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Sat, Dec 30, 06 at 23:22
| Hello!
I'm a new bonsai owner and looking for some information. It is late December and I have received a Juniper Bonsai as a Christmas gift. I have watered it and I am misting it due to apartment climate. I am aware that this type of bonsai is a outdoor species, but I live in an apartment(facing the south, with a balcony) and there is new growth starting. What should I do? Thanks: Dawna |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Stop watering. Wait til it's mostly dry before doing it again, and don't mist it (misting's a big waste of time with any tree, and junipers don't need it at all). Do put it in the sunniest window you have, but favor a.m. light if there's a choice. Do keep it far from heaters (or A/C) and read everything you can about soil mixes (very important to watering), but don't repot just now - wait til May and just be very stingy with watering frequency. A fast draining gritty (and peatless) mix is very important, but you won't have one in your 'present' so keep that in mind til you do repot. If there's a layer of glued on pebbles on top of the soil (or moss or individual large rocks) pry it off immediately so you can judge wetness and dryness, the tree has a chance to breathe, and you won't grow bugs under that thing (only there to keep the soil neat for shipping!). There's a ton of info. out there on growing juniper bonsai, just keep in mind where yours is growing (their natural environment is in dry, windy and rocky places) and do Google Juniper procumbens 'Nana' bonsai. DO find a local club (there are many in Mich. I think) and attend the mtgs as that's the best place to actually see how things are done. |
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| Hi Lucy! Thanks for the info! I took that rock thing off and will research the soil. so far so good, unfortunately our windows are close to the heat vent. but the sun reaches near where I have it sitting(away from cats,)but it seems good at the moment. Thanks again! Dawna |
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| i just got a juniper bonsai for christmass but some of the leaves are browning at the base...my girlfriend kept it in her moms bed room by the windo for a month befor i got it and only watered it by filling the little tray up with water cus there r rocks glued to top of soil and she didnt know she could water over it...i have been watering it regulary and keeping it by the window in a cool room...i put it outside for the first time today and when i watered it little red ants came out of soil...i think the cold out side will kill ants but what should i do to make sure my tree dosnt die...its my favorit gift and ive wanted one of these for a long time i dont want to kill it |
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| All that watering may have done it in. Junipers like to get fairly dry between waterings. You have to pry off those pebbles (use a small tool of some kind), fill in large gaps in the soil, and never, ever let it sit in a wet saucer as you'll rot the roots (which may already have happened). The cold won't necessarily kill the ants (who may just hibernate til spring), though drowning them would have if you'd watered from above to begin with. Try an insecticide made for house plants and follow the label directions. I have to tell you it may not survive - a lot of those are dead even before you get them and just don't show it for a long time. BUT, there are lots of others out there, and if you are smart, you'll do a lot of reading now (tons of info. on junipers out there), and when you shop in the spring (a much better time to do it) you'll know what you're doing. |
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| thanks for the advise.. i kinda figuered id get a response like that...i think ill probubly have to get a new one in the spring and start over cus i just broke my wrist yesterday while snowboarding so i cant relly repot or pry those stupid rocks off right now : ( atleast not by my self...ill do what i can though...do u think i should keep it outside or should i bring it in at night...my bedroom gets pretty chilly at night when i shut the dore (i have a space heater in my apartment)...thanks for the help :) |
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| Dawnamoon, I live in an apartment for the moment too, and still I've got some pretty outdoor plants. Think about solutions like those metal window box supports for vases. Living in an apartment is limitating but not prohibitive! :) I've got two junipers growing there, they get a lot of sun and strong winds but they like it. You've got time for that though, I wouldn't put your juniper outdoors right now as it's sick, if you get harsh weather, even if it skips one dormant season this year. A rudimentary way to check soil drainage and aeration is to count the time water takes to disappear (to be 'sucked' by the soil) when you water it. It should disappear in less than 4sec. Just keep in mind what lucy said, junipers are adapted to dry, windy conditions. Best luck! |
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| thanks for the info...yea the watter def. takes less than 4 seconds to absorb into the soil and i will keep my juniper inside for now then |
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| How can you type after your accident?! |
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| i just use one hand...its slower but it gets the job done : ) |
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| Hi Pipo! Thank you for that, I'll wait until spring and see what kind of housing I can get for my tree, I'll keep the metal window box idea in mind. Should I be worried about to much rain and the sort in the spring? Should it be in a small housing structure do you think? It may be in full sun for most of the day out there. Watering seems to be ok, I like the draining advice you gave about counting. I'll try that! Mine seems to be free of insects, which is lucky, I guess it came from a green house type environment. Thanks:) |
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- Posted by johnrjustice (My Page) on Sun, Jan 21, 07 at 19:11
| Oh those tempting mass produced juniper bonsai! Yeah..I couldn't resist and bought one too last summer. Did a bunch of research and unfortunately the consenus seems to be be you're lucky if the things aren't dead already. Those junipers can look perfectly healthy, but in fact be dead long before there's any external signs. I hope your'e is different but that thought gets repeated quite frequently concerning those commercial trees. The process to follow, as I've been able to discover, is rush home with it, get rid of the glue rock and repot with a decent potting soil. treat like any other potted plant, (outdoor potted plant in the case of juniper) at least until there's significant new growth. |
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