Bought bonsai roadside, need help and advice

[Noni]

Hubby and I bought the most beautiful bonsai along the roadside yesterday, from an Asian lady selling trees out of her van. Because we are getting ready to celebrate our 30th anniversary, we chose what she told us is a 30-year-old tree.

She didn't give us too much information, partly because she spoke very little English and partly because new customers had arrived and she was very anxious to stop talking to us and to go and make another sale. When we drove back later to ask a few questions, she was gone.

One thing she had told us is that we need to water the tree the next day, which is today. But I don't know how much water. We also bought two small bags of organic bonsai food, but we don't know what to do with it.

If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it. Here are our questions:

1. I'd like to identify the exact variety it is, so I can take better care of it. We think the tree is some sort of juniper, after doing some searching online.

2. How much water do I give it, and how often?

3. What type of water do I use? Our water here has fluoride added to it. Will that hurt the tree? Should I give it distilled water instead?

4. What do I do with the "organic bonsai food"?

5. After reading online, it appears that bonsai trees need to be kept outside. This was a surprise to us...so does my tree need to live outside? Will it hurt my tree to keep it inside?

I'm trying to attach a picture. Maybe I can get it in the next post in this thread.

 

[Noni]

I am hoping the picture attached this time. The soda can in the picture is for scale. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[reddog]

Best advice I could offer is to never buy a tree from a van on the side of the road again. Go to a reputable nursery who will spend the time to educate you on the tree and its care. Support the bonsai nurseries who have put their time and money into a good product.

 

[JudyB]

Yes noni, it is a juniper, and a nice one for a roadside vendor! Most folks get trees that are oddly curvey shapes, and in poor soil. This looks like a nice tree with some training, and in proper bonsai soil. (which is a whole subject on it's own.)

Welcome to the forum, now here are some answers to your questions...

First and most importantly, almost all bonsai need to be outside 24-7, year round. Some need some winter protection, depending on your zone. I would guess you may need to place this guy in an unheated shed or garage for the winter, or bury the pot near a foundation and mulch it in for the winter. But I'm guessing, because you don't list your zone, you should do that in your profile.

Your juni is an outside tree. the only types of trees that can really do well inside, are semi-tropicals and tropical plants, such as ficus. And those only if you can give them the correct light and humidity conditions. You will kill this tree if you try to keep it inside. It may do ok for a while, but not for long.

Junipers like to be on the dry side, you should stick a skewer into the soil, and check it daily. When it comes out dry or almost dry, then you should water it. (normal water is fine, some of us collect rainwater, but it's not purely necessary.) use a watering can or sprayer that will be gentle, and not disturb the soils. Water it till water comes out the bottom of the pot, wait a few minutes, then water again.

The organic fert pellets can be placed on the top of the soil, probably about a teaspoon per 4-6" of soil area. It'll break down, and turn into a bit of a mush as it does this, and will feed the tree for a month or more.

This is a nice tree, you chose well, junis are pretty easy, as long as they are outside, and are watered properly. Happy anniversary, and next time use a beer can!

 

[berobinson82]

I'm certainly no expert but I think I've seen this thread before...


If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it. Here are our questions:

1. I'd like to identify the exact variety it is, so I can take better care of it. We think the tree is some sort of juniper, after doing some searching online.

Looks like a juniperus procumbens nana. It's one of the most common ones you'll pick up as a pre-fab bonsai.

2. How much water do I give it, and how often?

Junipers don't like wet feet. You should be watering differently for different conditions. That soil doesn't look that bad in that it looks like it will be free draining with is a good thing. Stick your finger in the soil, when it's dry, water it. It'll dry out faster when it's hot and windy. Be careful of that. If they stay wet they will start to yellow indication your roots are rotting.

3. What type of water do I use? Our water here has fluoride added to it. Will that hurt the tree? Should I give it distilled water instead?

Just use tap water.

4. What do I do with the "organic bonsai food"?

I'd sprinkle a bit on the top of the soil now during the growing season and taper off when it gets cooler out. Without knowing the strength of that fertilizer it'd be tough for anyone online to give you a great answer.

