If you pinch off all the buds all the time, your tree won't grow or develop! What you need to do is learn what it's all about - it's not about 3 tips here - so go to www.evergreengardenworks.com and start reading, plus www.bonsai4me.com, and whatever you can find in books, but the best place of all would be a local club where you can see what's done (and when, which is very important), and ask questions. Don't just start pinching off things on your tree at any time of year unless you know what you're doing and why. And good luck!

Ok thanks for the advice I was also wondering how cold is too cold for my bonsai since I know that it has to go through a dormant period but the winter is pretty cold where I live( sometimes gets down to about 5 degrees). I thought of putting it in the garage but I didnt want it too freeze ya know....

If it's been inside the whole time, it is probably too cold to just stick it outside now, unless it's staying above freezing even at night, in which case I'd put it out during the day at least, but if it's not much colder, then you could sink the pot into a larger container of mulch, with about an inch of mulch on top, and put it in the garage. The soil may get hard (freeze), so don't water once that happens, but if it's otherwise protected from wind, freezing rain, hard frost, etc., it should be ok there. Too cold (if it had been acclimated to begin with) would be 15-20 F.

ok....and will it continue to grow at all if it is outside and should I keep it in the garage until the temperatures rise and if so, to about what temperature? By the way, the website you suggested was a big help and I also did get a Bonsai book...It just did not specify on exact temperatures very well...

It'll go dormant outside, so won't 'grow', but in the spring will begin again. As far as temps and time go, just leave it in the garage (any windows there?) til temperatures at night stay above 35-40, and the danger of frost is past (usually April sometime).

there is some light that comes through the windows of the garage door but it isn't great...would a plant light be too much for this situation? I was also thinking of starting a few of my own trees from cuttings...I was going to use one or two cuttings from my juniper and I also have a chinese maple in my front yard that I was thinking about using...DO you have any tips on the subject? (ie...experience, when to plant, etc)

Cuttings only really work in the spring, and you can take Juns until June. What is a Chinese Maple? The light through the garage door (will you open and close it all the time?) is enough to get growth started in March, certainly better than nothing.

Oh sorry, I meant japanese maple tree...but yes it gets opened alot so hopefully that will be good enough.

Most Japanese maples are extremely hard to root - only a few types work, so I'd find out what you have (Latin name please) before bothering.

OK I will....

I still didn't find out about what species of tree the japenese maple is but I have put my tree outside in the garage with mulch around it's pot....UI have noticed that its needles have become somewhat "brittle." I was wondering if this was just common of being out in the cold or am I not watering enough? I have gave it some water about every other day. I was also wondering what the best way of watering it was too with it having mulch on it( should I water the branches or just water over the mulch. The temp has been about 20 degrees the past couple of days if that helps any.

Oh dear... well the problem is that you've been watering much too often - for a juniper, and for anything planted in whatever cheap stuff it's planted in when you buy it (usually 'potting soil', which is mainly peat moss and never dries out once you get it wet - thereby clogging the root pores and not allowing them to actually get a drink. Unfortunately your tree should have been in a mostly-grit mix, with small bits of pine bark all through as well, both of which would allow it to drain immediately. Also unfortunately, junipers will seem to be fine for weeks after things have gone bad, then become brittle and rusty looking, by which time it's been long gone. When you can't repot at any given time, you need to allow the soil to dry out a lot in the pot between waterings. BTW, you don't want to water anything once the soil has frozen, so you shouldn't worry about that now anyhow. I think all you can do now is wait til the spring (late) and see if your tree can come back. Now, what happened is classical for newbie juniper owners, so don't feel bad - you couldn't have known unless you researched things before you bought it, or immediately afterward (BTW were pebbles glued all over the top? Should have been pried off immediately too - another problem with 'mall-sai'). Anyhow, if you want to start over (in spring) with any trees, learn first, pay later. Go to www.evergreengardenworks.com (esp. 'articles') plus www.bonsai4.me.com, and look for a local club to join, which is a great way to learn.

We may have actually been on the wrong page on where I got this plant from, which is probably my fault...I bought it off of a guy who is solely a bonsai grower...The soil is actually mostly a grit mix, I made sure of that before buying it, and no there was not any pebbles or moss on top. I was talking about the mulch because I thought that you said it would be a good idea to surround the pot with mulch in a different container with about an inch on top...I might be mistaken...but I was thinking about it being brittle or what I would think is brittle and I think that the branches may have still been a little wet from a previous watering before I put it outside...Could this maybe have caused them to freeze and appear brittle? I sure hope that is it and that my tree is still salvageable because I have begun to gain huge respect for the art of bonsai and the people that do it and I would just hate to see my plant go!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any encouraging news would be great...Thanks for all of your help so far!

Ok... I had no idea you were planning on putting your tree straight from indoors outside into below freezing weather. That will shock the $)(*#$ out of it if nothing else, mulch or no mulch. It's important to acclimatize trees gradually to conditions, whether or not they're hardy. Now, are you saying the mulch was brittle? I'm a little lost at this point. One good (lucky?) thing would be that in fact you did water before putting it out in the cold - freeze drying is not recommended. Can you let me know just what's what please?

Yes, I know it is kind of confusing even to me, but I was trying to say that the needles of the juniper are what I think is brittle but I have just a regular (non-bonsai) juniper in my yard and though it is not nearly the same size, The cold has seemed to have had the same effect on the plant...The needles arent what I would consider "snap when you touch them brittle" but instead they just seem tuff...I'm trying my best to describe this to you lol...but also do you think that I should just start over the going dormant process by reaclimating it to the cold very slowly or just let nature take its course? All of the surrounding mulch is now frozen because the temp of yesterday and today is about 8 degrees....

No, to a plant, the dormant season (starts in Oct.) is almost overwith believe it or not. Even though we're still freezing and it'll snow maybe even into April, by late Jan. or early Feb. the trees are thinking about sap flowing even if they still need protection til much later. I hope yours comes back with no problem, but I couldn't guess at it now.

ok well thanks for the tips...I'l just wait it out and hope for the best....