Juniper Turing Brown In the Middle

20 years ago

I recently got a Bonzi Tree for my Birthday. It is a juniper. I have followed all of the instruction and it is turing brown in the middle of the tree. It is green toward the bottom of the trunk and has new growth at the top. the middle however is turning brown. I keep it inside by a sliding glass door. It get's very little direct light. I submerge the pot every two days as per the directions. I fertalize with 20-20-20 half strength every two weekds per instructions. The closest i could find for fertalizer is 18-18-21 diluted half strength. The 18-18-21 is actually tomato fertalizer but the compounds are the same as far as the 18-18-21 goes. It does not seem to be getting worse but it is not getting better either. Any advice for a newbe?

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Comments (5)

brendan_of_bonsai
20 years ago
DOes it have rocks glued onto the top of the soil, this is common in comercial bonsai and will kill the tree 100% of the time if not removed. Also, submerging once every two days sounds like a bad idea, you should submerge when the soil is dry, if you don't let the soil dry out properly it will get root rot.
rjj1
20 years ago
If you continue to follow those directions, your "bonzi" will continue to die.

It is an outdoor tree, not a house plant. The inside foliage of the tree is dieing because there is insufficient light, humidity, and air to keep it healthy and happy.

Never feed a plant that is struggling to survive. You should only feed healthy plants under good growing.

If you want the plant to survive, move it outdoors in shade, and don't water from a schedule. Water when the plant needs it.

randy

Here is a link that might be useful: junipers
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rjj1
20 years ago
Watering by submersion is not a good idea. Undissolved solids or minerals in water are usually pulled through the soil by capillary action when watered from above, but when you submerse they don't always flush out because the soil is so saturated with water.

The minerals build up on the top of the soil, around the trunk of the tree, and on the edge of the pot. Over time they become toxic.

I guess this is standard mallsai care directions. It allows the customer to kill their tree quickly and come back soon to buy another one.

randy
mdk728
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks for all the helpful hints. Brendan of bonsai hit the nail right on. IT had rocks glued to the top of it. I have now removed all that mess and just have soil and have set it outside. How often would you fertilize a healthy juniper? And with what type of fertilizer would you recommend? Strength?
lucy
20 years ago
Forget fertilizer for now, you've already given it some and it will be fine without any for many wks. Right now you have to get it outside into light shade for 10 days, full sun afterward, let more of the soil in the pot than less dry right out and then write back if it's still flexible. If it's gone rusty and brittle, fertilizer won't matter, if it's better, then you will need advice about how to repot into faster draining soil.