Getting started? Newbie here.

[Rook]

A couple years ago, I joined this forum with the intention of gathering information and beginning my bonsai journey. I was promptly chased off by someone for asking simple newbie questions.

Undeterred (but too shy to post!), I dug up two tiny juniper seedlings from my front yard and potted them. It's been two-ish years and they've grown to just about a foot tall each, and they used up all their nutrients (and their roots grew too big). I repotted them (admittedly in the same size pots as I didn't have bigger pots on hand, but in fresh soil). One is sprouting new foliage at the tips of its little limbs (yay!), but the other seems to be dying (very brittle and tending towards brown, not green). We had a good rain storm here the past couple of days, so I'm hoping that the fresh soil and rain will help perk it back up.

Anyway, when I was switching them to their new soil (which is, admittedly, not actually soil for bonsai, but it's what I had on hand - I'll be getting better soil after I get paid!) I realized just how much root these two have. There's so much root. I trimmed a bit off one tree but, since I don't really know what I'm doing, was hesitant to do more. How do you know how much root to trim? I assume it should be done in stages (some this spring, some in fall, some next spring? or some this spring, then some next spring?), but how much do I trim each time? And do I take the tiny roots, or snip the bigger ones? I've tried Googling, but there isn't much specific info (mostly just "Trim roots, but don't trim too much!"). I was thinking that, when I repot into the actual bonsai soil (if that's even needed yet? Internet isn't helping with this part of the learning), I could trim a bit more, but I don't want to stress them out too much.

(Before anyone says it, I haven't gone to the library to get books because I'm unsure of which books to get. If that's the best way to go, please suggest a couple books I could look for on caring for juniper bonsai.)

That kind of leads me to my next question. When do I begin shaping? They're still fairly young trees (just over 2 years old). Do I give them more time to develop a thicker trunk, all the while trimming roots and trying to keep them about this height? Or should I start shaping them now? Is there a third option I'm unaware of? I'm assuming I should leave the struggling one alone until it either dies or revives, so as not to stress it?

Also, I'm not sure what kind of junipers these are, but their parent was a tall, three-trunked juniper tree with soft bluish berries. Sadly, the parent succumbed to an ice storm and is no longer around.

Sorry for the deluge of questions.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

You should never be too shy to post There isn't a person here who wasn't (or isn't) a beginner at some point, and even after 25+ years of bonsai I still make plenty of mistakes.

As far as your questions go... stop for a moment and create a design in your mind for your trees. It may help for you to sketch it, or to find a photo of a juniper bonsai you particularly admire that you think captures where you want to go with your design. Then, it will be much easier for you to answer your questions of "when do I do 'x'".

Also it is important to gain experience with all different sorts of materials, so you know how they will respond to various horticultural practices. You are asking great questions about your junipers, but you may be frustrated when you hear answers that sound like "it depends". It depends on what the roots look like, how healthy the tree is, what kind of soil it is in currently, what time of year it is, how much foliage the juniper has, etc. It is usually best to post photos because it can provide a lot of information - some of which you may even miss in your description.

 

[Rook]

Thank you for your encouraging reply! I'll have to look around for some juniper bonsai pictures to get ideas.

Here are the (not very good) photos I took during (the roots) and after (the trees in their pots). They're currently in a mix of potting soil, peat, and perlite (mostly potting soil and peat, some perlite). I'm container gardening and that's all I had on hand at the time - I'm willing to buy the necessary stuff (once I know what that is!). It's spring now (technically, though it doesn't always feel like it) and we're getting up into the 70s some days (with the exception of the past few days of mid-50s and 60s with lots of rain), though still in the 50s at night.

The roots of tree that's more brown than green...

The roots of the healthier tree...

Both trees after their soil change... The one in the back looks so sad. (They're in the same mix of soil, peat, and perlite - I just put some peat on top of the soil in the green pot to fill it in a bit more, whereas I had plenty of the mix in the red pot - that's why they look so different.)

