Please help identifying tree

[JCoe]

Hello all,

New to the forum and needing some assistance. Purchased this for my grandmother yesterday and I need help identifying the species for proper care. She's had difficulty in the past with caring for bonsai, so I'd like to provide her with some additional information to give this guy the best chance! Since it will be grown indoors, I've already purchased a full-spectrum bulb (daylight UVA/UVB reptile bulb - hopefully this is correct...). Any additional information is greatly appreciated!

Jordan

 

[Tieball]

Can't accurately answer your question with the specific tree species identity.....however, your grandmother may have difficulty once again.....Junipers belong outside. Junipers are not a great choice for indoor growing.

Your profile does not say where you, or the tree, will live. You should add this information.

I would have bought her a tree that can better survive indoors.....giving her a better chance for success. Probably not exactly what you wanted to read.

 

[JCoe]

Thanks for getting back to me.

She lives in an apartment in Fort Worth, TX. There're not really any good windows with ample sunlight, but she does have a north-facing patio that receives occasional sunlight.

It was the one she wanted out of the lot, so I had to oblige.

 

[Tieball]

Thanks for getting back to me.

She lives in an apartment in Fort Worth, TX. There're not really any good windows with ample sunlight, but she does have a north-facing patio that receives occasional sunlight.

It was the one she wanted out of the lot, so I had to oblige.

I totally understand. There are others here on Bonsainut that might provide you with more care information for an indoor kept Junipe. My personal experience with a Juniper indoors was not good at all.....the tree looked alive for a long time, however, it was gone.

I'm not fully sure, but I don’t think that a reptile bulb is sufficient lighting. The dry temperatures indoors will not help at all. Humidity is needed. And air movement. I’d Google Juniper care indoors and see what you can find.....hope for the best. Don’t let her think that a tree health setback is all her fault though....you have to manage that.

 

[Michael P]

The reptile bulb won't help. Put the tree out on the patio right away, in the sunniest spot. Junipers MUST be kept outside all the time, except for a few hours of viewing inside on rare occasions. If your grandmother wants an indoor bonsai, a ficus or dwarf schefflera will be best. But even these need to go outside during the warm months.

And thanks for doing something nice for your grandmother!

 

[Japonicus]

Juniperus procumbens, most likely nana.
Certainly good to zone 6 and 7, listed as a zone 4-9 at Monrovia.

Keep it outside where she can visit and water it when it begins to dry some.
It needs outdoors as it is an outdoor plant, period.
Please do not remove any foliage till it has recovered from the repotting you should do in about 3 months.
It needs to be in good bonsai soil. It is in soil that will keep it alive at a big box store, but not healthy long term,
so 1st, replacing the soil in Spring, let the foliage collect Sun and get growing strong with runners
before you consider removal of precious foliage. That's enough info for 3 months.
Oh, put a piece of white paper underneath of it at tap several branches with a few good taps.
If you see little tiny spider mites crawling about the paper, spray with insecticidal soap.
If not, just water it when it's starting to dry.

Chances are the moss is unhealthy and the stones are glued in place.
Both can be removed now that it is in the hands of a caregiver.

 

[Japonicus]

So I've a couple questions for you @JCoe .
The root ball, soil and pathway of top dressing pebbles sprinkled about.
Smell and gnats? Any gnats or stank beyond typical Earthen?
Is the shredded sphagnum moss nasty with green or black stain like gunk oozing when you pinch it?
If so you'll want to be rid of it right away, lightly raking the soil outwards in a spoke like fashion.
When you put some pressure on the trunk, how secure is the root ball in the container?
(how established is it, has it recently been repotted is what I'm going for)
Are the pebbles glued in? If not leaving them is fine. Glue reduces oxygen, encourages bad things.

Can you know the moisture content by heft? If not just prod about the soil in search of dryness
because I doubt you'll be searching for moisture from what we're seeing, looks heavy.
What material is the pot ceramic or plastic...got a better pic?

 

[JCoe]

@Japonicus thank you for the information. No spider mites detected. You're correct, the stones are glued in place, but there is no ooze or rotten smell coming from the moss. The trunk wiggles in the moss, but doesn't seem unstable. The moss is damp near the base of the trunk, but dry farther away (the moss also seems to be somewhat "glued"; it's harder than I would expect farther away from the base of the trunk). The pot is ceramic.

 

[JCoe]

@Tieball @Michael P
The juniper is now placed outside on the (unfortunately, shady) patio. I returned the reptile bulb and purchased this second bonsai for indoors.

@Japonicus
Regarding this new bonsai, it is the same potting situation as the juniper. No mites detected. The moss seems better in this plant (not harder like with the juniper - could be a simple moisture issue). As you can see, the trunk is very large (I thought this looked pretty cool), and there are runners sprouting from it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine this indicates that the plant is already too large for the pot and needs repotting.

Thank you all so much! I'm all ears to further insight regarding these two plants (especially considering they are quite different).

 

[Japonicus]

Ok good to know.
Like I said "both can be removed now that it is in the hands of a caregiver."
If doing so, makes the trunk unstable, it is not established in its media or home,
and would require some wire, perhaps some wooden spacers atop the soil once top dressed
with some type of stone temporarily and wire the whole lot down to the pot.
Like putting a weight on top of something, say a bread basket, and tying that to the basket.
I'm trying to avoid unpotting, and disturbing the roots just into Winter since they're not going
to be putting on g o o d growth till Spring and early Summer. I'm just suggesting you clean the
muck off the top and redress it. It may or may not need be wired down depending on how
established the roots are (how long since repotted) with good holding power.

