Juniper Bonsai Yellow/Green

Hello everyone,

I have a little problem with my juniper bonsai. First let me start off by saying that I am new to the bonsai hobby. I keep the juniper indoors all day long in direct sunlight. I water it once every 2-3 days when the soil begins to get dry using tap water from my sink (I water it until it is thoroughly soaked). I also be sure to sprinkle water on the needles. In addition to watering, I also have a humidity tray with pebbles to keep a humidity at a decent level.

Anyways, I have been looking at my juniper closely the past few weeks and have noticed that one side has turned a yellowish color. Strangely enough it is the side of the tree that faces the window. The other side, (the one away from the window), is a healthy green color. I have thought about turning it around so the green side faces the window, but I don't want the other side to become yellow as well so instead I placed it in a nook in my kitchen where there will be less sunlight. I only moved it two feet from its original location. Thanks for your help, it is greatly appreciated.

I have also included pictures as well.

Good Side:




Bad Side:

Welcome!

How long have you had this tree?

Hard to tell from the pics but (sorry) it looks like dead to me.

Poink88 wrote:Welcome!

How long have you had this tree?

Hard to tell from the pics but (sorry) it looks like dead to me.

Thanks for your quick reply! Like I said before, I am no expert with bonsai tress but I am pretty sure it is not dead. In person there is only a slight yellow color. Perhaps it is because I am using a horrible camera hahaha. I have been meaning to purchase a better one.

I have bought this tree 6 months ago form an internet seller. The juniper tree is 2.5 years old.

I hope I am mistaken but just like "fresh" Christmas trees, junipers may stay green for months though they are long dead.

Good luck!

I think you should immediately place your juniper outside on shady place for now to slowly get used to full sun. This is outdoor plant and very hardly will survive in the room/indoor. Also watering should be careful better dryer than soaken wet. Do yourself favour and get more basic info reading on this site. You will avoid some frustration and disapointment in bonsai hobby. This is just my 2 cents

Ok thanks for your replies.

I have looked into keeping my bonsai outdoors, but I live in the northern United States and I am pretty sure it can't survive outside during the winter months. I would hate to adapt it outside only to move it inside a month or two later due to winter. It just seems like unnecessary stress to me, but what do I know hahaha.

I might be located in higher hardy zone then you are. You should chose plants recommended for indoor if you afraid of winterizing. I do my selection of trees by looking the hardy regarding my latitude to avoid unnecessary disapointment. All my plants survived winter without problems because I pay attention the hardy zone. Hope this will give you some idea.

juniperbonsai wrote:Ok thanks for your replies.

I have looked into keeping my bonsai outdoors, but I live in the northern United States and I am pretty sure it can't survive outside during the winter months. I would hate to adapt it outside only to move it inside a month or two later due to winter. It just seems like unnecessary stress to me, but what do I know hahaha.

Where in the U.S.? Junipers can take some pretty cold temperatures.

Ryan wrote:

juniperbonsai wrote:Ok thanks for your replies.

I have looked into keeping my bonsai outdoors, but I live in the northern United States and I am pretty sure it can't survive outside during the winter months. I would hate to adapt it outside only to move it inside a month or two later due to winter. It just seems like unnecessary stress to me, but what do I know hahaha.

Where in the U.S.? Junipers can take some pretty cold temperatures.

Ohio to be exact. Can junipers tolerate snow?

Definitely Juniper love snow...most yamadoris collected in high rocky mountains

yamasuri wrote:Definitely Juniper love snow...most yamadoris collected in high rocky mountains

Wow, I wouldn't have expected that. I looked into my "zone" and it turns out I am in zone 6a - 6b. I think that is acceptable for Junipers.

At zone 6a-b you can have much more trees without extra winter protection. Juniper should be just fine over the winter just under the bench with some snow blown on top.

yamasuri wrote:At zone 6a-b you can have much more trees without extra winter protection. Juniper should be just fine over the winter just under the bench with some snow blown on top.

Thats great to know! Just a few questions...

Should I keep it outside overnight?
Should I take it inside when it rains?
Will it receive too much sunlight if I keep it outside all day?

Thanks a ton for your help!

Outside at all times. With now transformation from "indoor jail" you have to be careful with strong sunshine you have to get the tree used to ...the best is morning sun and slowly extend exposure till you can have it on full sun. If you live in area with heavy rain you might protect tree with plastic cover over the substrat in the pot. Watering for bonsai is one of the criticle factor.

Mine are out in full TX sun 100% and they are doing fine.

I hope you do not blame the sun (or moving it out) if this tree doesn't make it. As I said, there is a possibility that it is too late.

Maybe we should first double check that it is still alive. Is the foliage brittle? Give the trunk a small scratch, what color is it underneath?

What the picture show it might be too late but you never know.

yamasuri wrote:Outside at all times. With now transformation from "indoor jail" you have to be careful with strong sunshine you have to get the tree used to ...the best is morning sun and slowly extend exposure till you can have it on full sun. If you live in area with heavy rain you might protect tree with plastic cover over the substrat in the pot. Watering for bonsai is one of the criticle factor.

Ok so should I start by leaving it out for only a few hours? I have the perfect spot outside so there will not be a ton of direct exposure.

Poink88 wrote:Mine are out in full TX sun 100% and they are doing fine.

I hope you do not blame the sun (or moving it out) if this tree doesn't make it. As I said, there is a possibility that it is too late.

I agree, I just hope that I can improve the living conditions if it is even still alive...

I think it is because when I have increased watering over the past few weeks the tree has slowly been turing a darker green color.

""Ok so should I start by leaving it out for only a few hours? I have the perfect spot outside so there will not be a ton of direct exposure.""
Leave it outside 24/7 but limit the sun exposure and slowly extend day by day

Can I very politely suggest that while you are waiting for this juniper to either recover or finally go to the juniper plot in the sky, it might be advatageous to do some bonsai research and find your nearest bonsai club.

A good place to start is with our own tutorial which you can find BY CLICKING HERE. In the last post on that thread you will find some links to the two bonsai sites our members use a lot.

There is also a link in an earlier post on the thread to our book lists.

Good luck with your bonsai journey - you will find it very rewarding.

Thanks for your help everyone. I have just placed the juniper outside this morning and am hoping the temperature shock won't kill it. I will be sure to check out local clubs to learn more information. Once again thanks for your help!

If it is alive, it will be fine. However, based on those pictures, I suspect it is way too late.

Ok everyone, I am not sure if my bonsai is living or dead but I decided to take higher quality pictures to help you guys visually distinguish if it is alive or dead. I tried cutting a little into the bark and found that it was moist but not green. Some bristles come off, but for most of them you need to work at it for it to fully come off. Here are the pictures.

Good Side:




Bad Side:




I hope that this helps.

Sorry, but that guy really looks like a gonner

The likelihood that it is dead just got bumped up.

Read a bit more, study what (characteristics) makes a good bonsai...then go to Home Depot or Lowe's and look at their 5 gallon junipers. You can get much cheaper and better stock than what you have now. You have time to learn what to do before spring as well!

Good luck!