Auk wrote:

eangola wrote:

Stanlijane wrote: The leaves around the bottoms of the branches have started to yellow a bit

Yellowing of the leaves mean the tree is dead or dying,

Yellowing of the needles at the bottoms of the branches does NOT mean the tree is dead or dying.

True, I just assumed it would be one of those yellow foliage trees people always post because they leave them indoors.

Yes yellow leaves could mean the tree is sick (spider mites for example), lack of nutrients, not enough light, anything. Notice big Junipers planted as shrubs and not pruned tend to lose their inner leaves and branches, cause they don't get air or light. The tree is not dying in this case, as Auk corrected me, but the affected branches are in some cases. And sometimes some weak foliage turns yellow and falls, this is normal.

You SHOULD fertilize my friend. Fast draining soil, lot's of watering, fertilizer washes out pretty quick!. I've been following advice from my book on Junipers. The principle is "constant and small amount of fertilizing". I don't like using miracle grow, because if you overfertilize (hard if you have good soil) you can get "root burn". I am very inexperienced, so I like to go with the safe stuff. I use organic fertilizing slow release pellets for trees and shrubs, it is pretty mild. And I also compliment once a week (now on growing season) with very little organic fish fertilizer (5-5-1) mixed with water. My trees are growing fast and great. Fish fertilizer is stinky as hell though, but that's a good thing I guess . So I am following the principle, of fertilizing a lot on small amounts, and using different types of fertilizer gives my bonsai a more "balanced diet".

My statement was too general, thank you for the correction Auk.

Stanlijane wrote: Is this a sign of not enough light then? Just good to know for the future as I would like to turn this in to a hobby in time.

It can be a sign of not enough light, but it can also simply be older needles. You wrote they are at the bottom, I assumed you meant low on the trunk, not close to the top.

Thanks for the advice. I have been researching but as with most everything out there I come across several different "opinions" on how things should be done. Here is a close up of yellowing leaves/ needles. Yes they are closer to the trunk, towards the bottom of the branches. Turning brown and then falling off, though the rest of the branch looks pretty fine.
I have also attached pictures where it seems little roots/ strings seem to be coming up out of the soil. Do I need to just push these back in to the soil with say a bamboo stick or does it mean the plant is getting root bound and needs a bigger pot?
Sorry for the 20 questions, just trying to learn the most I can about this little guy.

Stanlijane wrote: Thanks for the advice. I have been researching but as with most everything out there I come across several different "opinions" on how things should be done. Here is a close up of yellowing leaves/ needles. Yes they are closer to the trunk, towards the bottom of the branches. Turning brown and then falling off, though the rest of the branch looks pretty fine.

As long as the younger branches have fresh green tips, it should be OK.
You should see my Juniperus Squamata. Foliage that is shaded out by foliage on newer branches, gets brown and dies off, if the remaining branch has no more foliage, it falls off after a while (talking about small secondary/tertiary branches, not the main ones).

I have also attached pictures where it seems little roots/ strings seem to be coming up out of the soil. Do I need to just psh these back in to the soil with say a bamboo stick or does it mean the plant is getting root bound and needs a bigger pot?

What you need to learn is that plants live at a completely different pace than us. Learn to be patient. Learn to leave the plant alone. You don't have to do all kinds of things to your new plant, chances are that, if you do, you'll kill it in the process.

Stanlijane wrote: I live in East Tennesse btw, temperatures now are mid 70's but will increase into the 90's with pretty high humidity.

Wish that were my summers too. That is perfect. Junipers love the sun and high humidity in the air.

The small roots you are seeing is the result of watering; The person who previously repotted it just v=coovered the roots with pebbles which are now washing away. Do not worry. The real roots are still below-ground. The amount of branches you see.. That is the amount of roots you will roughly see belowground too.

Just leave the little one for now. Let it get settled in. The yellowing of foliage is just normal ageing, untill you see also the growing tips go dull and lifeless. All in all, the plant seems pretty happy and healthy.
Fertilie when you fertilize your garden. Personally, I do not like the chemical powders like miracle grow much, as the risk of overfertilizing is higher than with something organic, like chicken/cow poo pellets.