RoneKiln
Seedling
Last spring I noticed a tiny Pygmy Juniper in a nursery that looked like it would make a great bonsai with very minimal work. My Father and I have always loved the idea of Bonsai, but never gave it a try beyond one of those little ficus that hardware stores sell every year as a bonsai. So I decided to give it to him for a gift and then proceeded to do everything wrong after only reading a short internet article on what I was doing. It is now a very faded green fast going to brown.
1st likely problem: I planted it in some old potting soil from the garage. I have since read that conifers should be grown in very large grained soil. I have purchased a bag of soil for conifers from Eastern Leaf (http://www.easternleaf.com/Conifer_Mix_p/113550-01.htm) and a strainer to sift the soil through.
2nd likely problem: like many, we though bonsai were kept indoors. After I repot it later this afternoon, it's going to be moved outside. I think we're past night freezes here (near Seattle), but I'll still have to keep a close eye on temperature. the plant is only 3 to 4 inches tall, and it's in a very tiny pot. So I'm nervous it could freeze very easily.
Wondering on fertilizer: I have read that fertilizing shortly after trimming the roots can cause harm. Now I don't expect to trim the roots, but if some rot set in after trimming and repotting in dense soil last year, could the fertilizer harm it? I have some Bonsai fertilizer from Eastern Leaf and was thinking of using half what it recommended as a possibly safe middle ground. Any advice on this would be appreciated.
Is there anything else anyone would recommend? Is anything I've mentioned doing setting off warning alarms? This poor little tree looks pretty sick and I'm doubtful of being able to save it, but I feel I should try. I was pretty proud of how it looked when it was first repotted and would love to see it return to that. My Dad was pretty excited to finally have a Bonsai as well.
1st likely problem: I planted it in some old potting soil from the garage. I have since read that conifers should be grown in very large grained soil. I have purchased a bag of soil for conifers from Eastern Leaf (http://www.easternleaf.com/Conifer_Mix_p/113550-01.htm) and a strainer to sift the soil through.
2nd likely problem: like many, we though bonsai were kept indoors. After I repot it later this afternoon, it's going to be moved outside. I think we're past night freezes here (near Seattle), but I'll still have to keep a close eye on temperature. the plant is only 3 to 4 inches tall, and it's in a very tiny pot. So I'm nervous it could freeze very easily.
Wondering on fertilizer: I have read that fertilizing shortly after trimming the roots can cause harm. Now I don't expect to trim the roots, but if some rot set in after trimming and repotting in dense soil last year, could the fertilizer harm it? I have some Bonsai fertilizer from Eastern Leaf and was thinking of using half what it recommended as a possibly safe middle ground. Any advice on this would be appreciated.
Is there anything else anyone would recommend? Is anything I've mentioned doing setting off warning alarms? This poor little tree looks pretty sick and I'm doubtful of being able to save it, but I feel I should try. I was pretty proud of how it looked when it was first repotted and would love to see it return to that. My Dad was pretty excited to finally have a Bonsai as well.
