Health Check - Juniper

[Super_J6363]

Hi all,

Very much new to this this community and bonsai’s in general; hence I would appreciate anyone’s input on the health of my Juniper.

I’ve had this juniper for a couple of years without seriously being involved in Bonsai Care. Only recently been more interested in Bonsai and slowly learning as a beginner.

I’ve recently repotted my Juniper into a larger pot in the last few weeks/months, and I’ve begun to wonder whether the Juniper is slowly dying! I’ve noticed some yellowing/browning, but it’s possible I’m being pedantic.. or not.

If anyone has any input it would be greatly appreciated. I believe substrate I’ve used retains too much water; lesson for next time!

For some additional context; based out in Victoria, Australia.

 

[Ruddigger]

As long as the growing tips are healthy you’re fine. Some browning in the inner branching is normal. Not sure what soil you used, but you probably don't want that gravel on top.

 

[Super_J6363]

As long as the growing tips are healthy you’re fine. Some browning in the inner branching is normal. Not sure what soil you used, but you probably don't want that gravel on top.

Thank you! I’ll keep an eye on the growing tips. Soil I’ve gotten from a local garden nursery/shop; does this seem to dense for the likes of junipers (which to my understanding they prefer to be dry)?

 

[Shibui]

Hi neighbour,
The only yellowing I can see in the pics is right inside the branches and that's completely normal. Each individual leaf/needle only lives for 2-3 years before dying of old age. In that time lots of new needles have emerged to keep the tree alive. Oldest needles dying is an annual event on most conifers, including junipers. Dead needles will gradually fall off or you can clean them away if you like.
Provided the new, outer shoots stay healthy and green you can be pretty confident the tree is good.

Over years as the branches grow longer and more inner needles die off juniper bonsai tend to get long and leggy with foliage only at the ends of long, bare branches. You will need a strategy to prevent that and to maintain a neat outline. Pruning is the key to managing all bonsai, including junipers.

Soil I’ve gotten from a local garden nursery/shop; does this seem to dense for the likes of junipers (which to my understanding they prefer to be dry)?

The potting mix looks OK. Depending on the size of components, some growers prefer to sieve out really fine particles. Some also remove some larger pieces when potting into smaller bonsai pots. No scale in any of the photos so we can only estimate the actual size of the tree, pot and potting mix particles.
Where did that potting mix come from?

Junipers do not like constantly wet roots but they definitely don't like being too dry either. A couple of mine have suffered in the last couple of weeks as my watering was not keeping pace with changes in the season. Fingers crossed I caught those in time to resuscitate them.

I believe substrate I’ve used retains too much water; lesson for next time!

This could also be related to the size of the pot you have used. Larger and deeper pots tend to dry much slower than smaller ones but every tree and every pot requires different watering regime. After repotting the trees tend to require a little less water until the roots recover and fill the new pot.
Just need to get to know the tree in its new pot and adjust watering to suit.
Gravel topping is widely used and can be a good thing. It helps prevent the soil from being eroded when watering and can also protect the soil from drying out too quick under hot sun. The label indicates the tree came from Paradisia nurseries. They usually glue the gravel onto the surface so it stays put when shipping to their retail customers. Definitely remove glued gravel but fine to break up and replace or add new gravel if you like the look.

 

[Super_J6363]

Hi neighbour,
The only yellowing I can see in the pics is right inside the branches and that's completely normal. Each individual leaf/needle only lives for 2-3 years before dying of old age. In that time lots of new needles have emerged to keep the tree alive. Oldest needles dying is an annual event on most conifers, including junipers. Dead needles will gradually fall off or you can clean them away if you like.
Provided the new, outer shoots stay healthy and green you can be pretty confident the tree is good.

Over years as the branches grow longer and more inner needles die off juniper bonsai tend to get long and leggy with foliage only at the ends of long, bare branches. You will need a strategy to prevent that and to maintain a neat outline. Pruning is the key to managing all bonsai, including junipers.



The potting mix looks OK. Depending on the size of components, some growers prefer to sieve out really fine particles. Some also remove some larger pieces when potting into smaller bonsai pots. No scale in any of the photos so we can only estimate the actual size of the tree, pot and potting mix particles.
Where did that potting mix come from?

Junipers do not like constantly wet roots but they definitely don't like being too dry either. A couple of mine have suffered in the last couple of weeks as my watering was not keeping pace with changes in the season. Fingers crossed I caught those in time to resuscitate them.


This could also be related to the size of the pot you have used. Larger and deeper pots tend to dry much slower than smaller ones but every tree and every pot requires different watering regime. After repotting the trees tend to require a little less water until the roots recover and fill the new pot.
Just need to get to know the tree in its new pot and adjust watering to suit.
Gravel topping is widely used and can be a good thing. It helps prevent the soil from being eroded when watering and can also protect the soil from drying out too quick under hot sun. The label indicates the tree came from Paradisia nurseries. They usually glue the gravel onto the surface so it stays put when shipping to their retail customers. Definitely remove glued gravel but fine to break up and replace or add new gravel if you like the look.

Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to this, I really appreciate it! I’ll look into pruning for the Juniper and the really helpful points you’ve made!

Soil is from a garden nursery “Garden World”, they have a specific section for Bonsai and this is sold directly by them as their product. Apologies for no scale on these, I’ll make sure I add that in for future questions I’ll inevitably have. I also hope you have caught you junipers just in time!

Juniper pictured is also from Garden World; was a gift to me a year or two ago. This has since been repotted as seen; all gravel I’ve added myself so I assume all is well! I’ll just need to keep a closer eye to make sure I water when appropriate.

thanks again!

 

[Shibui]

Garden World - Collectors Corner makes sense. Paradisia is the wholesale branch of the business.
The potting mix they recommend should be good. You just need to match your watering to suit the soil rather than the other way round.

Happy to help when we can.