Help, juniper mallsai

Blimpsandmtn

Yamadori
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Hey all, my girlfriend yesterday gifted me a small juniper she had bought from a seller in a flea market.
I have experience with bonsai but not any considered mallsai. After doing the bark scratch test as I always do with bonsai as I get them I noticed it's a white very very pale green color.
It came with a bottle of tree feed and lots of rocks on top. I removed the rocks and lo and behold the soil is extremely dense and any kind of watering puddles quickly.
How can I help this tree survive.
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If your juniper has growing tips, then it may have some hope. I've had one or two get in a bad way this year and show similar scratch test to yours and I've managed to pull them out of it. Since the tree is already weak, I don't think you should repot now. If it were me, I would inspect the soil closely to see if it is all dried up inside, it can become hydrophobic if it gets too dry. If it is super dry inside, I would water it through submersion and let it soak up for 10 minutes or so. Do you know if it was kept indoors, outdoors, or in a greenhouse? I think regardless, after you give it a good soak, put it outside somewhere where it will get 4+ hours of morning sun and maybe dappled shade the rest of the day. Give it about two weeks in that spot then move it into full sun if it shows signs of growth. After the soak, just water it when the first few CM of soil gets dry, make sure it doesn't stay soaking.

If the soil is not dry and it all slimy and sopping I'd just leave it alone in similar light conditions as stated above and see if drying out a bit helps it along.

Assuming its still alive and makes it, you will want to repot it into better quality soil next spring. I've saved a few Walmart junipers this way.

By the way - may be a dumb question - but that little panda planter has drainage holes, right?
 

Blimpsandmtn

Yamadori
Messages
85
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Location
Dallas
USDA Zone
8a
If your juniper has growing tips, then it may have some hope. I've had one or two get in a bad way this year and show similar scratch test to yours and I've managed to pull them out of it. Since the tree is already weak, I don't think you should repot now. If it were me, I would inspect the soil closely to see if it is all dried up inside, it can become hydrophobic if it gets too dry. If it is super dry inside, I would water it through submersion and let it soak up for 10 minutes or so. Do you know if it was kept indoors, outdoors, or in a greenhouse? I think regardless, after you give it a good soak, put it outside somewhere where it will get 4+ hours of morning sun and maybe dappled shade the rest of the day. Give it about two weeks in that spot then move it into full sun if it shows signs of growth. After the soak, just water it when the first few CM of soil gets dry, make sure it doesn't stay soaking.

If the soil is not dry and it all slimy and sopping I'd just leave it alone in similar light conditions as stated above and see if drying out a bit helps it along.

Assuming its still alive and makes it, you will want to repot it into better quality soil next spring. I've saved a few Walmart junipers this way.

By the way - may be a dumb question - but that little panda planter has drainage holes, right?
Thank you for the information, as far as I know she said it was outside, the soil remains quite moist but I take it that it's due to the clayish nature of it, almost like the dirt you find in the yard. And yes the panda pot has two drainage holes.
 
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Thank you for the information, as far as I know she said it was outside, the soil remains quite moist but I take it that it's due to the clayish nature of it, almost like the dirt you find in the yard. And yes the panda pot has two drainage holes.

I wouldn't soak it then, just let it ride and get that sun and cross your fingers. Water it when the first few cm get dry.
 
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