[Dan]

So you’ve received a bonsai for Christmas. Good job on visiting this thread first before asking any questions.

Bonsai care depends on what type of tree your bonsai is, however there are a few basic guidelines that you should adhere to, to ensure that your bonsai does not die within the first week of receiving it.

DO…

• Do ensure that sure you check up on your bonsai every day and see whether it needs to be watered. Only water when the top layer of soil is dry to the touch. This could mean that you only need to water it every 2-3 days. Bonsai do not need to be watered very often in the winter.
  
• Do find out the species of your bonsai - this will affect future care. If you were not told and there is no label, see if you can identify it using our plant profiles here.
  
• Do protect your bonsai from extremes of nature - harsh sunlight, wind, hail.
  
• Do remove the small glued on stones from around the base of your bonsai. These are put there to stop the soil (and the bonsai itself!) from falling out of the pot during transport and if kept there will prevent your bonsai from receiving the water it needs. They can also be a breeding place for bugs.
  
  Glued on rocks

DO NOT…

• Over-water your bonsai (see watering information above)
  
• Submerge your bonsai in a tub to water it - there is no reason to do this, watering can be done just as effectively by watering the soil. Submerging the bonsai can cause root rot if done too often.
  
• Prune your bonsai every day (or every other day…) - whilst some people have the impression that bonsai must be pruned every day to keep them small, this is not necessary. In fact, bonsai only need major pruning once or twice a year, and minor pruning only every few weeks during the growing season.
  
• Keep your bonsai inside for more than a few days at a time (unless it is a tropical bonsai that does not need a wintering period such as Serrisa (link) or Ficus (link).)

The most common plant used for bonsai and sold in stores over the Christmas period is the Juniper.

Here are a few photos to help you identify if you have a Juniper.


Juniper from Walmart


Juniper foliage (from http://www.ucalgary....lties/SS/GEOG/)


Dead Juniper
(let’s hope your bonsai does not look like this already!)

Junipers do not have leaves, they have needles. If all of the needles start to turn brown and drop off, you can pretty much be sure that your Juniper has already died and there is nothing much that you can do to bring it back. Junipers can stay green for a long time after dying. Let’s hope that we haven’t got to that stage yet.

Juniper is a common plant for beginners at bonsai. It is an outdoor plant and needs to be kept outside all year round. Unless you have bought the bonsai from a reputable dealer, you might find that the information they have given you on basic care is incorrect. Contrary to popular belief, most bonsai are not indoor plants and will die if you keep them inside all year. The only exceptions are when it gets below 20F (about -6C) in which case it can be brought inside under strict conditions, and when you have just brought it home from a store and do not want to shock it by immediately placing it outside in the cold.

Junipers are very hardy plants and can handle frost and freezing temperatures as long as they are not shocked. As an alternative you can protect them from cold when outside by mulching or keeping them in an unheated outhouse.

Bonsai can be brought inside for a few days at a time for display purposes, however do not keep them in an overly heated room, on top of a TV or near heaters, where it can dry out quickly.
If you live in an apartment and have no choice other than to keep your Juniper inside, it can be done, but you must be very careful and keep a constant, watchful eye. If you are the kind of person who are going to forget about your plants for weeks or even days at a time, you wont succeed in keeping a Juniper indoors. Make sure the Juniper bonsai receives good light, is not exposed to drafts, heaters or radiation and is watered properly. If the plant receives a semi-dormant period, it (hopefully) should stay healthy.

Junipers die of two common things - overwatering, and underwatering. They do not need 24 hour care, but they do need to be checked on every day to make sure that they are getting enough water. Your Juniper may look healthy, but if the soil allowed to dry out they will die. Unlike other plants, Junipers do not look limp when they are underwatered, and the foliage only begins to fade and turn yellow weeks after they have actually died.

Only conduct major pruning during the spring or autumn/fall, but not in summer. Maintenance pruning can be done throughout the season. Regularly pinch off the young shoots.

Good tool sets for beginners can be found at http://bonsaisite.com/tools.html

For more information, books are a good way to start.
There are many good bonsai books around.
Check out our recommended Bonsai Books for Beginners or our bonsai books forum at http://forums.bonsai...hp?showforum=30

Also make sure you read up on our posting guidelines before posting on the board so that we can answer your questions as quickly and efficiently as possible.

[Dan]

Juniper Bonsai for beginners

Written by 4bonsai, edited by Dan.

Why Can't I Keep My Juniper Bonsai Inside?

