Greetings,

Looking for some input on how to style a juniper. It's a little over a year old and the sun is causing the branches of the lower half of the tree before the curve to flourish greatly. As a result the top half seems to be too thin in comparison.

Should I keep letting it grow or prune the bottom? Will pruning the bottom promote the growth of the pines near the top? Any input is appreciated as I am still new to this. The photo was taken a week ago and I have removed the moss since then since it seems to be leaching some kind of green colour onto the soil and clay.

Thanks!

If this were mine, I would let it grow out a little bit. If you remember that bonsai is about the art of growing trees, n miniature, you can imagine you need a fairly thick trunk to make a realistic image. Keep the lower branches they will help create taper in the main trunk.

So would you recommend I just leave it for the remainder of the summer? It's sub 20 degrees this week in Toronto and my tree is turning yellow/brown for some of the branches. I'm trying my hardest not to prune them but there are more brown branches coming than there are new shoots growing.

Marshie wrote: So would you recommend I just leave it for the remainder of the summer? It'

I woul say the rest of this decade, at leasr.

If all needles are turning brown, it s dying. Do not do any work on a tree that is not healthy.

A quick little update... I seem to have an issue where if I bring the bonsai indoors, the pines start turning green after just two days of remaining indoors. However they quickly turn brown again after some strong sun outdoors.

Right now I don't believe it's dead because there is new growth and lots of buds that are coming from the trunk but the remaining half of the tree is now yellow.

I know it's plastered everywhere that "keeping them indoors will kill them" but they seem to be doing much better when I return them inside for a few days facing South to a window.

What should I do?

Take it away from the scorching midday sun.

I just got off the phone with the nursery who recommended the same thing. I'll do exactly that thanks.

I do not understand why you would have problems with the sun.
It is brown? Or purple that the young growth is turning? And which part of the branch is changing color? You are aware that old needles die off, and the branch turns woody then, right?

Junipers are NOT shade plants and prefer full sun.

All my junipers are in full sun, they have never been burned by the sun. They pretty much need it all the time.

What could be a problem maybe, when you put them in the full sun, they dry out quicker and you don't apply your watering to the changed position.

leatherback wrote: I do not understand why you would have problems with the sun.
Junipers are NOT shade plants and prefer full sun.

Guys it depends.
The practical truth is that any potted plant can suffer, eventually die, in tropical sun.
I've lost much more trees in the summer here than in the winter, including tropicals and a juniper.
When the "label instructions" says "full sun, at least six hours a day", that means temperate climates, OR...3 hours early morning sun, three hours late afternoon sun.
Six hours in full sun from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. here in the summer will be fatal for many bonsai, even watering twice a day (as some really go dormant, you can even overwater them).
Just my practical experience.