Hello everyone this is my juniper bonsai that i was gifted on Christmas. Ive been leaving it outside so i know im at least doing one thing right, but i wonder what else i can do during these winter months? Can i prune and style during winter? Wait till spring? Also are those branches growing down off trunk recommended to be cut ? Thank you all
by Nwkalash
2 Comments
Read about Juniperus procumbens nana. Are you in the Northern Hemisphere? What are your temperatures like? If yes, then Winter is the time to wire. Spring is the time to fertilize and prune out unwanted growth. You want to find the line of your tree, wire it into position, then trim away whatever detracts from the line, keep what enhances the line. You can use a magic marker to mark the branches for removal in the spring. This plant is susceptible to root rot, so be careful with the watering.
Congrats on your first tree! Do a bunch of research using Reddit and YouTube before doing anything. First goal is to keep it alive, it should be fine kept outdoor in winter but check your regional hardiness zone to be sure. I live in a 10b environment so I’m ignorant on wintering process.
There is always an impulse to start cutting right away when starting bonsai, however that might not be the best choice for this tree. My advice would be to let this juniper grow out for a few years and thicken the trunk and mature the foliage a bit more.
If there was anything to do right away, check the soil to make sure it is well draining inorganic soil. It doesn’t look like it, so you’ll probably need a repot into better soil in the spring. I’d also ditch the current container for something like a pond basket to help speed up the growing process. Hopefully this is enough info to get you going in the right direction!