Is this Juniper pot okay?

[G-House]

Hi, I just bought this juniper from a local nursery. I realized when I got home that the stones are sort of epoxied together or glued onto a little platform and attached to the pot. With this design and the way it is potted makes it difficult to effectively water. I know they don't need much but I'm also wondering if a different pot might be in order? I have several bonsai but this is my first Juniper and want to start off properly.

Thanks for any insights!

 

[brentwood]

Those stones after probably glued on, I would at least break that up, remove if so. Where in Ohio, I'm Dayton, go to the Columbus club meetings

Brent

 

[pandacular]

Were it in my collection, I'd repot it immediately. I almost never leave a plant without repotting for more than a spring.

 

[G-House]

Thanks! The pot also doesn't have drainage, but I have a drill bit that I could use... or I may just get another pot. I'm in the Akron area.

Gary

 

[pandacular]

No drainage! Yeah, get it out of there. I would personally grow this in a developmental container for a while, either a regular nursery pot (maybe a 4") or a Tokoname grow pot.

 

[G-House]

Something like this? Tokoname #4 pot

Thanks so much for the info!

 

[pandacular]

Yep precisely--those are excellent pots to use for young material. A little pricy, but if you don't drop them they'll last forever. A regular nursery pot is also a decent option but not as visually appealing.

There are also plenty of plastic "bonsai pot-shaped" pots you can find, which I quite like as well.

 

[G-House]

Thank you! One last question: is there a good soil to use to get started well? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[Jrmcmich]

F

Thank you! One last question: is there a good soil to use to get started well? Sorry for all the questions!

For development could use a perlite/coco coir mix at 80/20. If you look up some videos from bonsaify that’s recommended for starter. Sure many other good options for development but that’s cheap and easy to get. FYI there is a canton Akron bonsai club that meets once a month.

 

[Jrmcmich]

Yep precisely--those are excellent pots to use for young material. A little pricy, but if you don't drop them they'll last forever. A regular nursery pot is also a decent option but not as visually appealing.

There are also plenty of plastic "bonsai pot-shaped" pots you can find, which I quite like as well.

Just wondering how are these pots in freeze thaw cycles? I always wondered if they would crack in Ohio winters

 

[pandacular]

Just wondering how are these pots in freeze thaw cycles? I always wondered if they would crack in Ohio winters

Can't speak to an Ohio lake effect winter, but they are high fired and should hold up to freezes. Though they look like terra cotta, they are vastly different in their production.

 

[G-House]

F

For development could use a perlite/coco coir mix at 80/20. If you look up some videos from bonsaify that’s recommended for starter. Sure many other good options for development but that’s cheap and easy to get. FYI there is a canton Akron bonsai club that meets once a month.

Hi @Jrmcmich , Not sure if I'd be able to attend, but is there a Facebook page or something with a meeting schedule? I'm super new to this so it would be fun to learn.

 

[Jrmcmich]

Hi @Jrmcmich , Not sure if I'd be able to attend, but is there a Facebook page or something with a meeting schedule? I'm super new to this so it would be fun to learn.

Here is link. We meet first Thursday of each month

https://m.facebook.com/AkronCantonBonsai/

 

[Japonicus]

Just wondering how are these pots in freeze thaw cycles? I always wondered if they would crack in Ohio winters

They're great. Hold up well over Winter in zone 6b.
Also can be drilled with a masonry drill bit carefully for anchor holes.
Bonsaijack.com is where I get my soil components.
You can try to drill this pot but good chance it will turn into a repotting session anyway as you invert to drill it. Once out, can't see reusing this current pot again. It is not ok to answer your question. You will need some type of screening to cover the single central drainage hole in this Tokoname pot. Regular terra cotta pot will absorb water and crumble when freezing.

1st...
This juniper has to be outside.
Looks to be indoors and probably was not outdoors where purchased. So adapting to the full Sun it needs to grow is important.
Don't just push it into full Sun right off.

How damp is current soil?
Any black residue under the rocks or gnats?
With correct watering being the 1st biggest reason new enthusiasts kill their bonsai, no drainage holes makes proper watering next to impossible. So you have 2 corrections to make. Pot and adapting to full Sun outdoors.
Keep all foliage on it for this year.

Try a couple of 1 gallon nursery canned junipers.
They're much further developed, usually established and drain ok. Once their growing tips are swolen and plump begin transition to bonsai soil.

 

[G-House]

Update: the pot, soil and fertilizer arrived yesterday. When I repotted the soil had been packed so tightly that I don't see how ant water could even penetrate. The root ball was crazy dense. I loosened it as much as I could. It was clearly in distress and there was some dead foilage but I'm hoping I got to it in time.

 

[stubmle]

It was clearly in distress and there was some dead foilage but I'm hoping I got to it in time.

If it has croaked already, it's unlikely that anything you did killed it. Junipers can keep their color for months after death. More likely it was suffering due to excess water in the old pot.

For now let's assume it's alive. Do take care not to overwater. You can keep a chopstick or other stick of untreated wood in the pot as a moisture gauge- just stick it in so it goes into the core of the rootball and pull it out to check before watering. Only water when it is almost dry. Junipers don't like wet feet, especially after root disturbances.

Japonicus has great advice- this plant wants full sunlight, but not immediately if it was kept indoors previously. It'll need at least a few weeks in light or dappled shade so it can adapt. A location with some morning sun might be appropriate as long as it gets shade in the afternoon.

I would also not fertilize until the plant shows signs of recovery- probably going to be at least a few weeks or months even. Some junipers have a tendency to crash if they get fertilized right after a repot. Other times they just sit and "pout" for an entire season if they don't like what was done to them, only growing in the following year. This is more of an issue with the horizontalis species though, procumbens seems to be more vigorous in my experience.

Good luck, and please do keep us posted on what happens!

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I’ll just add that even if this one doesn’t make it. Think about how much you’ve learned about juniper care. You can always try your hand at taking cuttings if you need some future material for free. Juniper can be quite rewarding once you are able to keep them alive. But I think we all have killed at least a few procumbens.