HELP! Save this bonsai

tauqirghani

I was gifted this bonsai. I love it. I watered it on alternate days. But it is dying.
The tree is placed indoors in the dining area. I live in southern california. Inside the house is sometimes airconditioned some times not.
I am attaching a picture to first find what is the name and type of this tree and how can I save it and have it thrive.

Please take the trouble to open the attached photographs.

Thanks

Tauqir

Attached Images

	tree.JPG (21.0 KB, 108 views)
	foliage.JPG (26.2 KB, 90 views)

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mrwally1954

ok im only a newby at this so its a suggestion only aircondition on +off not a good combonation from one extream to the other . may be out of the aircon or out side . though please listen to others as im still learning

lele

I'm no pro either, but it looks like a juniper to me. My first bonsai was a juniper and I kept mine inside a while, till parts of it started to turn yellow and die. I put it outside and it's been fine.

Alasdair

This is some kind of juniper, i don't know which one. If you read around you'll find plenty of threads about newbies with junipers that are dieing and it is almost always caused by those little word: "the tree is placed indoors..." or something to that effect. It needs to go outside or it will die. Somebody with more experience than me will be able to tell you whereabouts outside (eg full sun, shade etc).

Trees didn't evolve to grow indoors, it is too dark and the air is still and dry. Get it outside and it might perk up. I say might as junipers have a tendency to stay green for a while after they are dead.

Al

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mrwally1954

got my juniper out side and its doing great have posted it uner some of my collection

Ashbarns9999

The classic mistake here. If you regard this tree a houseplant it will die. Many people buy bonsai and love to be near them but unfortunately they live outdoors in full sunshine (as in the case of this juniper) so that is their domain. You can however bring them inside for a few days on special occasions but they must be misted every so often and i would not place them beside a heater or on top of the television.

I suggest you enrol with one of the many bonsai clubs near you or in the short term do a search on basic bonsai care here in bonsaiTALK.

Regards Ash

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Marie1uk

Yep it's a Juniper (looks like a needle type - Rigida or Procumbens nana). Junipers love full sun and free draining soil and like to get a little drier than most other plants before they get watered again. A lot of people use toothpicks as bonsai dipsticks when learning how to water their bonsai,

http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthr...light=toothpick

gradually using experience they use other methods (weight of pot or look of soil).

You need to do this to help save your Juniper from death by TLC:

#1 Move your Bonsai to a place OUTSIDE where it will receive full sun, a stable growing microclimate and good ventilation for a least 6 hours a day.

#2 Keep an eye on soil dampness until you get used to the rate at which the soil dries out in its new location.

#3 Get rid of the rock on the soil surface until we can determine your soil consistency. Is it free draining? Water your plant thoroughly outside and then watch under the pot. Is water flowing freely from the drainage holes in the pot or just trickling? If it is trickling then you may have drainage problems / poor soil. Let me know if this is the case and I'll talk you through an emergency repot.

#4 Fertilize your plant using a good balanced fertiliser.

#5 Check for pests before you water- red spider mite is a common pest. Get a piece of white paper and hold it under the branches. Tap it gently and see if there are any red spots falling onto the paper. Also see if you can spot the mini webs they weave. See below for control procedures:

"Spider mite control should be implemented
as soon as activity is diagnosed. This will
prevent further damage and help to minimize
treatments. However, spider mite control will
almost always take several treatments. This
is because the spray will not kill eggs.
Consequently, eggs will be hatching following
your first treatment. To insure you kill all
activity, treat once a week for 3-6 treatments.
This schedule is necessary in the warmer months
when cycles develop quickly. If it is the
off season and development is slower, treat
2-4 times every two weeks. Don't waste your
time with standard materials like dursban or
diazinon. Like most arachnids, spider mites
are not too vulnerable to these active ingredients.
The best material for spider mite control is
called CYFLUTHRIN. This concentrate uses a synthetic
pyrethrin which has no odor and is very active on
mites. More importantly, it is very gentle
on treated plants. Use it to treat as many
plants that you believe may have activity.
Spider mite activity may be centralized,
but don't limit your coverage area to just
the active plants. The more you cover the
better protection you will get."Taken from http://www.bugspray.com/articles99/spidermites.html

Good luck.

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