Hey there

[Charlton01]

Hey all
Im Charlton , im 15, just moved into Melboure, Australia from Tanzania, East Africa, all my childhood i wanted a bonsai tree, but they werent availible there, i came here and seen em and instantly fell in love, so i got my self a juniper bonsai, i dont know its age, but its bigger than other ones ive seen.

Its only been a month or 2 since i had the tree, but for some reason, its growing sideways, and not upwards as i want it to, what can i do with training wire to make it better?? ill post pics later when i get the chance.. I just thought id join here to share my experiences

[BonsaiKid]

You probably have a Procumbens nana Juniper, so yes, they will grow sideways if nothing is done to it. You will have to change the potting angle and put some wire on it. Cant wait for the pics!

[Charlton01]

well heres a picture of my tree when i just got it: i know its a bit weird, it was actually a picture for my media class assignment, but the camera accidentally focused on the tree.. :P
http://i28.tinypic.com/262ryah.jpg
and here is a picture i took of it this afternoon, after i pruned it:
http://i27.tinypic.com/1rbyhw.jpg
i know someone is going to comment on why i put the leaves i pruned back into the soil, :P well its because i THOUGHT they would grow and i could grow more juniper trees.

[zorroazul]

this is my san jose juniper, its in nursery pot couse i want it looks thicker.

i have a couple of them.

[dre56]

zorroazul, you should plant it in the ground if you want it to get thicker. if you dont want to plant the wole thing into the ground cut bigger holes and plant it into the ground. and jusst incase you didnt know you need to let the growth get out of control for several years i would leave it untouched for about 4 years and then start pruning and start from their.

[zorroazul]

thanks for the advice, i go look for a good spot, and add some horse manure too.

[zorroazul]

Originally Posted by dre56

zorroazul, you should plant it in the ground if you want it to get thicker. if you dont want to plant the wole thing into the ground cut bigger holes and plant it into the ground. and jusst incase you didnt know you need to let the growth get out of control for several years i would leave it untouched for about 4 years and then start pruning and start from their.

what happen if the roots growth too big and deep?

[dre56]

you will still have eough roots just digg it back out on october. but remember this will be years later so you will still have to cut some roots when the day to digg it out comes.

[Charlton01]

urm my bonsai leaves are starting to turn yellow, is it because its winter here??? and ive exposed it to too much cold?? the weather doesnt go below zero at nights though, its always on the positive...
or is it because it was over watered, i suspect that it was, and its been raining for the past few days, and all the soil is wet or moist, and i changed the soil .... what else can i do to keep it alive??

[dre56]

maybe thats why you shouldnt be touching the rootball at this time of the year its too risky. and if you changed the soil then your best chances are to put it in the shade go to your local osh or nursery store and buy some superthrive water it with that and hope it doesent die.