Repotting a juniper now?

[wsteinhoff]

Hello,
I'm new to bonsai but not to plants. I like to do a lot with medicinal herbs. Every year my mother and I go to this greenhouse that specializes in those sorts of things. While we were there we stopped at another greenhouse that was nearby that does various plants that you don't find anywhere around here. One plant that caught my eye was a neat looking juniperus procumbens in a bonsai pot. All ready to be shaped and trimmed. Long story short the owner sees me eyeing it and offers me a good deal. Next thing I know I'm heading home with a bonsai (and now I'm hooked and wanting more).

I brought the little tree home and I am a big researcher so I spent a lot of time doing just that. After a few days of it sitting around I gained the courage to try and trim it (terrible idea, it looked better before).


It's been doing fine but it's leaves are yellowing and branches are starting to drop. I checked the roots and it's looking pretty root bound. I don't want the poor thing to die but most of what I've read says other than with tropicals you should only trim roots in early spring. So I'm here now wanting to know if it'd be alright to do it this time of year or if I'd just end up killing it off. Thanks in advance.

Will

 

[f1pt4]

I've heard of people repotting junipers in the heat of mid summer with success. Got a photo?

Greetings and salutations btw.

 

[wsteinhoff]

Ok, thanks. I can take a photo tomorrow, it's dark right now.

 

[Vin]

Hello,
I'm new to bonsai but not to plants. I like to do a lot with medicinal herbs. Every year my mother and I go to this greenhouse that specializes in those sorts of things. While we were there we stopped at another greenhouse that was nearby that does various plants that you don't find anywhere around here. One plant that caught my eye was a neat looking juniperus procumbens in a bonsai pot. All ready to be shaped and trimmed. Long story short the owner sees me eyeing it and offers me a good deal. Next thing I know I'm heading home with a bonsai (and now I'm hooked and wanting more).

I brought the little tree home and I am a big researcher so I spent a lot of time doing just that. After a few days of it sitting around I gained the courage to try and trim it (terrible idea, it looked better before).


It's been doing fine but it's leaves are yellowing and branches are starting to drop. I checked the roots and it's looking pretty root bound. I don't want the poor thing to die but most of what I've read says other than with tropicals you should only trim roots in early spring. So I'm here now wanting to know if it'd be alright to do it this time of year or if I'd just end up killing it off. Thanks in advance.

Will

If the needles are yellowing, branches are starting to drop (not sure what that means) and you just pruned it then repotting will most certainly finish it off. Watering, sun exposure, insects or fungus may be the underlying issue.

 

[wsteinhoff]

I trimmed it about 3 weeks ago. By branches dropping I mean they are dying and then parts of them are falling off. This all started getting noticed yesterday. I've done my reading about watering and sun exposure. I've not seen any insects and the yellowing doesn't look like a fungus, just dying leaves. I can pull the whole thing - dirt and all - out of the pot with no effort at all. The roots have every bit of soil contained in them and all the roots are wrapped around the pot several times.

 

[Vin]

I trimmed it about 3 weeks ago. By branches dropping I mean they are dying and then parts of them are falling off. This all started getting noticed yesterday. I've done my reading about watering and sun exposure. I've not seen any insects and the yellowing doesn't look like a fungus, just dying leaves. I can pull the whole thing - dirt and all - out of the pot with no effort at all. The roots have every bit of soil contained in them and all the roots are wrapped around the pot several times.

It takes much longer than 3 weeks for branches on a juniper to get to the point of falling off. I suspect the issue goes back much further than it's been in your care. Photos will definitely help.

 

[wsteinhoff]

Just thought I'd also add that until yesterday when it started yellowing there were new branches already growing back. It just seems odd that it's been seemingly healthy then suddenly started looking bad out of nowhere and the roots are the only thing I could think of as being the issue.

 

[milehigh_7]

Likely spider mites. Take some plain white paper, place it under the needles and tap. You will likely see very tiny red bugs running around on the paper. If this is the case a quick bit of first aid is to vigorously spray water from the underside which will knock them off. If this is not the case he may have sold you a dead tree. It happens, junipers can die long before they show it.

