AusBonsai

Hi all I’m new to the forum and to the world of Bonsai.

Below is my Informal Upright Juniper which I have owned for the past two years. I picked it up at a local Bonsai show where the lady that sold it to me estimated that it was approximately 7 – 8 years old. After selecting a new pot, one of the volunteers re-potted the tree and wired it up for me.

It remained pretty much this way for about a year until I noticed that the wire was starting to constrict the trunk and cut into it. So I removed all of the wire, gave it a trim and just kept on watering it.

However over the past couple of months I have noticed that branches are drying up and turning yellow, and when I touch some of the yellow branches they fall off easily.

I have done some research and have found people with similar problems being told to place their tree in a spot where it will receive more sunlight. However this to me sounds counterintuitive as I am trying to stop the tree from drying up in the first place and the sun will probably make the problem worse. At the moment the tree gets a couple of hours of sunlight a day and is watered every 2 – 3 days.

Is there anything that can be done to save my tree or have I left it too late?


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Brian

Sun: Junipers generally need more than 2 - 3 hours of sun a day.

Water: Water all bonsai when they no longer are moist and starting to go dry. Don't water every 2-3 days. You water a bonsai when it needs water, not routinely. For instance, if you have had very little sunlight for a week, then it may not need any water at all during that period, depending on how the soil is on any given day.

Drainage: You must have good drainage, as you may be watering the bonsai, but the root ball is so compact, that water is bypassing the main root system and just trickling over the sides with each watering. Or you may have bad drainage, in that water just sits in the pot and rots the roots.

All of my Juniper and Pines are in full sun all day
they get watered everyday and sometimes 2 times a day

You cannot "stop the soil drying out" any other way but by watering it.
Check the wiki here for some info
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... ai_healthy

Water yours one every day and keep in a semi shaded spot to see if it recovers. ( my nursery trees are under some tall gums so get lots of air movement and dappled sunlight. If in a month or 2 it shows signs of recovery then out into full sun.

Ken