Bonsai Newbie wanting juniper checkup and advice

[AlterEgoX]

Hi y'all!

This is a 2 part post.

Part 1)

I'm a bonsai newbie with a recently bought Juniper. I've been doing research and checking things out on here, but would appreciate if anyone could give a general checkup. It's got just a small patch of yellowing tips and a spot of some browning on a few inner branches and would like to know if they are a problem and some ideas to help.

Some info to help:
- I live in Orange County, CA
- Bonsai is kept outdoors
- I water only when the chopstick I have in the soil appears almost dry
- I've attached pictures of the tree, the soil, and the little areas I'm worried about


Part 2)

I would like to grow this bonsai bigger, and would like to know if my plan sounds viable

Plan:

- Repot to a bigger, black plastic grow pot (Not sure when to do this, maybe toward the end of January?)
- fertilize with 10-10-10 through winter, spring, and summer
- wire the tree during this December

Any tips or info would be so helpful. Thank you in advanced if you reply!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Older foliage dying and drying is perfectly normal. Your juniper is a male, those yellow thingies on the branch tips are pollen cones in development. In a couple weeks they'll expand and become puffy, then drop their pollen in the wind.

Your plan for growing it bigger sounds good. The only thing I'd change is the winter fertilization, but I'm not from the US and I don't even know Orang county. It's a waste of fertilizer to feed during the winter, when the plant is hardly taking up nutrients and isn't using them. You wouldn't want that fertilizer to accumulate and ruin your roots. Unless of course, your winters are mild and it keeps growing.

January sounds a bit soon. Go for the end of spring for repotting junipers. Although I use the entire spring with no ill effects, it's generally advised to repot junipers a bit later than most conifers.

 

[AlterEgoX]

That was great info, thank you! Eased my mind and taught me about my little juniper
Winters here are really mild, with temps that probably don’t even drop below 50 (F). Not sure if that’s enough for my bonsai to go dormant or not.
thanks again

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Yours is a juniperus procumbens, so if you'd like to learn more, check out some other threads.

The scale foliage is something we Europeans can be jealous of. I haven't seen scale foliage on procumbens for as long as I know about junipers.

 

[Shibui]

10a should be warm enough for junipers and pines to benefit from fert through winter. Mine certainly grow a lot better with winter feeding program. I just back off to 3-4 week feeding through the cooler months.
@Wires_Guy_wires has all the rest of the answers for you.

 

[sorce]

1) Welcome to
2) Crazy!

Sorce

 

[AlterEgoX]

Good to hear Shibui, I’ll keep that in mind the less often feeding as we head into winter.
Thanks Sorce! Happy to have a forum with such great info and members