名媛直播

Hello All,

I recently came up on a free bonsai tree. One of my buddies moved out of town and he left a neglected bonsai tree up for grabs. I claimed it, and I'm hoping its not too late to rescue. When I first got it, it was in pretty bad shape. The soil was completely dry, and it had a lot of brown/yellow foliage. I've since soaked it good once, and kept the soil moist. I keep it in my guest room by an open window that has a lot of sun exposure. It seems to have increased the amount of green foliage, but it still has a lot of brown/yellow. There's a couple of branches that lack any foliage at all. I've researched a little about bonsai care, so I think I just need some basic advice and identification.

1. Species, I believe it is a Juniper but I really have no clue. I also don't know if it is considered an indoor or an outdoor tree.

2. Basic care, If I can ID the species I'm sure I can accommodate the basic care needs. All I've done so far is water, I haven't fertilized it or re-potted or manipulated the soil at all. Any tips?

3. Finally, is there hope for this little guy? Is there something drastic I need to do to try and kickstart it back to life, or should it be ok with some TLC and the right living conditions?

I forgot to mention I live near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The elevation is over 6,000 feet and the weather is pretty mild. It usually never gets above 90, but it does get quite cold in the winter. Often times below freezing.

The pictures make it look almost white. do you have a better picture of the foliage to show the green you speak of or is thee tree really this color?

It's definitely a juniper though. The species i am not certain of, maybe procumbens but i'm sure I will be corrected. The soil looks pretty poor. Junipers don't much like always having their roots wet. Maybe re-pot it in a better draining soil. I use 60% pummice, 25% potting soil, 15% perlite. You can use something else but so long as it drains well it will definitely help the tree out a lot (the soil section of the forum is pretty good ). I wouldn't do any root pruning other than to remove any rotting roots you find.

The flash on my camera phone made it appear lighter then it is. I cleaned it up and I discovered some really nice colored foliage kind of hidden beneath the dead/yellow stuff. I'll attempt to snap a better pic.

I also noticed that the pot doesn't have a layer of gravel/rocks lining the bottom. I've read that this is a good idea to help with draining. The soil does seem to hold moisture and not drain too well, so I'll tone down on the watering until I get some better soil.

should I keep the tree outdoor or indoor? I don't quite understand the difference between an indoor tree and an outdoor tree.

All plants are outdoor plants. .

Soe species however do need protection against the weather in temperate climates. Species like ficus do survive and with proper care also thrive indoors.

Junipers do not survive indoors. A short stay indoors (Few weeks) when the room is not heated is normally not a problem. But after months it will eventually die indoors.

Yes, if it is still alive, it will quickly deteriorate indoors. It is a hardy species, and will withstand at least -10C Unfortunately Junipers can look fine for months when in fact they are already dead. The pictures don't help,

I would bet that this tree is already dead. If it isn't it will be soon.Even with the flash on the camera we should still be able to see some green.

Well, thanks for all the help and advice. All I can do is provide it with the right conditions and hopefully it isn't already dead. Either way, this little guy has finally given me the inspiration to start a bonsai collection.

I'm really interested in turning a blue spruce into a bonsai, I've seen a few spruce's but I haven't seen a blue spruce bonsai in real life. Does anyone have experience with these? I live in a mountainous area and I am positive I could find a young blue spruce for my project.

Scratch a small piece of bark and check the color underneath. If it is green, you still have some hope. If not then unfortunately you have a dead tree. The good news is that at least you have a free pot either way! Good luck to you.