New to Bonsais plz help

ShaunC

Seedling
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Location
JBLM, Washington
USDA Zone
8B
Hello!
I have this juniper bonsai and I am concerned about the roots. I think they might be dying but maybe not? Some green stuff has started growing down by the roots. Is that concerning? If someone with some bonsai wisdom could bless me with some guidance on what steps I need to take to make my bonsai happy and heathy I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you so much!
 

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Just looks like algae to me. Can we get a picture of the full tree?

How’s the tree doing? Needles turning brown? Falling off?

Where are you keeping her? What’s your watering routine?
 
Hello!
I have this juniper bonsai and I am concerned about the roots. I think they might be dying but maybe not? Some green stuff has started growing ..

Green stuff is because the upper soil is way too wet.
Worse than that are the coils of wire choking the trunk.
Take them off.
 
Green stuff is because the upper soil is way too wet.
Worse than that are the coils of wire choking the trunk.
Take them off.
I'll remove the wire from the trunk right away! So I must be overwatering my bonsai. Thank you!
 
Do you keep it indoors? If so, there is a good chance it won’t survive unless you can keep it outside. Junipers are not an indoor species.
 
Just looks like algae to me. Can we get a picture of the full tree?

How’s the tree doing? Needles turning brown? Falling off?

Where are you keeping her? What’s your watering routine?
Algae huh that makes sense. I just learned that all the wire on the trunk is not good so I’m removing those. The tree is doing great I think. I keep her on the balcony where she gets lots of sun. Maybe too much? It’s out in the sun all day and I water it around 5pm when I get home from work on the weekdays. No needles have fallen off or anything. It doesn’t look like it’s dying I could be wrong tho. I water it once a day. I pour water on it till it drips through the holes at the bottom. Not sure if that’s too much
 

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Algae huh that makes sense. I just learned that all the wire on the trunk is not good so I’m removing those. The tree is doing great I think. I keep her on the balcony where she gets lots of sun. Maybe too much? It’s out in the sun all day and I water it around 5pm when I get home from work on the weekdays. No needles have fallen off or anything. It doesn’t look like it’s dying I could be wrong tho. I water it once a day. I pour water on it till it drips through the holes at the bottom. Not sure if that’s too much

Looks good 👍
I think you’re doing great - and don’t worry, she’s very unlikely to get too much sun - unless you’re closer to the sun than the rest of us lol.
Maybe water a little less - check the soil and if it still seems moist let it be. Watering is probably the hardest (and most important) skill to learn.
Your watering technique is good, you want to see water draining out of the bottom.
Keep it up!
 
Do you keep it indoors? If so, there is a good chance it won’t survive unless you can keep it outside. Junipers are not an indoor species.
I only keep it outside. I wish it could be an indoor plant haha
 
Looks good 👍
I think you’re doing great - and don’t worry, she’s very unlikely to get too much sun - unless you’re closer to the sun than the rest of us lol.
Maybe water a little less - check the soil and if it still seems moist let it be. Watering is probably the hardest (and most important) skill to learn.
Your watering technique is good, you want to see water draining out of the bottom.
Keep it up!
Okay awesome! Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it
 
I only keep it outside. I wish it could be an indoor plant haha
You need a ficus! ...or another tropical/succulent. But I’m partial to ficus.
It’s nice to have some outdoor trees as well as some indoor trees. Having indoor trees helps me make it through the winter lol.
 
I do like the golden gate ficus! Oh yes it’s good to have plants in the winter no doubt
 
Algae huh that makes sense. I just learned that all the wire on the trunk is not good so I’m removing those. The tree is doing great I think. I keep her on the balcony where she gets lots of sun. Maybe too much? It’s out in the sun all day and I water it around 5pm when I get home from work on the weekdays. No needles have fallen off or anything. It doesn’t look like it’s dying I could be wrong tho. I water it once a day. I pour water on it till it drips through the holes at the bottom. Not sure if that’s too much
Go into your profile and put your location so people can give you better advice. Also it can't get "too much" sun. Once a day seems ok for watering if you are not in a desert area. Again where in the world are you? I'd lose the tray under the tree...
 
Go into your profile and put your location so people can give you better advice. Also it can't get "too much" sun. Once a day seems ok for watering if you are not in a desert area. Again where in the world are you? I'd lose the tray under the tree...
That’s good to hear! I live at Fort Lewis in Washington. I’ve never really understood the point of the tray it just came with the bonsai when I bought it. Never been a big fan of it anyways
 
That’s good to hear! I live at Fort Lewis in Washington. I’ve never really understood the point of the tray it just came with the bonsai when I bought it. Never been a big fan of it anyways
It depends on the species and the environment. Humidity trays can be beneficial in some situations, but definitely not for this tree. Keep hold of it though, you might acquire a Bald Cypress or something one day 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
Humidity trays ARE USELESS everywhere. They don't provide any significant humidity in any environment. To alter the humidity enough to affect the tree, you have to get a room humidifier. In any case, this tree should remain outdoors. Humidity trays are a problem if the bottom of the pot comes in contact with the water. Junipers and many other species don't like soggy soil.

Humidity trays are sold with mass produced bonsai pots because they add on to the price. People think they're getting "extra" but they're really getting a problem.

You don't water according to a schedule. Watering once a day whether the tree needs it or not leads to a lot of dead first-time bonsai. Water when the tree NEEDS it--that can vary season to season, time of day, daily weather, etc. Full sun is your friend if you have a juniper...
 
It depends on the species and the environment. Humidity trays can be beneficial in some situations, but definitely not for this tree. Keep hold of it though, you might acquire a Bald Cypress or something one day 🤷🏻‍♂️
Roger! Thank you so much!
 
Humidity trays ARE USELESS everywhere. They don't provide any significant humidity in any environment. To alter the humidity enough to affect the tree, you have to get a room humidifier. In any case, this tree should remain outdoors. Humidity trays are a problem if the bottom of the pot comes in contact with the water. Junipers and many other species don't like soggy soil.

Humidity trays are sold with mass produced bonsai pots because they add on to the price. People think they're getting "extra" but they're really getting a problem.

You don't water according to a schedule. Watering once a day whether the tree needs it or not leads to a lot of dead first-time bonsai. Water when the tree NEEDS it--that can vary season to season, time of day, daily weather, etc. Full sun is your friend if you have a juniper...
That makes sense! Thank you for letting me know. Most helpful!!
 
Maybe too much? It’s out in the sun all day and I water it around 5pm when I get home from work on the weekdays. No needles have fallen off or anything. It doesn’t look like it’s dying I could be wrong tho. I water it once a day. I pour water on it till it drips through the holes at the bottom. Not sure if that’s too much

Your tree looks fine - particularly for someone just starting out. What you have is a procumbens juniper - and you can't give it too much light. They do fine in Southern California summer sun, so nothing you throw at it in Washington is going to stress it. The more light it gets, the more compact the foliage will be (a good thing). If you keep it in indirect light, the inner foliage will start to die off, and the tree will start to look leggy and weak (a bad thing). The wire on bonsai does only one thing - as you style your tree you want to arrange branches artistically (and sometimes functionally). You use wire to temporarily keep a branch fixed in position until the branch hardens and stay in that position permanently, at which point you remove the wire. Sometimes you keep the wire on a tree for a year... but in some cases you may wire a branch and it stays the way you wired it after only a month, so you remove the wire. Let the tree be your guide. But don't keep wire on a tree if it isn't doing anything.
 
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