Is My Juniper Freezing To Death

[Wires_Guy_wires]

In general, for junipers, we do no pruning for at least 4 months before repotting. And no pruning for a year or more after repotting. This is "conservative" the more experience you have with aftercare the more you may be able to get away with. But especially for those new to bonsai, separating different activities helps with long term survival. "One major insult per year" is the adage thrown around to get the over enthusiastic to "slow their roll".

I'm still anxiously waiting for this to bite me in the behind. Wiring is so much easier if the rootball is smaller and there's no pot! But you're absolutely right.

 

[BonsaiSniper]

It looks pretty normal to me.

A tree I picked up at the Trophy last winter:

View attachment 341147

And a few months later in summer:

View attachment 341148

I love that tree in the background, what is it?

 

[Paradox]

Also in zone 7 and junipers arent freezing right now. All of mine are still out on the benches.

Did you check for spider mites? Hold a white piece of paper under a branch and shake the branch over the paper.
If you have teeny tiny little dots running around on the paper, its probably mites.

 

[leatherback]

With junipers, most normally do not prune the roots, and prune the foliage heavily in the same year. Doing too much at the wrong time of year is very likely to result in a dead tree.

I cannot help but wonder to what extend this is climate dependent. Of course, it is good advice, certainly for people new to the hobby.

On the other hand I find junipers pretty much bullet-proof and do not keep track of wiring and repotting time. That is, untill this one year where I did a repot and we had a very dry hot spring. No rain for weeks on end, temps shooting to mid-summer levels in April. That juniper died faster than I could blink my eyes, gone before I knew it was in trouble!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@leatherback - Of course, my advice is based on my experience in my climate. I'm in a climate with fairly severe cold winters. In warmer climates, one can get away with things that one can not do in colder climates.

As a second issue, the OP is relatively new to bonsai. Again, aftercare is important. If you are experienced and skilled at aftercare, you may be able to get away with more than if you are a novice.

So I opt to offer advice I have found to be useful in my climate. We know from the look of the foliage that the OP's tree is already at least stresses if not already dead. I think overworking the tree, especially in the "wrong season" is the cause of the problem. My suggestion would avoid a repeat of the scenario.

 

[leatherback]

@Leo in N E Illinois

Of course, it is good advice, certainly for people new to the hobby.

 

[Zathura]

Seems like she pulled through with no issues. A few warm days in the sun and she went from nearly all brown / purple to green.