 

[Bonsai Nut]

The one in the back may be dead Sometimes when junipers die, their foliage looks like it was freeze-dried - almost grey/green. Don't throw it out yet - there is a chance it may still bounce back, but things don't look too good. If you don't see any new green (anywhere) on the tree by June, it's a goner.

The one in the front looks happy right now, and here's to hoping it stays that way! As you can see by your photos of the roots, most junipers in the wild, if left to their own devices, would prefer to grow one long tap root straight down into the soil. This, of course, is the exact opposite of what we are shooting for with bonsai, where we prefer to see a lot of nice roots radiating from all sides of the trunk at the soil line. This gives the tree character and makes it appear like an old tree in nature with gnarly old roots - instead of a sapling which appears to grow straight down into the ground.

Don't do anything to your trees now - you want to give them a season to recover since you repotted them. However in the future your goal is to reduce / eliminate that tap root and any other roots growing straight down, and keep all the roots growing radially. Listen to your tree when you do this. If your tree ONLY has a tap root, you can't cut it off because you will kill the tree. If you trim the tap root, it will cause the tree to start growing roots radially. If the tree has a strong tap root and some weak radial roots, you can shorten / trim the tap root while leaving the radial roots alone, and the next time you repot you should see more and stronger radial roots and you can continue the process. In a perfect world you will want a flat pad of roots that will fit nicely in a bonsai pot.

Remember the golden rule of bonsai - nothing good happens fast. The only thing that happens fast is when you kill a tree As long as the tree is still alive, you can continue your journey with it - constantly moving in the direction of your design.

 

[TN_Jim]

Looks like an eastern red cedar perhaps. I have collected several of these. Some folks around here think they are extremely challenging bonsai material, if not..not ideal, to put it conservatively. However, after killing several, I have managed to be able to harvest them and keep them alive.

That one in the back, its toast. The green one..bare rooting it was maybe not the best approach, and that soil is likely retaining waaay too much water with not enough air; however, it may survive. If it doesn't, it sucks..but it's a learning experience..next one will be better

If it were mine i'd not water it until soil is just about bone dry 2'' down. Don't let it sit in prolonged heavy rains..maybe pull it under the eave or something when it's pouring. Drill holes all over this pot -sides and bottom...swiss chz style. Yank that saucer off the bottom of pot. Do not mess with those roots again for at least a year. I'm guessing its a bit weak from the repot..kid gloves. Then, if and when this thing is banging with vigor, repot into bonsai mix ideal for your area, etc.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Do not be dismayed if you kill a tree. Everyone does. The KEY is to not kill a tree in the exact same way two times That means you are learning When you kill a tree just repeat to yourself "well, I'm not going to do THAT again!" And remember what the "THAT" is

 

[bonsaidave]

There are lots of websites and videos that are great for starting out. You don't absolutely need to buy any books.
Try not to take criticism as personal attacks but accept it and ponder on how to fix the issues raised.

The search bar here is great. Be prepared to read a lot though. Try different combinations of words until you find what you are looking for.

Check out this site for some of your questions and further reading:
https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/articles.htm

Keep digging up those trees. Free is free. Just be aware they will require years of growing and then training.

 

[Rook]

So much helpful advice! Thank you! I had a bad feeling about the one in the back. Unbeknownst to me, my parents brought it inside to use as a Christmas tree (it lived at their house when I lived to another city, since they were basically just hanging out in their pots, growing, not needing much care) and then brought it back outside a couple weeks later. It was robust and lovely before that, so I'm fairly certain that's what did it in

The other one has lived its whole life outside, and is doing well (as long as I didn't kill it when I repotted the other day!). I'll do a little finagling to get the saucer off the bottom and see about poking more holes. It wasn't a steady downpour for two days, so I don't think it's too bad. I hope. Fingers crossed.

I'll do some forum-searching and reading!

I went to the store and picked up a "Blue Pacific" juniper and a little azalea to play around with and learn on. Originally went just for the azalea but the juniper was creeping over the edge of the pot and just screamed "Bonsai" to me, so I came home with both. Hopefully I won't kill them!

 

[Clicio]

Don't worry too much, but the one in the back is a goner. Welcome to the killers club!