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I was gifted this bonsai, and was told it is a 15yo juniper. Is this tree healthy? I am not experienced enough to know - it looks a little on the yellow side and it has some dead areas where some of the shoots meet the branches. Does it look ok, any suggestions if not?

Also my plant Id app is can’t decide if this is a hinoki or a Monterey Cyprus or a juniper haha, any one know for sure? Thanks!

It does look a little pale. If you are in summer, it should be growing all over the place. It does not seem to be.

What has it been fertilized with / when?
How do you water this?

Not sure - it was gifted to me today, they said they picked it up at a bonsai nursery nearby. The owner gave them some liquid fertilizer and told them to fertilize in a couple weeks. Not sure on the watering habits. It’s early summer here but not too warm yet, low 70s most days. Any suggestions?

If that as mine I would be getting the burn pile ready. It looks very sick, and almost on its' last legs. Stop the fertiliser, water when it is almost dry, I would get rid of the rock. I would also put it in the sun not shade. The pot is too big but there is nothing you can do about that now, it is obviously a needle juniper.

m5eaygeoff wrote: If that as mine I would be getting the burn pile ready. It looks very sick, and almost on its' last legs. Stop the fertiliser, water when it is almost dry, I would get rid of the rock. I would also put it in the sun not shade. The pot is too big but there is nothing you can do about that now, it is obviously a needle juniper.

I am 100% in disagreement.

The plant will be fine. It COULD be too wet. But it COULD be low N-fertilizer with lots of sun.

Junipers can also dry out too much.

I would care for this as I care for my other junipers. Water when the first cm of the substrate is dry (In summer this means, daily). Fertilize every 2-4 weeks, depending on what you use. If unsure of the health, giving it a spot with only a few hours of sun early morning or later afternoon is advisable.

In general, make sure you give the plant continuous balanced care and do not swing from one treatment into the other. Do not expect changes in the first weeks.

Older (inner) foliage will probably dry out and yellow over the next weeks. This is normal for these sort of procumbens-like junipers.

I don't really think it is 15 years old.
As for the health of the tree, it's worth the effort to give it TLC for some weeks and see how it responds. It is summer after all.

leatherback wrote:

m5eaygeoff wrote: If that as mine I would be getting the burn pile ready. It looks very sick, and almost on its' last legs. Stop the fertiliser, water when it is almost dry, I would get rid of the rock. I would also put it in the sun not shade. The pot is too big but there is nothing you can do about that now, it is obviously a needle juniper.

I am 100% in disagreement.

The plant will be fine. It COULD be too wet. But it COULD be low N-fertilizer with lots of sun.

Junipers can also dry out too much.

I would care for this as I care for my other junipers. Water when the first cm of the substrate is dry (In summer this means, daily). Fertilize every 2-4 weeks, depending on what you use. If unsure of the health, giving it a spot with only a few hours of sun early morning or later afternoon is advisable.

In general, make sure you give the plant continuous balanced care and do not swing from one treatment into the other. Do not expect changes in the first weeks.

Older (inner) foliage will probably dry out and yellow over the next weeks. This is normal for these sort of procumbens-like junipers.

Weve had some weather swings the last couple of weeks. June is usually pretty grey here, but we had a solid week of sunny days in the mid 70s, followed by 5 days of basically constant rain. If anything it would probably be too wet - the soil underneath the akadama looks wet, but the tree itself feels quite brittle like it’s dried out. I’ll keep checking the substrate and water appropriately as you suggested. My yard has a good range of sunlight exposure so I’ll keep it in afternoon sun and keep an eye on it.

The fertilizer that came with it is a liquid 7-9-5. Do you think that’s appropriate or should I look for a different solution?

Also you mentioned the inner foliage yellowing, some of the inner foliage where the shoots connect to the branch are just dead and grey - there’s still growth there, so should I not worry about those areas?

Thanks for all the replies I truly appreciate the help!

Just wanted to follow up on this post, Ive kept my eye on this tree - it’s been in a spot that gets direct light for about 3 hours a day in the afternoon, otherwise it gets decent indirect light for the rest of the day. Seems like it is doing ok but I’ve put a wooden skewer into the pot to keep an eye on the moisture level. The skewer comes out pretty wet still, and I have not watered it since I received it. I guess I’m feeling like the moisture is not well draining and may be water logged. Wondering if I should report it or let it go another handful of days? Thanks!

Sorry, auto correct. Wondering if the soil is not well draining enough and if it is water logged, should I repot or let it go a few more days and check moisture again

Without knowing your weather, the species of plant and the substrate we cannot really help you.

If it is overcast or if you have organic soils it is normal for pots to dry out over several days instead of hours.
So it depends.