Removing the parts with the swellings and galls is no guarantee that the fungus will not reappear. The foliage is needle-like on young trees and scale-like on older trees. There are two groups of Junipers, one with scale-like foliage and the other one with needle-like foliage. Winter is the time when, after lavishing care and attention on plants, you can finally reap … The Juniper Bonsai is generally a strong tree that also withstands aggressive pruning very well. The Juniperus genus contains between 50-70 species of trees and low-lying shrubs. However, they cannot tolerate being waterlogged. Juniper Bonsai Tree Care Guide There are over 50 different types of species of Junipers or Juniperus. There are two main categories of juniper trees - trees with scale-like foliage and trees with needle-like foliage. Pests / diseases: If junipers are well cared for and placed in an ideal location they are very resistant to pests. Juniper species have different levels of susceptibility to rust fungus. Make sure not to allow foliage pads to get too dense otherwise, pests can settle in them more easily. There are numerous varieties of Chinese Juniper, many of which difficult to distinguish with certainty, but the care guidelines for these varieties are very similar. During winter the junipers must be kept in a place with enough light and they must be checked for pests regularly even in winter. However, cut back on fertilizing during the summer months to give the tree a break. They make perfect beginner bonsai trees for inexperienced growers as they are forgiving, easily shaped, and well-suited to bonsai growing techniques. The Juniper should be preferably grown outdoors as it requires 6 or more hours of direct sunlight on a daily basis. Juniper bonsai require bright, direct sunlight for the majority of the day. Young trees can be repotted every two years at the most, and older trees can go as long as five years without being repotted. You can usually find good raw material for Bonsai there. However, during the winter, you need to be extra careful. Don’t worry they will turn green again in spring. Bonsai trees require regular care and maintenance. Generally, juniper bonsai trees are easy to care for and thrive on neglect. You can opt-out at any time. Find species-specific information on your tree. The Japanese Garden Juniper (Juniperus procumbens ‘nana’) is the most popular and recognizable bonsai in the United States, with good reason. Healthy juniper trees are quite resistant to pests and diseases, however, it is a good idea to keep an eye out for several common juniper pests/diseases. To avoid shocking the roots, don’t fertilize a juniper bonsai after it has been repotted for at least a month. Generally, juniper bonsai trees are easy to care for and thrive on neglect. Cori is a freelance writer based out of Ontario, Canada, who specializes in houseplants and houseplant care. When extreme winter temperatures dip below this, providing juniper bonsais with moderate protection from wind and frost will help them to overwinter outdoors. Juniper bonsai care is seriously very easy. Old junipers can be found in gardens, concrete pots, and on cemeteries, with old graves that will be cleared, and if you are lucky the owner will allow you to dig one out for little money or a new plant. For juniper bonsai, pinching back growth rather than cutting back is recommended as cutting can cause the surrounding needles to die off. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. The Sierra Juniper is a shrub or tree native to the western United States. The Rocky Mountain Juniper grows in western North-America and can become a tall tree. The Japanese Needle Juniper has sharp, dark green, stinging needles with a narrow white line along their length. Junipers are also great for jin and shari, or deadwood. Juniper species, like Chinese juniper, Japanese garden junipers, green mound, sargent’s needle, and shimpaku, are grown extensively as bonsai trees. Continue reading about watering Bonsai trees. Ensuring that the bonsai has adequate drainage is imperative in preventing the soil from becoming waterlogged. During winter, particularly in rainy weather, the galls produce large, orange, gelatin-like tendrils, full of spores that infest the leaves of pear trees or hawthorn/crabapples. Some species change their foliage color during frosty periods to a purplish brown which is a part of their internal frost protection mechanism. Trees in his collection go far beyond the common spruce and juniper bonsai sold at typical nurseries. You can identify the fungus when you see orange spots on the pear leaves. Winter rest. Dramatically twisted shapes are very popular and correspond with the natural shapes that used to grow in the Japanese mountains. Traditional insecticide/miticide sprays will help but if you want to get rid of pests, you should investigate why the tree was prone to infestation. Continue reading about pruning Bonsai trees. The Common Juniper is native to Europe, North-America, Asia, and North-Africa. Juniper Bonsai Winter Care. These impressive, trouble-free evergreens are an excellent choice for the beginner. Use slow-release organic fertilizer once a month during the growing season, or a liquid fertilizer every week when watering. Due the flexibility of the branches and growing characteristic, the Juniper bonsai tree is … Chinese Juniper (Juniperus Chinensis) It’s a small bonsai that can withstand