Reaching Out for 2nd Opinions

sLeepLess

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Hello Everyone,

I am obviously new to Bonsai Nut. I most likely have used this site in the past when searching for information but i use any and all sources available to me so i never settled down. If i used your knowledge before, it was just one among many but; Thank you!

I suppose i am settling down now because i want to communicate the information not just digest it.

I have had many Bonsai in my life. I've killed many. Everything from too much sun, too much water and not enough sun and not enough water to improper transplanting. Each time i killed one, i learned from it. I researched. I did my homework and came out the better Bonsaian from it. Every time except this time. I have 4 plants at home that are doing just fine. Youngest is 4 years old and oldest is 12. No issues. My past has helped me prevail with them. At work however, i have 2, a seedling that my co-workers bought me (The Mini Bonsai Kit) which has not yet sprouted and another that my wife bought me on Fathers Day (6/16/19). My concern is the Fathers Day one (i don't know species, it's 1 of my weakness atm).

The plant shows signs of lack of watering. From experience i know that cant be it. The soil is moist. i have never under watered it. I thought, perhaps, my co-workers over-watered it when they care for it when i take a vacation. There is no Root Rot though.

I am looking for opinions on what YOU would do next. Before posting, my idea was to re-pot it with new Bonsai Soil. Perhaps something is wrong with the current Soil. When i took a look at the roots, i found a Worm. This was the 1st time i have ever found a worm in 1 of my in-door plants. I bought a Grow Light and since i have had the grow light on it, i see signs of growth, so i know its not dead. However, i have never successfully brought a plant back from the Dry Death look.

Will it ever be as Green again? Should i cut off some of the dead leaves? What would you do (if anything, budget friendly)?

I don't know if or when to give up. I don't want to give up on this, but, should i? I suppose i'm looking for moral support or the cold truth. My co-workers, say its dead, my wife says, it looks like its coming back from the dead. I need an outside opinion.

Thank You for your time.

Attached is the Before and After.

20190610_134619_HDR.jpg20190610_134635_HDR.jpg20191126_165213.jpg20191126_165224.jpg20191126_165230.jpg20191126_165248.jpg
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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First off, I skipped the read because I'm having a busy day. I see a dead juniper.
Indoors, the climate is just not helping them. Well, it is helping them die. Junipers should be outside, always, this one looks like it wasn't. That's the cold hard truth. You can't save it. But you can keep the pot!

Now for moral support: you did good by asking the forum, this means you know your own limits and when to ask for help, albeit too late for this one.
Cool that everyone seems to support your hobby. I think it might be wise for you to get some of the basics laid out, like how does one propagate plant X from seed? Juniper care 101, and so on. I think that asking the right questions before issues occur will help you a great deal in preventing them. And in all honesty, I think everybody likes to have no problems.
Worms are friends. They clean up debris and process it to shit that washes out during watering. Saves you at least one repot per 4 years.
 

Adair M

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Junipers are outdoor plants. Indoor light doesn’t provide photons with enough energy for photosynthesis. For some strange reason, they have evolved in such a manner that requires them to be regularly exposed to an ongoing thermonuclear reaction about 93 million miles away.
 

sorce

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Tree Sleeping!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce
 

Bolero

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Looks like its dying to me.... Junipers don't need a lot of water... I would say its been overwatered...so set aside, no more water, no more root work...
a root worm suggest's a nursery problem find out where wifey bought it and go for a return or exchange...
also based on many years of experience .....repotting new bonsai is a bad idea, just let them go for a year or two or three....
another also... overwatering will kill faster than underwatering FWIW...
Buy a $cheap 10$ or so Hygrometer and check the soil once a week that's what I do and it works well...
Almost any nursery or Hydroponics shop will have them...
Find out where your buddy's are buying their Mary Jane gear and try there....
 

Stan Kengai

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On top of what others have said, I would add that the pot your juniper is in is entirely too large (by a factor of 3 or more), which directly contributes to overwatering. If that is the pot you received it in, don't buy from that vendor again.
 

sLeepLess

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Mostly all the things i already knew but didnt want to hear. I really wanted optimism. You folks broke my heart.

Thanks for the quick replies Everyone. There are new leaves growing though so i dont think its dead (yet). Cold truth it is.

