Evergreen FAQs
- I have a juniper bonsai that has been kept in the house. I noticed that the tips are brittle and break off when touched. Any chance that it is still alive?
- My bonsai is dry and brittle and not looking too well. Do you think I will be able to bring it back?
- Should I fertilize my juniper bonsai during its dormant period?
- I checked the inner bark as you suggested and found green on a branch and trunk. What should I do to try and save this tree?
- It is Feb and I just purchasesd a Juniper from a local greenhouse. I have it in a garage at 45-55 degrees, can I keep it there this late in the season?
- I have a juniper bonsai which I have over wintered in the basement. When can I bring it out?
- I brought my juniper bonsai into the unheated cellar for the winter, could you refresh me on watering requirements while it is down there?
- Since Sept. my white pine grafted to black pine (Pinus Parviflora) has begun showing yellowing needles. Those closest to the branch were first to change.
- The leaves on the ends of juniper are brown but the lower branches are still green. We've had this tree for a few years. Should it be repotted?
- I just bought a small Juniper bonsai. When I got home I found that the gravel and stones on the top are glued on. How do I water it?
Evergreen FAQs
Q. I have a juniper bonsai that has been kept in the house. I noticed that the tips are brittle and break off when touched. Any chance that it is still alive?
Is my juniper dead or alive? You can check to see if the tree is truly dead by scraping a bit of bark off one of the branches with your thumbnail and check the inner bark. If it is a light colored green, the wood is still alive, if it is tan or brown the wood is dead.
If the inner bark is brown and dead, check several other branches on the tree to determine if the whole tree is dead, or just particular branches. Start towards the end of a branch and keeping working in toward the main trunk until you find green.
With junipers this will determine whether the tree can be saved or not
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Q. My bonsai is dry and brittle and not looking too well. Do you think I will be able to bring it back?
Dried juniper needles. The needles that are dry and brittle are dead, even if they are still green - they will not revive.
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Q. Should I fertilize my juniper bonsai during its dormant period?
Never fertilize a dormant tree. Temperate bonsai should be fertilized only when they are showing new growth, neither before nor after.
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Q. I checked the inner bark as you suggested and found green on a branch and trunk. What should I do to try and save this tree?
Reviving a juniper. Put the tree outside in the shade. Prune off any branches you know is dead (from using the bark scrape test). Water it as it needs it and do not fertilize it until you see the bright green growth of new buds beginning. Then fertilize every 3-4 weeks as it says on the care sheet you received with the tree.
Be patient - the tree has some life in it and most of the time junipers can be brought back after being seriously stressed. Check out the info in our bonsai section regarding temperate trees and watering/fertilizing.
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Q. It is Feb and I just purchasesd a Juniper from a local greenhouse. I have it in a garage at 45-55 degrees, can I keep it there this late in the season?
New Juniper in Feb. Generally if a temperate tree has new growth on it, keep it above 32F so the new growth doesn't freeze.
If there is no new growth showing and the tree is still dormant, then it can take temps down to 26F more or less. With any temperate evergreen during the winter, cooler is always better than warmer.
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Q. I have a juniper bonsai which I have over wintered in the basement. When can I bring it out?
Spring Placement of Juniper. If the tree is going to be put into a cool room indoors, 8-12 weeks in the basement should be fine.
If you are planning on putting the tree directly outdoors from the basement, keep it in the basement until the second or third week of March. Bring the tree outdoors once day temps are above 40F and back in the basement if night temps are forecast to go below 25-28F. We can generally leave our temperate trees outdoors all the time by the last week of march.
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Q. I brought my juniper bonsai into the unheated cellar for the winter, could you refresh me on watering requirements while it is down there?
Watering Overwintered Juniper. While it is in the basement keep the soil lightly moist. Check it every 4-5 days or so and add water when it starts to look or feel dry. You want to add just enough water to keep the roots from drying out and dying.
Saturating the soil when the tree is cold is not good since cold soil dries out very slowly and a dormant tree uses very little water. This will lead to the soil staying too wet for too long and can set up conditions condusive to root rot development.
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Q. Since Sept. my white pine grafted to black pine (Pinus Parviflora) has begun showing yellowing needles. Those closest to the branch were first to change.
Seasonal Changes in Pines. It sounds like the oldest needles are dropping from the pine. This is a normal autumnal change. It is identical to the seasonal changes of our native Eastern White Pine but usually happens 2-3 weeks earlier in the season.
The tree is just getting ready for winter. You will soon notice the native pines of Maine doing the same thing if they have not already begun in your area. Just nature's way of cleaning house.
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Q. The leaves on the ends of juniper are brown but the lower branches are still green. We've had this tree for a few years. Should it be repotted?
Caring for a juniper with brown needles. Take a look at the first question and answer in the juniper section of our bonsai faq. This outlines a simple procedure for determining your tree's chances for survival. Then look at the following question and answer in that same section (junipers). This outlines how to care for the tree, to bring it back to health, if there was green wood found.
Bonsai growing is an exercise in hurry up and wait. If you have the patience the tree will revive with the procedures outlined. Good Luck.
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Q. I just bought a small Juniper bonsai. When I got home I found that the gravel and stones on the top are glued on. How do I water it?
Glue works best on plastic trees. No it is not common to MOST bonsai growers, however apparently some supplier has found a way to ship bonsai to their wholesale customers without loosing any gravel.
Since I don't know what kind of bonding agent was used I can't say if watering will dilute it, but it is certainly worth a try. As far as I know all flora and fauna on this planet needs water to survive. I would certainly have stayed away from such a tree. Click here for our watering guide. Good luck.
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