Hi, don't think about pruning now (or even any time soon :-). It's the least important thing, but keeping the tree alive matters. Please say where you live (approx) as that matters very much. Your tree shouldn't be indoors or in potting soil (and a top layer of pebbles is unnecessary), but depending on where you do live how you handle where it goes is important, as is the approx. size of the pot and whether or not you have any porches, outbuildings, cold cellars... so write back quickly!

Hi Lucy,

Thanks for the warning!

i live in australia. it's summer here, but not very hot. Around the 20s (Celsius; i think that's around 60?F) it's reasonably sunny but there are some rain predictions in the paper.

We have a balcony with a North-east facing and a south-east facing wall, A freezing laundry that gets some light, and a double-brick storeroom that gets no sunlight. (but there is some artificial light)

The pot is 5 by 7 inches rectangle, (with a depth of 3in) and the tree is 4 1/2 inches tall. I've been watering daily.

What should I plant it in?

VG

You'll never get away with daily watering unless your tree's in almost 80% grit of some kind that allows water to flow through almost instantly. I don't know what's available there by brand name, but if you do have perlite (to keep it a bit lighter) then a mix with ~ 20% perlite (as part of a 70% grit component), 50% small aquarium gravel from a pet store, and bark mulch (pref. pine or hemlock over here, whatever is usual there) of about 1/16" or so pieces for the organic component would be a way to start, with no layers but all mixed, and no crocks or pebbles on the bottom or top. The gravel can be substituted by some kind of high-fired clay bits but don't know what you have - builder's sand (not beach or play sand but larger and with no salt) of some kind would be worth trying. Junipers need real cold in winter for dormancy and can 15-20 F. if avail., but anything below 40 for at least six weeks (with acclimatization at both ends) would work. Til you repot, water only when 1/3 or so of the soil has dried - a chopstick in the soil would be a good indicator. If you want your tree to fatten up most quickly, planting it straight into the ground would be ideal for a couple of years, but it's up to you - bonsai pots restrict growth to 'slow' and are usually meant for already developed trees, but keeping a ratio of wide vs deep should still be followed for root development. The SE facing wall sounds better, as junipers are used to hot dry places, but again it would need to be acclimatized over ~ 10 days if it's been kept inside, and once repotted, a close eye would have to be kept on watering needs - every day in summer wouldn't be excessive if it's hot there (prop a white tile or some against the pot to keep roots from cooking) if the water flows right through.

That's some great advice, Lucy!
Very helpful!

Hi lucy,

Thanks for the advice. You can be sure I'll use it!
I'm a bit hesitant to put it in the ground as it may become subject to dog-trampling. but I can wait.

VG