5. After reading online, it appears that bonsai trees need to be kept outside. This was a surprise to us...so does my tree need to live outside? Will it hurt my tree to keep it inside?

You CAN keep it inside; but it will die. That juniper is an outdoor plant they live outside. Period. It needs to go dormant in winter. Leave it out there all the time. Bring it in to show it off and to do work on it.

I'm trying to attach a picture. Maybe I can get it in the next post in this thread.


If you're interested in how deep the rabbit hole goes, there is a lot of studying to do. What I've learned is that I've learned next to nothing. There is a lot of info out there online but it often contradicts itself. I hope what little I told you keeps the juni alive long enough for you to get really interested.

Good luck.

 

[rockm]

Judy and Berobinson give good advice. The tree needs to be outside. Watch the watering, although it APPEARS the soil is decent bonsai soil -- you might want to burrow your finger into one of the pot's corners to see if the soil is the same all the way down (some vendors will put a half inch of decent soil or rocks on top of the really really bad nsoil the tree is actually growing in to fool buyers.

"After reading online, it appears that bonsai trees need to be kept outside. This was a surprise to us...so does my tree need to live outside? Will it hurt my tree to keep it inside?"

This always surprises me for some reason. Junipers, pines, maples, elms and other temperate zone trees that bonsai are made from are not indoor houseplants. Putting them in a container doesn't change their genetics Those species actually require a dormant cold period to remain healthy--i.e. winter.

For your tree, find a place outside that gets morning to early-afternoon sun and late afternoon shade and LEAVE THE TREE there--until late autumn. Trees don't like to be mobile, which is why they have roots . Moving the tree inside and outside is about the worst thing you can do to it.

Also, don't get too attached to it for a few months. First-time bonsai rarely make it that long. Everyone here has killed their share of trees. Bonsai has a steep, unforgiving learning curve...

DO find a local club and join. You have only scratched the surface of what bonsai can be.

 

[Noni]

Thank you all for the advice!!! I am feeling a little overwhelmed about the care and keeping of a bonsai.

Judy, I checked some maps and I am in Zone 6. It gets below zero during the coldest part of winter here, but no more than about 10 below, and that is not for more than a few days. Some years we don't even get quite that cold. So I am pretty sure that means I am supposed to keep the bonsai in the garage during the winter? (The garage would still be pretty cold.) And I'm glad to know that we chose a good tree!!

Reddog, if we had thought about it, we should no doubt have purchased a bonsai from a reputable dealer as you said. I guess I can't change our purchase now, since our time machine is broken this week. But then again, this little tree needs love and care, and it's not the tree's fault that it was sold out of a van.

Berobinson, I noticed a TINY bit of yellowing on one branch. Does that mean it has gotten too much water in the past? Do I snip that off?

Rock, you will most likely laugh (or roll your eyes) at our ignorance, but until we started researching the internet yesterday after our purchase, we thought a bonsai was actually a kind of a tree. We had no idea that bonsai's are junipers, maples, etc. Thanks for the tip about not moving the tree...I had been thinking I could put the tree outside in the mornings, and bring it back inside in the evenings. So much to learn. We will try not to get too attached to this little tree *sigh* but I think we already have. This beautiful tree has lived for 30 years...I hope our well-intentioned attempts do not spell its doom.


Now that I know my tree will be spending most of its life outdoors, I have a new concern. We have a lot of Canada geese that hang around our yard all the time, because we live near a creek. The geese come up on our small deck pretty often (and leave momentos of their visit for us to step into if we aren't watching). Will the geese try to eat the bonsai? There's no point in trying to teach the geese to stay away...they don't seem to be able to learn, and they are not skittish.

 

[rockm]

"This beautiful tree has lived for 30 years...I hope our well-intentioned attempts do not spell its doom. "

FWIW, actual age in a bonsai tree doesn't really matter, unless the tree is over 100 years or so. Age in trees in general is very deceptive In bonsai it can be doubly so, as bonsai are designed to look very old, even though they may be relatively young. What looks to be 100 could really be 30 and what looks 30 could be 15...In the end, the only thing that matters is if the tree conveys an image of an ancient.

