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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29697

  • Mitchellm203
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So I got a nice bonsai juniper approx 6yrs old I was told. This is my first tree. I've read a lot paid 40$ for the tree from a Japanese man on the side of the road. It's anchored to the pot and looks to be in good shape. But I don't know the best ways to water sunlight and fertilize while keeping indoors. I've added a picture of my tree. I would really like to become advanced in these trees and make them unique eventually transplanting into a pot with a rock or something very unique. Advice from all you experts out there.

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29698

  • sel64@sbcglobal.net
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Always keep a juniper outside. Dang, 40$? that's a lot- also there is much info on the forum that will already answer your question, honestly just look it up

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29699

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Yes 40$ he wanted 95 but I wouldn't pay that. The tree is good size the picture may not look it but compared to the smaller ones he had. I've been doing a lot of reading and many people do say to keep outside. That kind of stinks because they are so cool looking. I live in nc so weather I wouldn't think would be an issue.

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29700

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Here is zoomed out image.

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29701

  • spacewood
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Welcome to Bonsai Empire.

I think I like your one and it looks nice. I saw a lot worse trees here bought from market so you may be lucky. They say conifers should be outdoors so listen to experts. Read as much as you can about this type of tree and Bonsai in general. Good luck.

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29702

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Thanks. Mostly I just joined because I know these trees take exact care and sometimes even reading a book just doesn't make sense. I hope to establish this and get a really unique style habitat going for it. Hopefully I don't kill it. I've been trying to read how some juniper have a drift wood dead look meanwhile having green growth. They defy any tree growth I've ever seen.

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29704

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Practice is well important too. You should be always ready for the worse especially if you are a beginner. You should learn and train a lot and there will be times of mistakes, its inevitable. If you really like this subject I advise you get few more other trees to practice and develop your knowledge and skills. Its like the pilots, the more you fly, the better you are.

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29708

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he wanted 95


That is a hell of a lot of money for a young juniper in a cheap pot...

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29710

  • leatherback
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Welcome.
It looks like you have a more mature plant here than we foten see. Trunk is 2-3 cm I think? The pot is fairly large for the size of the plant; Take care that it does not get too wet. Juniperus does not like to stay very wet, and the larger the pot, the longer it takes to dry out. Put the plant outside, in the sunniest spot you can find (Unless you are in a very hot and dry part of the world!). These plants like it warm, with relatively dry roots.
Keep it alive and happy for now.

It could do with a haircut but that is not your primary concern. Keep it alive first.

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New to bosai 7 years 1 month ago #29732

  • Solaris
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But I don't know the best ways to water sunlight and fertilize while keeping indoors.


This is one of those things where if you don't already know how to do it, you don't want to start trying it out on a pricey plant. I've killed a couple hundred dollars of plants over the years figuring out that no shit really, lighting really is important and just regular white lights don't work, not even if they're fancy LED lights.

It involves grow lights, a terrarium, and even more trial-and-error (or more money) than just sticking the thing outside. If you're determined to do it, however, I'd look into getting an aquarium (because while you can use an aquarium for a terrarium, the reverse is not necessarily true) and its fluorescent light fixture, then getting a grow light for the fixture. By 'grow light', I mean something that puts out light in the spectra plants like - red and blue light. Those are the colors that activate their chlorophyll. This will only solve the issues of lighting, not the problem of the plant's need for a dormant period. On that, you have the option of either sticking it outside or getting more expensive with cooling elements. If it gets cold enough where you live, you can try sticking your setup next to a window - the trick is to get the tree down below 50* F for 2-3 months so it can recuperate.
The reason you want the terrarium, by the by, is because it's easier to control humidity in an enclosure than it is in open air. This can lead to other problems if you don't adequately ventilate it, and I'd heartily recommend enlisting the animal kingdom in controlling the fungal kingdom. Woodlice are my little buddies when it comes to this. If it were a semiaquatic species of tree (which would technically be a in paludarium), cherry shrimp (Neocardinia davidi, available in a lot of colors other than red but those get expensive) are another good species, as are Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata). Snails, on the other hand, are very much not on account of their habit of eating root hairs.

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