climate change. If you’d like to see strong growth you can apply some higher nitrogen levels in the spring. Place the juniper bonsai outdoors in a bright spot where it will get direct sunlight in the morning, but filtered shade during the hottest part of the day. Specific Bonsai care guidelines for the Juniper Bonsai Placement : Place the tree outside, year-round, in a bright location with lots of sunlight. At this stage of “finished” bonsai, you want to be pruning in early to mid-summer. It grows live veins below broken or dying branches that dry out and die to make deadwood. Juniper bonsai care Juniper Bonsai are characterized by a great hardiness and longevity. Very old trees can be repotted at longer intervals. Junipers can sometimes get infested with spider mites, juniper scale, juniper aphids, and juniper needle miners as well as juniper webworms. Juniper bonsai trees can take care of themselves, but they are not exempted from extremely cold temperatures during winter, late-season frost, reflective heat emitted by buildings, excessively wet soil, rock mulch, shade, poor or excessive drainage, competition from other shrubs and trees, and also soil disturbance, causing harm and damage to your Juniper bonsai trees. Junipers can live a very long time. If you have specific questions please email us at info@BonsaiNW.com.You can also see our Calendar of classes and events.. We have the largest selection of quality Bonsai pots, tools, and supplies available. Basics on How to Grow a Juniper Bonsai Tree. Just follow our tips on how to care for a bonsai tree and soon you’ll be on your way to becoming a true bonsai pro! How to Ruin a Bonsai Without Really Trying July 31, 2019 August 19, 2019 sewershark778 The principal tree to show up in my blog was this Ficus Natalensis which I developed from a cutting in Junipers simply cannot survive for any extended period of time indoors, even if you provide them a bright windowsill. Acquisition of juniper Bonsai: Many well-suited juniper species in different sizes can be found in most nurseries. Some people have a different opinion, but it’s best to burn rust-infested juniper immediately or put it into the garbage instead of your compost heap. But it cannot bud again from bare tree parts, so take care that there is some foliage left on every branch you wish to keep alive. Usually you can tell when it needs watering by the color and feel of the soil surface. Welcome to Bonsai Northwest!. For more details, see our, How to Grow and Care for Alligator Juniper, How to Care for and Maintain a Bonsai Tree. Some are even considered resistant to fungal rust diseases. The Savin is a juniper from southern Europe, North-Africa, and some parts of Asia with scale-like foliage which can be finer or more coarse and has different shades of green depending on its origin. The Japanese Shimpaku is actually a variety of Chinese Juniper which was originally found in the mountains of Japan. ProFlowers Merchandising Product Designer Nikki Kinowski says, “Our juniper bonsai (outdoor option) and our golden gate ficus (indoor option) are the most forgiving options for beginners.” In nature, it grows as a small tree or shrub. Both have scale-like foliage with color ranging from yellowish-green to bluish-green or silver-green. Juniper Bonsai Tree Care. Scale junipers’ new growth, or juvenile foliage, appears needle-like until the typical scale-like foliage appears when they mature. We say this because they are born healthy and are adaptable to all temperature conditions. As with most species well-suited to bonsai, juniper trees take well to wiring, although it should be done slowly and carefully. Bonsai is the ancient Japanese art form of growing ornamental miniature or artificially dwarfed trees in containers using cultivation techniques to mimic the shape and scale of full-sized trees. It grows in mountainous terrain at altitudes of 2500 to 10000 ft. (800–3000 meters) Its foliage is scale-like with grayish or dark green coloring and tends to grow quite dense. Juvenile growth can also result from heavy pruning, bending, or overwatering and can last as long as a few years until the normal scale-like foliage grows and the young needle-like foliage falls or can be removed. The visibly infested branches die in most cases and the fungus can emerge on other tree parts. If they are large and old, you can split the deadwood to bend the more flexible living parts. This plant grows as a ground covering shrub if it is not shaped. To achieve a desired shape or style, Juniper bonsais can be pruned every 6 weeks. While the pear trees in most cases are not fatally affected – they are newly infected each year, and they can even be treated successfully with a fungicide. Many of these species of Junipers do very well for bonsai due a variety of factors including foliage sizes and shape, drought tolerance, trunk resiliency, and root strength. The American Bonsai Society recommends letting the soil dry slightly before watering your juniper, but cautions against allowing it to dry completely. General Information: The Shimpaku Juniper is native to Japan, the Kurile Island and the Sahalin Peninsula. Juniper bonsai trees should be grown outdoors year-round and cannot tolerate growing indoors. Do not trim the juniper like a hedge because the removal of all growing tips will weaken the tree and the cut will turn the needles brown. 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