New Bonsai owner! Need some help with identification?

[liltr33]

Hello,

I am a first time poster. Came across this forum and glad I found it! I got this bonsai plant as a gift and I plan on taking good care of it. I am totally new to the art of bonsai, so I have much to learn. I've attached some pics of my plant. I'm not too sure what type it is... I suspect it is some kind of conifer.





Can anyone tell me what species I have? It looks like a relatively young tree. I haven't done anything to it besides keeping it watered. I'm hoping to get an identification on the species so I can do more indepth reading on what to do!

Thanks in advance! Any tips/suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[QuintinBonsai]

Hi, and welcome to bonsai. You have a Procumbens Juniper.

Junipers are relatively easy trees to care for. As with all conifers, your best bet is to keep them outdoors for best health. Are those pebbles glued on? If so, remove them. There is literally tons of information here about these trees. Search away!

 

[catfish chapstick]

get it outside or it's a goner

 

[liltr33]

Thanks for the replies!

Is there anything to do with the tree besides moving it outside? I'm figure out if I need to prune it. From visual inspection, there's mainly shoots coming off the trunk with no real branches. Is it okay to wire the trunk to make it more upright or is it still to young? As for pruning, since it has no distinct branches, would pruning be a bad idea?

Thanks again!

 

[october]

Hi liltr33, junipers need to be outside to survive and be their healthiest. If you keep this tree indoors, even with extra lighting, it will limp on a couple/few years then probably die.

Also, you really can't prune anything. The branches are too young. Unfortunately, the best answer is you will need to wait about 2-3 years to do any pruning. Also, since the tree needs to grow and get healthy for a few years. It might be best to wait to wire. You might have many new options in a few years. If you are really interested in bonsai, I would suggest getting familiar the 5 styles of bonsai. It is the foundation for the art. Also, waiting and doing things at the right time are big parts of bonsai.

Good luck,
Rob

 

[liltr33]

Thanks for the great feedback! I've moved the plant out. Definitely going to do some reading.

Since I have this thread open, there's one other plant I'm hoping you guys can help me ID. I did some searching online and my best guess is that this is a Chinese Elm... not entirely sure, but here are some pics. It seems like there's a lot more to do with this one... (1) get rid of glued pebbles and (2) repot this plant with some fresh soil. But before I proceed, can you guys figure out what this species is?

Thanks again!

 

[october]

This is a ficus. Also, if you repot, use bonsai soil. Bonsai soil is very gritty. It is not really soil, it is more of a mix of different kinds of rocks. Also, when temps are consistently above 55 degrees F, this tree should be outside. So, depending on your area, late Spring to early Fall.

Rob

 

[daytona1911]

First one is a procumbens "nana"

 

[daytona1911]

Second one is Ficus microcarpa or Ficus "retusa", depending on which publication you read from which year. F. microcarpa is the current and most used now. Leaves will get a bit smaller with correct bonsai care and conditions.

 

[milehigh_7]

Also put your location in your profile so folks can give you proper help.

 

[liltr33]

Awesome! Thanks for the great info!

Can you guys say anything about the health of the ficus from the pictures alone? The ficus belongs to my parents and they haven't really done much besides water the plant. They occassionally add some "fertilizer" or plant food to it. No clue what it is.. but they get these small plastic capsules filled with green fluid. They invert the capsule into the soil and let it drain over time. The thing doesn't have a name or description, but they get it from Chinatown. Compared to when they first got it, it's definitely not as dense (fewer leaves) and more bare branches.

Regarding the growing medium..What's better-- sphagnum moss or bonsai soil? The roots aren't well covered as there are some bare spots at the base.