I recently purchased a new juniper about a month ago and it was looking very healthy when it arrived. Recently the two bottom most branches are turning slightly brown or a brownish green and have become very brittle and snap with ease. Some other branches near them are still bright green but slightly brittle as well and the rest of the tree appears a vibrant green with normal branches. I did a little research and found out that junipers can hide that they are sick or dying for a while and I hope I can save my juniper if it is possibly dying. I also did the "scratch test" and found green under the bark. Just looking for some advice on how to help it out and possibly if I have been overwatering or under watering. Thanks!

Hello and welcome
Without a picture it is impossible to say anything really, but I’m guessing you placed it inside on a windowsill, which is what killed it. But again , without a picture impossible to tell.

Yes i did place it by a window temporarily as the weather here had been at -30C for prolonged periods of time and i had no good way to protect the tree from that. I was planning on moving it outside once it warmed up. Since i noticed the branches i have moved it to a very good grow light that i have been using for other plants in hopes to help it out a little bit. The rest of the tree looks very healthy, is there any way to save it, or is all hope lost? In one image you can see one of the brownish branches at the bottom compared to the other branches that still appear healthy. I also appreciate any other tips for improvement if i am doing other things wrong. Thanks for the help. p.s. it appears glossy because i had just misted it.

When having bonsai there is one thing that is before all bonsai-ish things and that is horticulture. You can’t have and keep bonsai if you do not keep your plant healthy. Trees need their dormant period, bringing them inside interferes with that need and they will die ( and because our living rooms are too dark, are too hot, too dry). So , there is no such thing as an indoor tree . -30 is cold, but trees do not migrate inside when it’s cold, do they ( horticulture)? That being said, our bonsai trees are in little pots, and temps like that can completely freeze and kill the entire rootball, certainly when there is cold wind enclosed. The solution is to bring our trees in a frostfree, bright garden shed, garage, ...to protect it from these freezing conditions. Temps here go to -10 in winter, and my plants stay outside year round, only placed in a greenhouse without heating to protect them a bit during prolonged deep frost .

So, in your case, the tree doesn’t look bad at all, but coniferous trees tend to stay green long after they are in trouble or have already died. If it stays in your living room it will die, no doubt about it.Place it in a frostfree space, and outside in full sun again as soon as temps are above zero again.