Bonsai 911 :(

squirtleturtle

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I left for vacaton and my waterer failed.....:(. The needles feel brittle like an actual pine tree, but it is still very green and needles don't come off easy I watered immediatey and gave a small pinch of fertilizer. Can you tell from pics if it will be ok?.20171103_153356.jpg 20171103_153317.jpg 20171103_153337.jpg 20171103_153356.jpg 20171103_153356.jpg 20171103_153317.jpg 20171103_153337.jpg 20171103_153356.jpg
 
Needles in a juniper can remain green for months after the tree is dead. If they feel brittle, I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Is it all over the tree or just in a few branches? If so, it might be that you will only lose those branches and not the whole tree.

Good luck!
 
TY for the reply. The branches aren't stiff they Bend easily, it's just the needles that are brittle.
 
It's not always easy to tell from a photo. I'd just keep watering it and see how it does.

btw, the bigger issue here seems to be that you may be keeping this indoors. This is an outdoor tree that will eventually die inside. They can sometimes last a while, but if you skip dormancy, it significantly weakens the tree. These trees also like a lot of sunlight, and the light it gets indoors is typically nowhere near what it would get outside. They also tend to be more susceptible to things like spider mites that don't have natural predators inside.

Indoors == death for this species.

EDIT: As for the stiff needles, keep in mind that the needles do lignify this time of year, so that's not an automatic sign of impending death.
 
It's not always easy to tell from a photo. I'd just keep watering it and see how it does.

btw, the bigger issue here seems to be that you may be keeping this indoors. This is an outdoor tree that will eventually die inside. They can sometimes last a while, but if you skip dormancy, it significantly weakens the tree. These trees also like a lot of sunlight, and the light it gets indoors is typically nowhere near what it would get outside. They also tend to be more susceptible to things like spider mites that don't have natural predators inside.

Indoors == death for this species.

EDIT: As for the stiff needles, keep in mind that the needles do lignify this time of year, so that's not an automatic sign of impending death.

Yes, it is an indoor Bonsai.
 
Get it out now. Unless it is a tropical, there is really no thing such as an indoor bonsai. It will die inside, inevitably.
 
Get it out now. Unless it is a tropical, there is really no thing such as an indoor bonsai. It will die inside, inevitably.

From what I just read it should be kept in like an outdoor shed and watered every two weeks?
 
Hard to give specific advice without your location. Generally speaking, junipers love full sun and they need to be watered when the first inches of soil are dry to the touch. They need less water once they go dormant in winter, but for that your location would be useful.
 
From what I just read it should be kept in like an outdoor shed and watered every two weeks?

What did you read? Where did this information come from? (So I may strangle the person who wrote it, lol!)

Squirtleturtle your tree is a juniper. In nature they are a temperate tree and have been living outdoors in some pretty harsh conditions for thousands and thousands of years before humans came and started cultivating them for landscapes and bonsai purposes, etc.

Unlike a house cat or dog or hamster or something that had been bred so much and lost many genetic characteristics of its ancestors, this tree needs to be outside just like it's wild cousins. It needs the seasonal cycles of hot/cold, long/short days, etc. to make it happy and thrive.

Not meaning to sound too harsh here or make you feel bad but the place this tree came from is just there to make money. They tell you it will live indoors because it can... for awhile. Then when it dies (and it will die indoors) the customer usually blames themselves, thinking they must have done something wrong to their poor delicate fragile indoor bonsai to kill it.

Then the customer goes back to get another tree to redeem themselves and the retailer gets another sale out of them! Genius!

It's great you found this forum. The people here are genuinely interested in growing bonsai trees. There are some very knowlegable folks here that are willing to help and will not try to lead you astray. Listen to them and learn. Use the search function and read posts about junipers yoo that will help as well for styling eventuslly and other topics as well.

From your pictures it looks like those upper branches still have a fresh alive-looking green to them. Like what @bonsaichile said its kind of hard to tell without being there in person, but I think there is still hope. Maybe those small branchlets at the bottom near the trunk are brittle and will break off easily but if it's just those few branches, don't worry to much. it's just part of aging and growing for the tree.

The part about watering on a schedule is wrong. Water when the tree needs it. Water when the the soil is dry on top. Stick a chopstick down in and if it comes out dry you need to water well. If it's wet then wait. Check often like every day. You'll learn to tell when it needs it. Looks like its planted in potting soil which retains lots of water so make sure it doesnt stay soggy either. Junipers hate that! And no fertilizer till spring either. It's going into its dormant time now and does not need it. Keep us updated.
 
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Upstate NY a few hours from CA.

I presume that CA is Canada ? Update your profile so your basic location shows but a little more accurate for good help ;) Sounds like you are in the Rochester or Albany area but no way to know...
Now, the plant - It still looks to have a solid amount of green foliage left. Forget the dead foliage for now, water only, no fertilizer until Spring. Put it outside as it must be to survive. Do it soon, I know how cold those areas are but the PLANT needs it. During the time outside just make sure it never dries out and it will be ok. By that I mean never totally dry which is a death sentence but not soaking wet.
It will discolor a bit during the Winter but if proper it will green up naturally in the Spring. For now leave the brown foliage, let it drop on its own if it does.

Grimmy
 
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