Need Advice For Beginner With Dying Bonsai

FredL

Chollis, your tree doesn't look that bad to me. The needles at the ends of the branches and growing tips are a much better guide to the health of the tree than interior needles or needles further back on the brances. Over time, all needles eventually turn brown and die. On Junipers, they just don't do it all at once in the Fall as deciduous trees do.

The advice you've received to put your tree outside is sound. It looks to me like J. procumbens "nana". I have a couple of these trees and they look just like yours and have looked like this for the 16 months I've had them and during which they gown quite a bit. Another year or two and I will style them and put them into bonsai pots. For now, I'm growing them out in growboxes. If you have them in half way decent soil for potted trees (granular, fast draining but with some of the mix components water-retaining), their daly care is not that exacting. I water mine once a day with a garden hose and that's about it. I give them a tablespoon of ordinary 8-8-8 fertilizer from Walmart every 3 or 4 weeks. I gather that's pretty close to what Walter Pall, our resident Bonsai Genius does with his, so if you want to follow this sort of a regimen, you'll be in good company.

Trees of the quality you've shown are not difficult to pick up at most local nurseries, or even Walmart or Lowe's as regular, landscaping trees. If you've caught the bug, you may want to look for something like them at his time, or such commonly used deciduous trees as Crepe Myrtle, Boxwood, Cotoneaster or other small-leaved deciduous species. You will probably find several trees more fun and you will pick up experience much faster. We're really out of the collecting season, which is around February to earl May here in Arkansas, but you might also want to scout around for trees to dig later in the year. Most of the deciduous species can also be dug in mid to late Fall.

Good luck to you. As Ron Martin has said, Bonsai is about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Hope ti hear from you again.

Fred