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Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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Posted by
ruthha Melbourne Australia (
My Page) on
Thu, Jan 24, 08 at 6:06
Hi, I received this bonsai for a Christmas present and since returning from holidays I've moved it from full sun to part shade to full shade, and also tried different watering.
It's summer where I live and whilst I was away we had some really hot days around 100 degrees, at night it cools down to around 55.
The tag says it's a Juniper (Juniperus squamata prostata 'Pingii'), outdoors in full sun or partial shade.
I feel really bad because I think I've killed it already but I'd be really appreciative of any suggestions to try and revive it... it was from my mother-in-law! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| Sorry I can't work out how to post the pictures, I hope some-one still has some suggestions as it is (was) a really nice tree. |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| I do not know much about Junipers, but maybe it would help someone who does if you described what it is that makes you think you've killed it? Here's a link about Juniper culitvation that might help
http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Juniperus.html I think that you can post pictures in the 'gallery' part of the forum maybe? |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| FYI Juniper experts, Rutha has posted a picture in the Gallery forum. |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| If the foliage is hard and brittle, it's dead. I would say the same just by looking at the color, but there are occasional very light colored types and I don't want to just go by that alone. Squamata foliage should be quite soft. |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| If you can put it on the south side of the house, off the ground for preference, and dunk it every two to three days in a bucket of tepid, not cold, water until the bubbles stop, then lift it out carefully to drain. From the picture it looks like a bad dose of sunburn and droughting. Being a Juniper - it may backbud. Squamata can take a while to do so. If the branch ends have been desperately dry you may well have to resign yourself to reshaping. Perhaps if you put out a few apples on the pot you could persuade your MIL the possums got it...;-D. |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| I don't think that's a good idea at all - dunking trees is not the way to go, let alone a juniper every 2-3 days - that'll definitely finish it off beyond recovery. Junipers like drying out and unless ruthha has in fact not watered at all, or only sprayed the top of the soil or something, that's not the problem. Dead or dying juns do first go pale, then rusty looking - as IF they were dry, but in fact they're drowning, mostly due to bad soil that won't drain and watering much too often. I would not put it on the south side of anything in summer either though, as that's just adding stress when it hasn't been acclimated. Please look into current bonsai practices in as many places as you can find - that dunking business is not the way to go - trees should always be watered from above if only to allow 02 into the soil, and to help wash away salts and chemicals that have built up in the soil. |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| But Lucy, he's in the southern hemisphere - the most intense sun comes from the north....... |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| Thank you moulman. I appreciate that you noticed. Perhaps it's just a local thing: over hot, dry summers we commonly dunk-water, particularly if we don't have a grand set up for a few plants, and we're at work for most of the day. On that, yes, every couple of days might well be excessive. I agree, on that. My own J.s. is watered every five days or so, particularly if the wind has been steady. However, my temps are not much more than 80F. I suspected that 100F days might cause quicker drying. I looked at the picture supplied and saw what seemed to me to be an older plant that may have been in the pot for a while. With that it mind I know from experience that I can water in the morning and need to do so again in the evening, simply because there will usually be more root mass than soil. If I dunk-water then the interior becomes more thoroughly wet. And I make sure the plant has clearance to allow for drainage. And I look out to see that the water is, indeed, clearing from the pot. That's critical. (If it isn't, it's time to decant and clear the drainage.) It's about holding on until autumn when it might be safe to repot and use the mild spell from April to July to let new roots come through. I know this can be a 'don't-never-do' for harsher zones in the north but it can work very well with some species in this zone and place. |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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| Moulman - I 'noticed', but dunking still is not the right way to water anything. |
RE: Bonsai Gift Juniper... is it dead?
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Lucy said..
.."I would not put it on the south side of anything in summer either though, as that's just adding stress when it hasn't been acclimated." I didn't say anything about "dunking". I was referring to placement. |
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