacation and it came with me but during the trip the needles became brown and brittle. Last week I sprayed the tree for spider mites. I haven't seen any so far. But the tree is becoming more brittle. The needles arnt turning brown anymore just really brittle. A tiny bit of the tree is green and doesn't fall off when I touch it. People keep saying to put it outside but it's winter and way too cold.
Is it dead?
Could I fix it somehow?

Picture of my bonsai at the moment:
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u36/ ... cb48af.jpg

[rainbowgardener]

Please read this thread:

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... ht=#284106

someone else writing in about their juniper bonsai.

You posted this in Indoor Bonsai Forum, but junipers are NOT indoor bonsai (though some unscrupulous vendors may tell you they are). Junipers die indoors.

You took your bonsai on a vacation trip? Flying ? Car? to what climate? Probably not a good idea. It is a TREE. It doesn't handle sudden environmental changes very well.

It sounds like your juniper is dying or dead. They tend to die in slow motion, so by the time you are seeing much brown, it may be past saving.

You didn't say where you are or what kind of climate. I don't know what climate would be "way too cold" for junipers, some of which are hardy to minus 40 degrees F or more. But you are right that having had it indoors in heated house, you can't just dump it out. Naturally, it should have gradually gone dormant and protected itself from cold in the fall as the weather starts getting colder.

Find the coldest indoor spot you have and move it there.

If you want an indoor bonsai, look for some kind of tropical like ficus, schefflera, jade plant, sagaretia, etc. Tropicals do not need a period of cold dormancy like temperate trees do.

[Cassylovescats]

I'm actually from Chicago. I traveled to the east coast for two weeks and I brought all my plants along (by car).

[rainbowgardener]

You would have done better to find a plant sitter. Cars heat up and have hot dry air when the heater is running and lots of solar gain, but then are uninsulated and get very cold. Very stressful.

And if you look around Chicago, I'm sure you will find people with junipers planted in their yards. So it is cold hardy where you are.

[tomc]

I last kept my hearty bonsai in the Monadnock region of NH (zone 4-5) where I promise the weather is worse than Chicago (I was born in Elmhurst).

If your juniper survives this winter indoors, early in May it will need to go and stay outdoors.

The natural humidity, breeze, chilling cycles, of outdoors is what your juniper craves. It is difficult to recreate even in a greenhouse.