Juniper - Health

9 years ago

I was gifted this scraggly looking Juniper still in its nursery pot. The
top of the root ball is slightly exposed and there are quite a few
leaves turning brown. There is positive new growth. Looking for advice
on how to keep this healthy. Do I keep it in the nursery container with
its current planting mix, and just feed and water? If I want the trunk
to grow thicker, do I need to re-pot just before spring?

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Comments (3)

lehua49
9 years ago
I am by no means an expert but I would re-pot with bonsai like soil that has good drainage. You can research on YouTube. When you re-pot raise the plant (more soil) and keep it in the same training pot. When you re-pot orient the tree in a more interesting manner. Decide if you want it to be straighter, leaning or cascading over the pot edge. Junipers are very tolerant of conditions and just don't over-water. Let the soil get pretty dry then soak it good. Feed it have strength fertilizer every month when water it deeply. Look up on-line green mountain juniper and see how other have styled their trees then let grow for a year or so before styling it again. Have fun.
Harold Walter
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Add some soil and focus only the health of the tree. Don't concern yourself with branch appearance, front/back or style at this time. Anything completely brown will not come back and can be removed. Your not going to get much in the way of trunk thinkening unless your able to put into the ground. If you decide not to go that route then repot in spring -which will give you time to learn the procedure. WARNING..bonsai can be highly addictive.
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years ago
Cut back the ht of the pot and bury it in the garden or flower bed in full sun. Make sure the soil line in pot is close to that in the ground or slightly above. Be sure the drain holes are large enough that roots can run into the ground.

Decide now what style you want the tree to be. As I look at it, I see the proximal first order branch wired down so it's almost horizontal and moving to the left. One of the branches growing off of the distal first order branch will be a second trunk. Choose one that shows itself to be healthy and wanting to grow strongly. What grows above that branch will be used as a sacrifice branch and will later be turned into jin.

proximal = toward the root to shoot transition zone (the base of the trunk)

distal = away from the root to shoot transition zone

A first order branch is one attached to the trunk. A second order branch (aka secondary) is attached to a first order branch. A third order branch (aka tertiary) is attached to a second order branch, ........

Al