RIP little dude 😪

You need to do a whole lot more research next time before you get another plant as bonsai.

But but, damn. It was my little man. I will do more research both after and before i get another Bonsai as i have always done and will continue to do. Thanks!

First off, I skipped the read because I'm having a busy day. I see a dead juniper.
Indoors, the climate is just not helping them. Well, it is helping them die. Junipers should be outside, always, this one looks like it wasn't. That's the cold hard truth. You can't save it. But you can keep the pot!

Now for moral support: you did good by asking the forum, this means you know your own limits and when to ask for help, albeit too late for this one.
Cool that everyone seems to support your hobby. I think it might be wise for you to get some of the basics laid out, like how does one propagate plant X from seed? Juniper care 101, and so on. I think that asking the right questions before issues occur will help you a great deal in preventing them. And in all honesty, I think everybody likes to have no problems.
Worms are friends. They clean up debris and process it to shit that washes out during watering. Saves you at least one repot per 4 years.

I didnt know it was a Juniper. It didnt arrive with a name. i know the basic's. I am not ashamed to say i need help/advice. i tend to learn the hard way and realize what the right questions are after the issues occur. I didnt know that about worms. Thanks!

Junipers are outdoor plants. Indoor light doesn’t provide photons with enough energy for photosynthesis. For some strange reason, they have evolved in such a manner that requires them to be regularly exposed to an ongoing thermonuclear reaction about 93 million miles away.

Didnt know it was a Juniper.

Tree Sleeping!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

Thank you for the Welcome.

Sleeping is for the Weak & The Tired. I am neither.

Looks like its dying to me.... Junipers don't need a lot of water... I would say its been overwatered...so set aside, no more water, no more root work...
a root worm suggest's a nursery problem find out where wifey bought it and go for a return or exchange...
also based on many years of experience .....repotting new bonsai is a bad idea, just let them go for a year or two or three....
another also... overwatering will kill faster than underwatering FWIW...
Buy a $cheap 10$ or so Hygrometer and check the soil once a week that's what I do and it works well...
Almost any nursery or Hydroponics shop will have them...
Find out where your buddy's are buying their Mary Jane gear and try there....

Along with the 4 Bonsai i have at home, the Mary Jane is doing just fine ;)

If i give up on it, which i havent made that decision yet, i dont think i will return it. Appreciate the idea though, i didnt even consider it.

On top of what others have said, I would add that the pot your juniper is in is entirely too large (by a factor of 3 or more), which directly contributes to overwatering. If that is the pot you received it in, don't buy from that vendor again.

That is the Pot it arrived in. I didnt buy it. It was my fathers day gift. On top of "too large" it didnt arrive with a drainage. I had to drill a hole into it. Appreciate the reply though as i didnt even consider the pot an issue after i added a drainage.
 

leatherback

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If i give up on it, which i havent made that decision yet, i dont think i will return it. Appreciate the idea though, i didnt even consider it.
Don't. It was improper care that killed it. Worms are part of the living world and regular participants in my fertilizer-composting feasts in the pots.
 

PABonsai

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Don't fret. It's just a tree. Your profile says P.A. Is that like Pennsylvania or.....? If you are in Pennsylvania, go to Nature's Way nursery outside Harrisburg and you can get a dozen of cutting started junipers that size for $8 each.
 

Forsoothe!

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Generally speaking, any tree that can live outdoors in winter must be left outdoors to be its healthiest. They need the rest period. Boxwoods and Elms can be overwintered indoors, but they don't really have good growing seasons the following summers. You can keep them forever as houseplants with growing lights and never going outdoors, but that has limitations that they aren't really "houseplants" on a table near a window, they have to stay close under the lights which is usually not a "living room" type of display. And, they need to be kept very small, like mame size. This is not for the uninitiated.

Tropicals make better houseplants.
 

Tycoss

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Whenever you see needles rather than leaves, think outdoors. Junipers, pines, cedar, spruce etc. All need lots of light and a dormant period. Most also need great drainage. If you get them in a freely draining, mostly inorganic mix it becomes almost hard to overwater.

On a more general note, you want to avoid any future losses, whenever you receive/buy a tree, identify it, find the species specific sections here, and find someone in the archives who has created/maintained quality specimens of that species and lives in a similar climate. Review their old threads, and then you can ask more specific questions from a place of some basic knowledge. A lot of the beginner questions with common species have been answered in detail many times before.
 

