Neep help juniper nana

[rustedtrew180sx]

Hey fellas posted this on the newcomer section.. might be better to post this here instead.

*Mods, hope this is okay to repost this here. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Hey everyone!

Just want to say hi/introduce myself and ask for some assistance.


Been lurking around this forum for some time and learning what I can! Thank you all for the awesome info on this forum. I'm greatful!

I recently got into bonsai and loving it so far.
I visited my local bonsai store and ended up leaving with a juniper nana.
I purchased a nursery plant and a pot thinking I would grow it out and make my own bonsai.. but as I was purchasing it.. my wife asked the owner if he can make a bonsai for us. He kindly agreed to do it for free!
The only thing that struck me was the soil he was using .. he explained that it was a mixed soil and it looks like some sort of succulent soil mix.
Anywho, when we brought it home we kept it indoors for a week.. he suggested we do this since he pruned it and repotted it.. but from my research I think it would of been better to just leave it out.
In the last 3 weeks, I water it every 3 days so the soil always appears not soaked but a bit wet. I have it on my balcony with about 4 hours of direct sun. The temps have been about 88-95 in pasadena heat.
At first, the tree was vibrant green but lately, the tree has been getting a bit brown which concerns me. I thought maybe I need to feed it so I inserted a liquid fertilizer bottle near it's root and kept up with the my usual husbandry.

Just want some feedbacks on what you guys think ... I've seen trees similar to mine on the forum and I fear mine may be on it's way out ..
However, I do see that there is new growth on the trunk which makes me think otherwise ...

Thank you all in advance! I hope as I learn more, I can contribute down the line!

God bless,
Andy

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

It seems like the guy who made a bonsai out of it forgot that junipers need their foliar tips to grow happily after a repot. The quick and dirty method usually gives a person a nice starter tree but this one needs some time to recover for sure.

From what I can tell it'll be fine in a couple months. Since you're in a hot area, spider mites might be an issue. I hardly get them on my trees. I see some white specks that might indicate scale - scale requires a different treatment than spider mites.

Just keep them watered like you do, and they'll either go brown or they'll live. Not much you can do now other than inspect them for bugs and try to keep those at bay. Nanas are tough, they can handle some beatings. But they need time to bounce back, and this can take up to a year.

Either way, welcome to the hobby! Next time, turn that tree into a bonsai yourself, it's way more fun and you can be more diligent in your approach.

 

[Housguy]

Wires hit the nail on the head, I wouldn't touch it anymore and just water and let it recover and monitor for any bugs, good luck!

 

[rustedtrew180sx]

It seems like the guy who made a bonsai out of it forgot that junipers need their foliar tips to grow happily after a repot. The quick and dirty method usually gives a person a nice starter tree but this one needs some time to recover for sure.

From what I can tell it'll be fine in a couple months. Since you're in a hot area, spider mites might be an issue. I hardly get them on my trees. I see some white specks that might indicate scale - scale requires a different treatment than spider mites.

Just keep them watered like you do, and they'll either go brown or they'll live. Not much you can do now other than inspect them for bugs and try to keep those at bay. Nanas are tough, they can handle some beatings. But they need time to bounce back, and this can take up to a year.

Either way, welcome to the hobby! Next time, turn that tree into a bonsai yourself, it's way more fun and you can be more diligent in your approach.

Thank you so much guys! I really appreciate it!

I sprayed it last night with bonide and saw several caterpillar-like bugs fall down on the towel I wrapped around the soil.
*Read some ppl do this on the forum to protect the soil from the spray droplets.

yeah... I was told by another member that the guy was sloppy with the prunning... I did want to do the cuttings myself but my wife wanted the guy to do it considering he's the owner of the store.. ugh.. guess it was a bad move...
i do plan on getting another nursery pot and doing it myself!
I'll definitely share once I get that goin.

thanks again really!