White Stuff on Juniper 'Nana'

Ok, so I just saw this morning that I have some sort of mold or fungus growing on my Juniper 'Nana'. The only reason that I say it is a mold or fungus is that it is not only on the trunk of the tree, but it is on the (few) exposed roots and some pebbles that are mixed in with the soil. I have had this plant for about a month now. Purchased from homedepot.com and received it from Brussel's nursery. This juniper is supposedly about 3 years old and it gets sun from early morning to about 3 this time of year. Oh, and I water it every evening about the time that it gets into the shade. Any help? This is my first "real" bonsai and it would be a shame to say that I killed it in a month.


I am concerned about the white stuff on the trunk, roots, and pebbles.

I don't think it is fungus. It is more likely excess salt deposit from poor soil, but you don't have it in an ideal situation.
1. Try to put it in a location where it will get sun all day long.
2. Don't water it until the soil is quite dry. Never water on a time schedule. Stick your finger, a chopstick, or a wooden skewer way down into the bottom of the pot. Don't water until it is pretty nearly bone dry.
3. Get those pebbles off of there immediately.
4. Remember this is a temperate plant and requires a dormant period. Do you have an appropriate winter location picked out?
Between now & next spring, get hold of some coarse bonsai soil ("conifer mix"). It will need repotting in early spring.
Iris

Probably just deposits of lime from hard water. Ugly but harmless. A weak vinegar wash should get rid of it.

bonsaisr wrote:
4. Remember this is a temperate plant and requires a dormant period. Do you have an appropriate winter location picked out?
Between now & next spring, get hold of some coarse bonsai soil ("conifer mix"). It will need repotting in early spring.
Iris

The winters here rarely get below 10 - 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you think this plant would be ok outside through the winter? If not, I have room in my basement that has a west-facing window. Also, the papers that came with plant stated that it would not need to be repotted for 2 years. How can I tell when it is needing to be done?

nyxm wrote:
The winters here rarely get below 10 - 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Do you think this plant would be ok outside through the winter?

Yes. Bury the pot in a sheltered area & put a rose cone or something similar over the plant.

nyxm wrote:Also, the papers that came with plant stated that it would not need to be repotted for 2 years.

Followed by obscenities unsuitable for a family web site. That accumulation of salts proves that it needs repotting urgently. Please remove those pebbles and plan on repotting early next spring.
Iris

as mentioned it is just deposit - brush the bark with a tooth brush and water, it looks better like that anyway. look under the pot - if you cant see roots through the drain hole it doesnt need an emergency repot -

the commonest way to get this deposit is from full strength dissolved fertilizers, followed by 'hard' water leaving limescale. Neither will harm the tree as long as the green bits look healthy - an unhappy juniper will go yellow

cheers Marcus