Hello yall! Newbie here. I’ve always wanted to get into Bonsai and the other day fate collided with chance. I’ve seen street vendors before selling fruit and flowers and such, not an unusual thing to see in my area but I was thrown for a loop when I saw a little lady that had shelves of Bonsai trees for sale set up on the side of the road. I stopped in just out of curiosity. I’ve never seen any in person before so I had to stop. The stop quickly turned into a purchase 😂. I got what she had marked as a “colorful” Juniper. I paid $60 and was gonna get two but I thought, maybe I should start with one and see how it goes first. Is $60 too much for something like this? For reference it’s probably 6-8inches tall and maybe fans out to 12-15inches. It’s been three weeks and it’s been going great! (I think) Let me know what yall think?
Think I’ve got my flair set this time, my bad!
by shapps93
10 Comments
So snazzy!!
Keep it outside….junipers will not survive inside
Looks like a helicopter 🚁
Welcome to the sub! The “roadsize van” bonsai sellers are prolific across the entire continent, they’re one of the most common ways that people start. Unfortunately, these are pretty unscrupulous vendors and are best avoided in the future. It’s debatable whether they’re a net positive or net negative on the community as a whole, but I hope you’re now hooked and move on from roadside van bonsai (likewise avoid seed kits). The problems with the roadside van:
– they’re way overpriced for what you get
– they’re not set up for success (heavily organic soil + shallow container + juniper = not a good time, rocks and top dressings like that on the soil surface are best removed because ideally the soil would be exposed directly to the air, you want free flowing air to the drainage holes so no water should be standing in the drip tray)
– and most importantly, these sellers give people the impression that juniper is an indoor tree *when it is not*, this is my biggest gripe because I can’t imagine how many thousands of people think they have a “black thumb” when they kill their tree when it wouldn’t have died if the seller was honest about its care!!
If you’re limited to indoor growing then your best pick is a shade tolerant tropical like ficus. Otherwise if you can grow outdoors full time then you should because that’s the best and easiest path to bonsai success. The best first victims for beginners are your standard landscape nursery stock. Material originally destined for the ground is reasonably priced, strong, and ready for bonsai work.
You say it’s been three weeks? Has it been inside your house like this the whole time? If so, real chance it is already dead or dying. Juniper can take an exceeding long time to show signs of death, but once you see the signs, it’s already too late.
Is it planted in rice and meatballs?
I know someone already said to keep it outside, but it’s worth repeating. This tree will die if kepf inside and you won’t even know for a few months. It will look healthy long after it’s too late. It’s probably OK with the 3 weeks you’ve had it, but get it outside today. I see the gravel on top, but is it in dirt/soil or something that looks like little pieces of lava rock? You want it in something with a lot of drainage. Basically, when you water it, water should drain right through. If it does you can water it daily in the morning, maybe again in the afternoon on hot days. If you don’t have good drainage, your going to have to watch the soil moisture. If you stick an unvarnished chopstick in and it doesn’t come out damp, water it. The three top Juniper killers are keeping them inside, overwatering, and underwatering.
Also, don’t repot out of dormancy (Winter until you see new growth). If your soil isn’t giving you proper drainage, consider repotting next winter.
All of this advice is very general, and the real answers are more complex. I recommend finding a local bonsai club where you can get more detailed instruction.
So.
1. Put it outside. Got it. I’ll get it outside tonight when I get home from work. And figure a way to anchor it down to prevent from blowing and accidental falls.
2. Ditch the white rocks and pebbles and try and keep it to just soil?
3. From what I’ve read. It’s draining good. Water flows right through the holes on the bottom. I’ve been watering what seems like every 36hours or so. I feel the soil and if it’s feeling a little dry I’ll give it some water. I never let it soak. I did see someone suggest using a chopstick to see the water content down in the soil so should I be doing that instead of the “finger” test.
Clearly I’m a beginner and still learning. I learned that I was lied to by the vendor so that’s my fault. Just wanna keep it alive now and will be undergoing changes to remedy these mistakes.
Thanks a lot yall!
Such a scammers…
Bonsai “soil” is important. It requires the substrate to be mostly inorganic aggregates, such as pumice, scoria, calcined clay, etc etc. you can find premade bags of soil. i would recommend seeing if theres any bonsai nurseries in your area to get the proper substrate, but if theres none around you, then getting it online is easily accessible by just searching “inorganic bonsai soil”
Late winter/early spring, you’d repot it and remove as much of the old soil as you can, with damaging the roots as little as possible.