JoeH

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I agree with @Tycoss above. Come for advice/ID when you get the plant, not after you kill it from improper care. Kept indoors, cruddy soil, too much water. Not sure where the misconception comes from that cute little trees can live in a cubicle. People can barely live in them.
 

Orion_metalhead

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I was surprised after "having many bonsai" in your life, you wouldnt recognize a juniper as a juniper until you also said that youve "killed many".

I think you need to do more research out in the natural world in parks and your neighborhood with a tree or plant guide to learn the actual types of trees and how they grow, gain energy, their life spans, etc. Knowing what type of tree you have is basically the most important part of caring for a tree. You cant treat a juniper like a ficus and expect it to live.

Start again with this one.

What type of indoor trees do you have? If those are growing well, maybe focus on those species. Indoor plants I enjoy are succulents and cacti like euphorbia and jade.
 

sLeepLess

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Whenever you see needles rather than leaves, think outdoors. Junipers, pines, cedar, spruce etc. All need lots of light and a dormant period. Most also need great drainage. If you get them in a freely draining, mostly inorganic mix it becomes almost hard to overwater.

On a more general note, you want to avoid any future losses, whenever you receive/buy a tree, identify it, find the species specific sections here, and find someone in the archives who has created/maintained quality specimens of that species and lives in a similar climate. Review their old threads, and then you can ask more specific questions from a place of some basic knowledge. A lot of the beginner questions with common species have been answered in detail many times before.

Thank You! Appreciate the information.


About your tree ....

He dead

I aint gonna give up on it. Its growing new leaves. I dont wanna give up on it. i really dont. i might but, i havent.


I was surprised after "having many bonsai" in your life, you wouldnt recognize a juniper as a juniper until you also said that youve "killed many".

I think you need to do more research out in the natural world in parks and your neighborhood with a tree or plant guide to learn the actual types of trees and how they grow, gain energy, their life spans, etc. Knowing what type of tree you have is basically the most important part of caring for a tree. You cant treat a juniper like a ficus and expect it to live.

Start again with this one.

What type of indoor trees do you have? If those are growing well, maybe focus on those species. Indoor plants I enjoy are succulents and cacti like euphorbia and jade.

I have 2 Ficus, an Elm and a Fukien at home. The seedling is a Snow Rose. I only know those because I bought them by name. For the most part, the ones i've killed i didnt know what they were. The one my wife bought me for Fathers day came with no name and before now, I've never had a need to identify them. I've had the Elm 4 years, the Fukien for 6 or 7 years and the 2 Ficus i bought at the same time, I've had both for 12 years.

I was, treating this presumable Juniper like my Ficus.

This is not my 1st Bonsai nor the 1st time i killed one. What i wanted, was the same thing i got from killing the others, to learn. More specifically, i wanted a 2nd Opinion from more experienced people.

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. I've have since decided to care for it until it dies completely.

Good Luck to you all in all your endeavors.
 

Orion_metalhead

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"For the most part, the ones i've killed i didnt know what they were." - you

"Knowing what type of tree you have is basically the most important part of caring for a tree." - us

"What i wanted, was the same thing i got from killing the others, to learn." - you

Sounds like you want to learn how to kill one tree of every species!
 
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Thank You! Appreciate the information.




I aint gonna give up on it. Its growing new leaves. I dont wanna give up on it. i really dont. i might but, i havent.




I have 2 Ficus, an Elm and a Fukien at home. The seedling is a Snow Rose. I only know those because I bought them by name. For the most part, the ones i've killed i didnt know what they were. The one my wife bought me for Fathers day came with no name and before now, I've never had a need to identify them. I've had the Elm 4 years, the Fukien for 6 or 7 years and the 2 Ficus i bought at the same time, I've had both for 12 years.

I was, treating this presumable Juniper like my Ficus.

This is not my 1st Bonsai nor the 1st time i killed one. What i wanted, was the same thing i got from killing the others, to learn. More specifically, i wanted a 2nd Opinion from more experienced people.

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. I've have since decided to care for it until it dies completely.

Good Luck to you all in all your endeavors.
Kinda like a tree hospice. Give him a good life till the end.
 
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