Many bonsai vendors tell beginners that Junipers can be kept inside year-round. Unfortunately, this just isn't true. Keeping your Juniper inside permanently will result in your bonsai developing a sickly appearance over time and dying. If your juniper’s needles have turned yellow and are falling off, it probably died weeks ago.

Junipers need a dormant period (a state of growth where the plant rests and grows very little, if at all). Juniperus communis, or the Common Juniper, grow as far north as Greenland, Newfoundland, and northwest Alaska. In the Northern Hemisphere, the farthest south a Juniper can survive is Houston, Northern Florida, or in the mountains of Mexico. They are not a tropical or sub-tropical plant and should not be treated as such.

Some people who live in areas that receive heavy snowfall during winter, where temperatures frequently drop below freezing, might be advised to keep a Juniper indoors to protect it over this short period. To do this, you must simulate its natural environment. If you have an unheated room, it can be closed off from the rest of the house and the window left open. A garage can also be used. Remember to keep your Juniper away from any heat vents of any kind. Exposure to heat during a juniper’s normal winter will prevent the plant from going into dormancy.

If you are keeping your bonsai outside (probably the best option) and are afraid of it getting harmed by the winter weather, there are several things you can do to protect it:

1) place it in a flower bed and bury it until just the pot is covered with soil (this will insulate it from the cold)

2) place it in a sheltered area, i.e. under a low-hanging tree, or anywhere else where it will be protected from the weather such as a shade house.

3) make a frame for it and cover the frame with shade cloth so heat won't build up inside it and place mulch around the bottom edge. Generally if you live in a warmer climate (like USDA zone 6-7), you shouldn’t have to worry about winter protection.

If you keep you Juniper in a garage or closed off room, you should be careful how you introduce it back outside. Place the Juniper in a location that doesn't get much sun and out of the wind. Over a period of a few weeks slowly move the Juniper back to a more open location.

Why Did My Bonsai Die?

Your bonsai may have died as a result of negligence from yourself, or negligence before you bought it. The majority of bonsai sold in malls or by small-time bonsai vendors are sold only as a novelty and are only grown to look good at point of sale. These are commonly known as ‘mallsai’.

When you purchase a bonsai, make sure to get it from a genuine bonsai dealer, or at least someone how knows what they are talking about. They will be able to tell you how to properly care for your bonsai and can help you pick out a plant that is suitable for your location. They will also know what species of plant your bonsai is, which is the first thing we want to know when you are asking a question about your bonsai on the forums!

The worst places where you could buy a bonsai are malls, department stores or anywhere else where the people selling the bonsai know little or nothing about their care. These are normally mass-produced bonsai that have been shipped over from one climate to another. Placing the bonsai in a warm environment at this time can disturb its dormant period and send it into shock.

The manufacturers of these ‘mallsai’ may have placed tags that read "indoor bonsai" on the Junipers even though they are outdoor bonsai. They may place them in a pot that doesn’t have a drainage hole, plant them in the wrong type of soil, and place a layer of gravel on the surface and glue it down to stop the soil from falling out of the pot during shipping. The layer of glue and rocks prevent the water from getting to the soil and can kill the plant if not removed after purchase.

Juniper care

There are some basic requirements that need to be adhered to so that your bonsai can survive and grow well.

1) Your bonsai needs to be in good soil. Proper bonsai soil does not contain any peat material at all. This is because peat retains too much water. It also hardens if dried out and once this happens is very difficult to get wet all the way through again. The best soil to use is a loose, free draining soil. You need one part fine pine bark to one part small gravel (such as small aquarium gravel) for this. Otherwise, try to buy a bag of ‘bonsai mix’ from your local nursery.

2) Feeding your bonsai is important. Fertilize your Juniper with a weak slow-release fertilizer of 10-10-10. For more information on fertilizers, see here.

3) Non-tropical bonsai should be primarily kept outdoors and need a period of rest each year during wintertime known as dormancy. The easiest way to ensure your Juniper receives a dormant period is to keep it outside.

4) Water your Juniper regularly, but make sure you do not over-water. How often you water depends on where you are, how hot it is, and what season. Watering could happen every day or it could happen every three days. If you are not sure on when to water your juniper, feel the soil by poking your finger in it. If it feels dry or nearly dry, you should water.

5) Lighting is important: Keep your Juniper in either full sun or partial shade.

6) Repotting your Juniper depends on how old it is and how long it has been in training. For a young bonsai – less than six years old, you ideally should repot every year. Repotting involves changing the soil (although keep it in the same type of soil) and trimming the roots. This encourages growth. If the bonsai is older, you should repot it every 3-4 years.