 

[leatherback]

It is most likely NOT the roots. Do NOT repot. And leave it in the pot. Pulling it out of the pot allso damages roots. Plants ahve a much slower cycle than humans. Patience is importance. And to get good advice, post pictures of the plant before trimming, after trimming, and now.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

You ain't the first one to buy a dead/dying plant!

Chalk it up!

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

I trimmed it about 3 weeks ago. By branches dropping I mean they are dying and then parts of them are falling off. This all started getting noticed yesterday.

Not certain where you did reading but had a similar experience with and older plant in a Nursery pot a few weeks ago. Turned out the foliage was covering the pot so much that what I thought was a good watering was not. I trimmed away all the dead and dying foliage, left it in full afternoon sun, and have been hand watering it daily at the base of the plant until I see it draining. The remaining foliage is growing and it is throwing new growth as well. My guess is lack of water if there is no obvious fungal or insect problems...
Don't repot it

Grimmy

 

[wsteinhoff]

to get good advice, post pictures of the plant before trimming, after trimming, and now.

I don't have before and after pictures.

 

[wsteinhoff]

Welcome to Crazy!

You ain't the first one to buy a dead/dying plant!

Chalk it up!

Sorce

If it were dead then it wouldn't have been growing new branches after I had trimmed it.

 

[wsteinhoff]

Not certain where you did reading but had a similar experience with and older plant in a Nursery pot a few weeks ago. Turned out the foliage was covering the pot so much that what I thought was a good watering was not. I trimmed away all the dead and dying foliage, left it in full afternoon sun, and have been hand watering it daily at the base of the plant until I see it draining. The remaining foliage is growing and it is throwing new growth as well. My guess is lack of water if there is no obvious fungal or insect problems...
Don't repot it

Grimmy

I do hand water it at the base of the plant until the water is draining. Then I lightly mist the leaves too so the whole thing gets water. It gets sun most of the day minus during midday when it's been getting really hot here lately.

 

[GrimLore]

I do hand water it at the base of the plant until the water is draining. Then I lightly mist the leaves too so the whole thing gets water. It gets sun most of the day minus during midday when it's been getting really hot here lately.

Then if there is no sign of insects or fungal problems it will recover or have possibly been on its way out the door at purchase. It is not uncommon so just do your best and give it a few weeks In the future don't pass over Juniper though, they are really nice and just require very gentle handling for the first year as they acclimate to your place.

Grimmy

 

[Vin]

If it were dead then it wouldn't have been growing new branches after I had trimmed it.

You may find this interesting: http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/crazy-plants.14235/#post-188689 (Post #16)

There are reasons why this can happen. In the case of my branch it was stored energy.

 

[sorce]

Yes Vin.

If it were dead then it wouldn't have been growing new branches after I had trimmed it.

That's why I threw /dying in there.

Junipers have a certain end point...
I hit it with a few...well...more than a few.

It's kinda like a rattlesnake will still slither around after you cut its head off...
Or a frog leg will jump out the frying pan.

Things it won't come back from...
That are harder to tell with trees.

No worries.

I been through every color of chalk!
And about 50 or so boxes!

Hey that reminds me! I kill boxwoods real good too!



Sorce

 

[wsteinhoff]

Alright well I guess maybe I was just sold a dying tree then. I took some photos but with the storms slowing down my already slow Internet they aren't wanting to upload right now.

 

[GrimLore]

Alright well I guess maybe I was just sold a dying tree then. I took some photos but with the storms slowing down my already slow Internet they aren't wanting to upload right now.

You don't know that until you try what I suggested in post #15 here...

Grimmy

 

[wsteinhoff]

I had moved it into the greenhouse a few days ago along with other plants because a raccoon is digging up the plants on the patio at night. After being in the greenhouse it's looking better today and suddenly got more growth starting all over it. Maybe it wasn't getting enough heat? On days when it's almost 90 degrees out it's around 115 in the greenhouse so we keep the door to it open and it's still at least 100 degrees. A lot of my plants wilt in that heat but I guess the juniper prefers it.