Great Guide For Juniper Bonsai Tree Care – Part II
Part I of Caring For Your Juniper Bonsai dealt predominantly with the watering, light, humidity and the feeding of your juniper bonsai. In this article we will talk about some additional, essential juniper bonsai care tips and hints covering subject areas which include re-potting your juniper bonsai, the perfect time to prune your juniper, eliminating unwanted pests, and caring for your juniper throughout the winter season.
Pruning Your Juniper Bonsai
If your plant survived the winter you will see fresh buds showing up on the tips of the juniper bonsai tree branches in the spring. Quite often the tree will have an additional spurt of new growth in the autumn, also recognized by from the new buds on the tips of the branches. This new growth should be gotten rid of by pinching, otherwise fast growing shoots will develop and your bonsai could begin looking a little bit unkempt and lose it’s tidy shape. Don’t begin pinching the buds until around thirty days after new growth first appears in late spring. Older foliage must also be taken off in the spring which will help reduce the amount of inner growth, and permit the sun’s rays to penetrate more easily and more air to circulate. During the regular growing season you might also want to look for brand new growth, and continue pinching it off to keep the plant compact and well-shaped.
Pinching off new growth doesn’t cause harm to the plant. This is in part the method whereby a plant is miniaturized, and the bonsai’s ultimate shape would depend on your limiting it’s growth in this way.
Repotting Your Juniper Bonsai
Junipers plants need to be repotted about every a couple of years when they are juveniles (less than 5 or 6 years of age) after which only every 3 to five years when they reach maturity. You have to be cautious to always use a soil mix that drains very easlity whenever you re-pot your juniper plants. In case your bonsai needs re-potting, be certain not to do so during the hot months of summer. Junipers must only be re-potted during the spring and fall in order to avoid causing any damage to your plant. If your juniper is suffering root rot go ahead and cut out all afflicted roots and replant directly into pure sphagnum moss for a year. Sphagnum moss is bacteria and decay resilient and also is extremely water absorbent. Right after repotting your juniper be sure to water it thoroughly and then keep the plant in a shady spot until the roots have recovered.
Root Pruning
Depending on [how old] your juniper bonsai is you must re-pot it every 2-5 years. This is actually the best time for you to prune the plants roots and keeping it from becoming root-bound. Once you have removed the tree from it’s container, very carefully take away some of the soil from the rootball. You may safely cut off nearly one-third of your juniper bonsai plant’s roots without causing injury. When you have carefully pruned your Juniper’s roots you may put it back into it’s pot with a mixture of good-draining planting medium mixed with some sand. To help it recover quickly from the root pruning and the re-potting you need to use a transplant shock supplement blended into its water. It’s also advisable to squirt the plant once or twice a day for a couple of weeks.
Pest Control
Spider mites can cause considerable harm to junipers, and are notably bad indoors (and that is another valid reason to keep them outdoors). The easiest method to keep your plants from being destroyed by spider mites is to be on the offensive and spray your junipers once a month with an insecticide that will kill spider mites. If your juniper bonsai is near several other plants make certain that you spray them with insecticide at the same time.
How to Care for Your Juniper in Winter
To maintain good health, your juniper bonsai tree should be kept in a cool (under 60 degrees F) throughout the winter months for them to experience a dormancy or rest period. Outdoor juniper bonsai plants need to be protected from intense, prolonged cold conditions, as well as from dry winter winds. You will be able to accomplish this by putting them in a window well, an outdoor shed (if it has windows), or a mulch bed.
Your juniper bonsai tree does best if it has a “Winter” to complete it’s natural cycle. All you need to do is place it in the garage or in an unheated space for the winter season. Your juniper won’t be harmed by freezing temps unless the freeze is followed by a quick rise in the temp. Indirect light is all that is necessary during winter if the temperatures are below 50F degrees. The plant will require a lesser amount of water while it is dormant during the winter, and if temperatures remain low enough.
If you can’t imitate winter with a cold room or basement or garage, then try out, at least, to keep your bonsai plant away from receiving direct sunlight. Whenever your bonsai is maintained in the house at room temperature, be sure you humidify it by misting it maybe once or twice every day. Spraying for mites also becomes more important.
