I am completely new to bonsai trees. I just got my first bonsai (juniper) about a month ago. I first noticed the leaves getting brittle about 2 weeks ago. They are still green (save for a few that are yellowing).
It sits outside, mostly in indirect sunlight (the patio doesn’t get very direct sunlight). I live in Southern California. The weather has been pretty windy. Air temp. ranged from mid 60s-mid 70s (F), but it’s been hot the past couple days.
I water it when the soil feels slightly dry, which is about once a week. I use (hard) tap water and submerge it. I’ve also started misting it.
I am scared of removing it from its pot, so I haven’t checked for root rot or root damage.

Any suggestions on how to proceed would be extremely helpful.

I am having a similar issue. My leaves are not yellow but they are dry and brittle and not as green as I think they should be.

what do you mean with brittle? The tree looks on the pictures ok.

Once a week watering feels like infrequent. I would opt for watering from the top, tbh.

In my case, by brittle I mean they feel dry and will fall out when handled. I water using a misting bottle. Spray the leaves everyday, and the base every other day.