Bonsai are not generally purpose-grown from seed. Little bonsai don't grow up to be big bonsai for the most part. Rather source material is obtained from nursery-grown stock, dug up from the wild, front yard landscapes, etc. The lower third of a tree is its most important asset for making a bonsai. All of the tree above that can be chopped off and regrown in a scaled image. Big bonsai are generally "cut down" to bonsai size and have their limbs and crowns regrown. Material like yours is mostly obtained by buying nursery landscape trees and styling the tops and reducing the root mass to fit into a container.

Also FWIW, good intentions are usually what kill first-time bonsai. New owners always want to "do something" for their trees, when the best course is to simply leave them be. A bit of "benign neglect" goes a very long way in getting a bonsai to live. Most bonsai from temperate climates are pretty hardy. They can take a lot more weather than first time owners give them credit for IF their basic needs are met (decent, fast draining soil, adequate --not too much--watering and good light).

If the geese like to chew on your landscape shrubs they also might like to poke around the tree. That means it should be located off the ground on a table or stand. That will help minimize their contact. Junipers aren't all that tasty and their foliage is spiky and not really attractive to many critters.

 

[JudyB]

With zone 6 winters, unless you have strong winter winds where you live, you should be fine to keep that outside all year round. It'll be happier than in a garage.... You could mulch it in for extra safety, but junipers are pretty hardy.

I think the only thing the geese would be after would be insects, so keep it on a nice stand and don't fool with it too much. Now comes the hard part, you must invest some time researching bonsai culture, and care. Before you know it, you'll probably be hooked like the rest of us.

You can clip the yellow part off the branch, or just leave it alone. It could be from any number of things. the branch could be dying, (these can look alive for up to 6 months after they are actually dead...so lets hope it's not that!) it could be overwatering, or could be a pest or mildew. Keep an eye out for more of these spots, and post a close up if the problem continues.... Or even if it doesn't. If you take a white piece of paper and place it under the tree, shake the branches, look to see if there are any pests that come out (little red spider mites could be your problem) then you can figure out a course of action.

 

[Noni]

I've been reading lots of different threads on this forum, and one thing that seems universal is that almost everyone talks about killing their first tree. I don't want to kill this tree. But I have never been particularly good with plants, so it is unlikely that I would be so special as to defy the odds and have my first tree live for many years. I love this tree and it is so beautiful (IMO) that I want it to have a happy life.

 

[Poink88]

I've been reading lots of different threads on this forum, and one thing that seems universal is that almost everyone talks about killing their first tree. I don't want to kill this tree. But I have never been particularly good with plants, so it is unlikely that I would be so special as to defy the odds and have my first tree live for many years. I love this tree and it is so beautiful (IMO) that I want it to have a happy life.

Don't believe all those posts...it is feel good statement for the ones who killed their first tree . If you follow all the good advise here...there is no reason why this tree will not survive longer than you or me.

Just enjoy it and do what needs to be done (NOT over mind you).

 

[rockm]

We all loved our first trees. Some of us loved them to death. I was lucky in that the trees I started with were pretty much indestructible as they were ugly. After keeping them for 10 years or so, I fell out of love with them as I began to see there were much better things out there to work on. This takes time and is part of the charm of bonsai. The love affair is a long-lasting one regardless of the material you're working on at any particular moment.

Once you "get" the initial concepts of bonsai and understand how to care for them and make them, you find yourself neck deep in trees. Your first is the first of many

 

[plant_dr]

Noni,
The Bonsai Club of Utah will be holding it's monthly meeting next Wednesday, May 23rd. The meetings are every 4th Wednesday of the month in the Garden Center in Sugarhouse Park near Highland high school at 7:00 PM.(address is: 1625 E. 2100 S. ) If you bring your tree there the members will be able to give the best advice for its care in our area. I haven't been in awhile but I'm planning on going this time.

Until then, the wise tips given by the knowledgeable forum members here should tide you over. Plenty of light, not too much water, don't fuss with it or move it around too much. etc. Hope to see you and your tree there!
Take care,
Zach

 

[Bill S]

Zach has the best advice given. Good job Dr.

 

[Noni]

Plant dr, thanks for the info about the local club! In the meantime, I'll try to relax and just enjoy my tree. And try not to take TOO much care of it.