I got a 3 year juniper bonsai tree for christmas last year from my boyfriend. At the time i new NOTHING about bonsai trees and thought it was okay to keep it indoors and water it once in a while. It grew bright green buds on it and i clipped them because thats what my care booklet told me to do. Its been like 3 months since then and nothing is growing. The color of the tree is a mild green. The prickly needles are very dry and break off at the slightest touch. Water runs through the pot right away. i don't know what to do. should i use a fertilizer? re-pot? HELP!

someone reply!!!

Sorry, I don't come in here often so missed your plea for help. So..... first things first. It may be too late, or you may just scrape in with some success.

On a couple of the branches gently scrape back some outer bark with your fingernail to make certain it is a green colour underneath. Just a tiny scrape in one or two areas; only a very tiny scrape is required, thus will not harm it.

If you don't see any green it is almost certainly too late. This area is called the cambium layer, and is how the tree transports nutrients back and forwards.

If the foliage is green then I am hopeful for you. I cannot see the tree or the pot as you have not included a picture, so this is all supposition somewhat.

Let me first explain what or how this has been caused. Juniperus is NOT an indoor tree. You can bring it under shelter during harsh weather conditions. It should be outside at all times other than when weather is expected to be worse than 'average.' I am not familiar with your seasons and on a quick look at the weather where you are it appears fairly chilly; I saw 4-8C showing. When are you in Spring with temperatures increasing?

This tree MUST go outside to get some sun, breeze and rain water. Agreed rain-water is not so much of an issue but it would be helpful.

You say the water runs through the pot. This may be a case of it has dried out and no amount of conventional watering will help. You need to immerse the pot with tree into a bowl of water and leave it until no further bubbles rise to the surface. This means the root ball will be properly moist. Once moistened you can use a chop-stick or a table fork to GENTLY break up the surface soil. It does get very compacted over time.

If you have access to a low NPK organic feed such as one with seaweed or fish emulsion this would help as it will not cause further problems and may just help. Do NOT use a chemical feed right now. You need to as quickly as possible get the tree back to health. re-potting will likely be hugely beneficial. If you are unsure how to do this look around for a local club for help. Or .... get an oversized pot, (not too large either, plastic or whatever you can get) GENTLY loosen the outer edges of the root ball and look for any black looking roots. Remove these as they are dead. You are looking for creamy white to light brown ends. If you see these, just TEASE out the the edges of the root ball all round, and then plant into a 'hospital pot' for the rest of this year. Use a light medium gritty soil. I'm sure you have a plant centre nearby that will have a small bag.

Before re-potting is considered, do the watering bit and get it outside NOW. The quickest way to kill an outdoor species is bring it indoors. It is NOT an 'indoor' type tree.

I'd much prefer to see a picture of the foliage, the tree as a whole, and the pot with a soil surface shot before commenting further. You will see some re-potting on my website, this may give you an idea of what is involved. I'd prefer it though if you had help for this. On the basis it needs re-potting that is.

Any upper-case words are emphasised rather than shouting, so don't think I'm yelling at you:)

Only very brief but I hope never-the-less of some help to you.

Good luck

Mike

haha :) I understand your emphasis. When I scrape a branch with my fingernail it is hard to do it "lightly" as you say. So i pushed a little harder and got some color. It is very light great almost a white. Does this mean.. what I think it means....? Also, I have been putting it outside everyday for about a week now. It seems to becoming more strong. By strong I mean the needles aren't breaking off as easily. The weather here is NOT spring like even though it should be. Wisconsin is have an IMMENSE amount of rain. It has rained for like 2 weeks in a row. I am aware of overwatering it so I bring it in at night when temeratures get to under 40. I'd like to do whatever I can before repotting it. Repotting it would be a worst-case-scenario/last-resort kind of thing. I am on a budget and don't have much money to spend on plants. Thanks so much for your help!

You're welcome.

The images seem to be consistent with what I would have expected with the current weather you have. This juvenile type of growth on Junipers (perfectly correct for this species) can be quite delicate to the touch when coming out of winter.

You may see light brown almost dead looking foliage. DO NOT nip it off straight away. The Juniper will happily sport new growth from these areas. As the cambium seems nice and light it would appear as if all is well. 'Normal cold weather is not an issue for this species; it will laugh at -2 to -6 c, so no concerns there. While you are experiencing very cold nights I would personally leave it out but perhaps with some overhead protection. You will confuse the tree otherwise bringing it in and out of your warm home, (unless you are using a porch or similar which is fine).

This slightly washed-out green that you have now, will change into a more luxurious colour as the season progresses. As far as rain is concerned as long as it drains freely no harm will come. Wise though to avoid a heavy freeze until you know what the roots are like.

If the tree is firm in the pot, and does not have wiring holding it in (you could release the wire by cutting the retaining wire under the pot), simply lift the tree from the pot, take a picture and let me see the results. I can then tell you what if any damage you have going on with the roots. If however the soil seems very loose I would be careful about removal otherwise it will fall away if the correct medium has been used. 40-50% grit is absolutely ideal for a Juniper.

Mike

so, you don't think that my tree is dead?

Highly unlikely based on the images. Ask me again though in three months when you upload an updated image:top:

Mike

thank you SO much for all of your help :D

You're most welcome. Anytime.

Mike