 

[JCoe]

Ok good to know.
Like I said "both can be removed now that it is in the hands of a caregiver."
If doing so, makes the trunk unstable, it is not established in its media or home,
and would require some wire, perhaps some wooden spacers atop the soil once top dressed
with some type of stone temporarily and wire the whole lot down to the pot.
Like putting a weight on top of something, say a bread basket, and tying that to the basket.
I'm trying to avoid unpotting, and disturbing the roots just into Winter since they're not going
to be putting on g o o d growth till Spring and early Summer. I'm just suggesting you clean the
muck off the top and redress it. It may or may not need be wired down depending on how
established the roots are (how long since repotted) with good holding power.

To make sure I'm understanding this correctly, you're saying to get rid of the pebbles (muck) immediately and that the wiring may be necessary regarding the juniper because of the windswept nature of the plant if the root system isn't sturdy enough to hold it upright?

Will simply removing the pebbles be sufficient at this time or will I need to supplement the space with a new soil or sphagnum moss?

 

[JCoe]

I removed the glued together pebbles. Remaining pebbles are loose.

 

[Japonicus]

The only problem besides the top dressing, I see in this pic, is you left the MILK out!
You'll want to visit the tropicals part of the forum for specific help, I would kill it indoors.
There'll be lots of info to search on ficus there.

To make sure I'm understanding this correctly, you're saying to get rid of the pebbles (muck) immediately and that the wiring may be necessary regarding the juniper because of the windswept nature of the plant if the root system isn't sturdy enough to hold it upright?

Will simply removing the pebbles be sufficient at this time or will I need to supplement the space with a new soil or sphagnum moss?

Yes replace the sphagnum moss and pebbles with just a little bag of pebbles or you can order some bonsai soil
to replace the top dressing, and will have it on hand for Springtime repot too. Windswept or not, which it is not ATM.
You just don't want to remove the glued in muck, and have a plant that will blow about in the pot at the will of the wind
or every time you touch the pot, and dislodge new roots damaging them. You want the trunk secure, so if you must
you can even wire it up through the bottom of the soil through the drainage hole(s), which is less conspicuous than
the 1st idea I put out there to wedge on top of the soil and anchor that to the entire pot, but it works.
I use bonsaijack.com for my soil, but you may have good local sources.

Too, join a local bonsai club. We have none around here, so if you find a GOOD one they too can help
with hands on experience.

 

[Japonicus]

View attachment 277343View attachment 277344

I removed the glued together pebbles. Remaining pebbles are loose.

Perfect! Now if the trunk is fairly stable just learn to water properly and you're off to a good start.
I bought one just like this at Lowes ~21 years ago, and it's still rocking. Not much taper, but doing good.

 

[Shibui]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine this indicates that the plant is already too large for the pot and needs repotting.

I can't see any indication that this ficus needs a larger pot. We try to match the pot size with the size of the tree and this one looks fine for now. Many bonsai live for decades in the same pot with root pruning every few years to make room for fresh roots to grow.
Choice of pot is entirely up to you. If you think it will look better in a different pot then go ahead and transfer the tree at the right time of year (late spring or early summer for figs unless you have good heated growing area. Bonsai is a lot about perception. That trunk appears to be large because it is in a smaller pot. If it is a larger pot the trunk will appear to be smaller so you will have lost the main feature you bought it for. Ficus are quite happy growing in relatively small containers. Most are also much hardier than many other species we grow as bonsai so they are a good choice for starting out.
Water only when the soil starts to dry out. Keeping it constantly wet can easily lead to root rot and possible death. How often to water will depend so much on conditions in your home as well as the time of year so there are no fixed guidelines for frequency. Just need to feel the soil moisture every few days and water when it feels a bit dry. When watering it is best to water deeply to soak the soil. misting the leaves or soil will not be adequate.

The ficus is almost certainly grafted. You may be able to spot the grafting site at the top of the thick trunk. Grafting gives a thick trunk and roots combined with a top that has smaller leaves and more compact growth than the normal leaves those roots would grow.

 

[JCoe]

This is great! Thank you all so much! She's loves her new plants and is excited to care for them properly this time around. Knowledge is power and y'all certainly expanded ours!

And the milk has been placed in the fridge haha

 

[Japonicus]

@JCoe

To remove 20+ years of growth or not?

This is my oldest bonsai, duly named Alpha, surviving my "holocaust" when I burned most of my trees up in a cold frame years ago. The few that survived were small enough to go on the ground, rather than what makeshift bench I made on top of the plastic bottom which held some rain runoff...

www.bonsainut.com

this is a link to the one I bought back before '99.
Had I not just kept potting up in size to a few pots over that time
(not every time did I change pots, or size/style of pot) but had I grown it out
particularly the apex, it would have better girth. Not that procumbens gets a lot of girth
they typically don't, but you can grow them out better than I did.

If you cannot manage a spot at another location to grow your juniper
even if you could, research some alternatives to the juniper based on lower light requirements
that are happy in your USDA grow zone. Surely there are some deciduous trees/shrubs that would work
and you two can share in the hobby in its' horticultural care. Something you both like.

I take it these 2 are the only 2 pre bonsai between you and your Grandmother?
Does she do yard work? I wish I had gotten into this hobby while my Dad was still alive.
He was very knowledgeable with plant types and tree identification. Me not so much
and that would have been an awesome hobby endeavour to have shared...

 

[Michael P]

The ficus is almost certainly Ficus microcarpa, a very good species for bonsai and one of the easier trees to grow indoors. Yours has an impressive trunk. It will need to go outside April through October in our climate. Even though the patio is shady, the juniper is still better off there than in the apartment.

Fort Worth has an active and very friendly bonsai club, https://fortworthbonsai.org/home.php You will get excellent advice there!