Yellow colored water draining out from Bonsai?!

[Chrisperez86]

Hello Bonsai Nuts,

Im a newbie to bonsai, found my first (and only still) Juniper Bonsai while browsing a random nursery i found and It was love at first sight. Since then Ive been doing my best to learn everything I can to take proper care of my little Bonsai, and i was doing pretty ok i thought until i started noticing that after watering my plant, the water that was coming out of my planter was not clear but yellow. Check out pictures to see what I mean. I don't know why its happening or what i should do. Any suggestions?

 

[justBonsai]

Hello Bonsai Nuts,

Im a newbie to bonsai, found my first (and only still) Juniper Bonsai while browsing a random nursery i found and It was love at first sight. Since then Ive been doing my best to learn everything I can to take proper care of my little Bonsai, and i was doing pretty ok i thought until i started noticing that after watering my plant, the water that was coming out of my planter was not clear but yellow. Check out pictures to see what I mean. I don't know why its happening or what i should do. Any suggestions?

Is it supposed to be clear? The water is running through soil...I think you are fine.

 

[AZbonsai]

Probably just dirt particles. It looks like your soil is mostly organic from what I can tell.

 

[Chrisperez86]

Probably just dirt particles. It looks like your soil is mostly organic from what I can tell.

I still dont know too much about bonsai soil, but after reading some of the resources on here, would it be safe to say that inorganic soil is used more often then organic soil? I've wanted to repot my little plant but trying to hold off until end of summer so I can get a better idea of what soil to use, and dont want to stress it much either.

PS Thank you for the really fast responses.

 

[justBonsai]

I still dont know too much about bonsai soil, but after reading some of the resources on here, would it be safe to say that inorganic soil is used more often then organic soil? I've wanted to repot my little plant but trying to hold off until end of summer so I can get a better idea of what soil to use, and dont want to stress it much either.

PS Thank you for the really fast responses.

I would not worry too much about transplanting it and getting it in inorganic soil. As long as you don't over water you'll be fine. You have bigger concerns like where you are keeping your tree. Typically it's much better to keep it outside where it'll have access to direct sunlight and higher humidity levels.

 

[AZbonsai]

SSSHHHH be very quiet....talk like that can start a soil war! If you stick around you will find everyone on this site has an opinion about what type of soil to use. They can become heated! ??? Best to do alot of research and try and find out what type of soil people use in your neck of the woods. Location matters! You might think about including your location with your name. People will be glad to help.

 

[Tieball]

Do you have a dog? Ha ha
It’s probably just mineral coloring from the organic soil particles. I don’t know that you’ll ever get perfectly clean water after it runs through that soil. It might get somewhat cleaner over the course of several watering cycles. I’ve probably looked at not-clean water as a sign that I’m washing out the soil well.

 

[justBonsai]

SSSHHHH be very quiet....talk like that can start a soil war! If you stick around you will find everyone on this site has an opinion about what type of soil to use. They can become heated! ??? Best to do alot of research and try and find out what type of soil people use in your neck of the woods. Location matters! You might think about including your location with your name. People will be glad to help.

For a young juniper that's kept indoors with very slow growth getting it into inorganic soil is not going to be a deal breaker nor an immediate concern. Using inorganic or coarser soil media can help us achieve a finer and dense root system which is great when we are trying to cram our trees in little pots and reduce internode length. For someone starting out with a little mallsai juniper non of that stuff matters. Keeping the tree healthy and happy is enough for someone starting out instead of blindly following suggestions on the internet and not understanding why people do them.

First off where are you located? If your purchased this at a nursery I assume this tree was kept outside meaning your tree should be acclimated to your climate. If you have yard space or a patio place it outside. Long term junipers do not do well indoors and will never thrive. If your tree was purchased from an heated area or warmer climate and if your current area is below freezing keep it inside but only for this winter. Take it outside once temperatures are above freezing and keep it there permanently.

There are a ton of good resources on this site. I would suggest taking your time to read through them, formulate your thoughts, then ask when you need clarification.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Please put location in profile. Juniper will die indoors. If in frigid temp area protect well.

 

[sorce]

It's just some a that green dye running thru!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Clicio]

Don't worry, water that goes through organic soil always have a tint.
But...
Keep it outside!
Junipers do die inside, believe me.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

The color of the water is various humic acids and tannins leached out of decaying bark in the potting mix. Nothing to worry about, it is perfectly normal.

You have not mentioned your location. If you are somewhere where it is frost free, you can put your tree outdoors. If not wait until spring, then put it outdoors. Once acclimated to outdoors, you never have to bring the tree indoors again, except to put it on display for company. When company leaves - back outside is where it should go. Junipers in general are fully winter hardy through most of the lower 48 states of the USA. But you should not shock your tree by throwing it outside in January. It takes months to develop winter hardiness and it only takes a day or two of warm weather to lessen the winter hardiness.