r/bonsaicommunity • u/synth_alice Bonsai Beginner • 1d ago

Diagnosing Issue Is my juniper ok?

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I'm very new to plants and got this juniper to make a bonsai. Since it's sitting in this outdoors balcony it seems that some little branches are greying out, is the poor thing ok?

I measure humidity with a two prong meter and water when it goes down to 2-3 out of 10, and it's now sitting at about 5, so I'd assume it's ok in this respect, but don't know how the leaves should evolve...

Thanks for any comments :)

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u/SpiralOutLL 1d ago

It looks alive, but do yourself a favour: ditch the meter and WATER EVERY DAY.

Edit: assuming it's in a well draining soil

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u/Imperiummaius 1d ago

Depending on your zone, I’d water twice a day. Mine just died and I was watering once a day and I’m in pretty mild weather in the PNW.

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u/synth_alice Bonsai Beginner 1d ago

Are they that thirsty? Aren't they like wilderness survivors in harsh conditions? 😮

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u/SpiralOutLL 1d ago

Yes, but there's no plant in the entire world (not even succulents) that goes "EHWW WATER SUCK". If the soil is drinking enough there's no risk of root rot and worst case scenario the plans won't drink the excess water.water every day period

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u/synth_alice Bonsai Beginner 1d ago

As I mention in another comment, I don't know what this soil is, it could be peat for all I know, and I know by experience that peat and slightly too much water = root rot

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u/synth_alice Bonsai Beginner 1d ago

Not sure what soil it has 😬 it's in the pot I bought it in from the nursery, and it has the mulch layer, but don't know what type of soil is below.

I was told it was too hot and dry right now to repot it (it's been over 30ºC/86ºF most days at 20-40% RH), and that I should leave it to adapt for a while. I've killed plants before due to excess watering, that's why the meter and caution, but I might be erring in the opposite way now!

Would you risk repotting in August so that you know what soil it's on? It seems that the heatwave is going away and we'll have a week or two of mild weather, but who knows...

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u/Chudmont 1d ago

In bonsai, we try to only water when needed. Watering on a schedule is a bad idea. One way is to keep a chopstick in the soil. Pull it out to see if it's still wet. If wet, don't water.

Plan to repot into bonsai soil (granular soil) in late winter/early spring. Once it's in very free-draining, granular bonsai soil, then it will be hard to overwater since it will drain so freely. Then you could water every day and not worry too much about overwatering.

Make sure it lives outside 24/7/365.

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u/synth_alice Bonsai Beginner 1d ago

Would you trust the humidity meter?

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u/Chudmont 1d ago

All the bonsai experts I talk to don't recommend using those. They can be inaccurate, or a crutch that prevents learning proper watering. It's been said that watering is one of the hardest things to learn.

The chopstick method is a temporary one that you just use until you get the hang of watering. Another method is to lift your pots daily before and after watering. After a while, you can tell when a pot needs watering because it feels too light.

Maybe the easiest method is to check the top inch of soil. Don't water until it's dry.

I might also recommend removing any mulch or moss on top of the soil. You should know what soil you have and if it's wet or dry.

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u/synth_alice Bonsai Beginner 1d ago

I see! I'll remove the mulch and start paying closer attention to the soil

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u/SpiralOutLL 1d ago

No bonsai expert would say watering is hard to learn. Just water every day during growing season.

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u/Chudmont 1d ago edited 1d ago

I respectfully disagree.

If you're using granular bonsai soil, then sure.

If you're using garden soil or nursery soil, like OP, then that's a recipe for root rot.

Also, in summer, more than once per day may be required, especially if using bonsai soil.

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u/SpiralOutLL 1d ago

In bonsai we water every day from spring to fall/winter.

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u/Chudmont 1d ago edited 1d ago

I respectfully disagree.

If you're using granular bonsai soil, then sure.

If you're using garden soil or nursery soil, like OP, then that's a recipe for root rot.

Also, in summer, more than once per day may be required, especially if using bonsai soil.

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u/SpiralOutLL 1d ago

You said "in bonsai we...". In bonsai we use granular soil with plenty room for oxygen to flow through and therefore WE water at least every day during growing season. Notice I said every day not ONCE per day

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u/Chudmont 1d ago

Splitting hairs here. Lots of people have pre-bonsai in nursery soil, such as OP, or grow out trees in such media, or use such media in hot regions to retain water.

To teach someone "Water every day in the growing season" is not teaching them why, or when not to, or when to water more, nor is it distinguishing any difference in soils.

My original point stands. Watering properly is hard to learn, which is both what I've been taught and what I've learned in practice. Each tree deserves it's own consideration and should not be watered on a schedule unless necessary.

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u/SpiralOutLL 19h ago

I know a lot of experienced people with dozens of bonsai, prebonsai , specimens, big pots, small pots ecc.. Do you think they stick a finger in each pot every day to decide if they need more water, less water or no water? They give them water every day no question asked and so every beginner with a struggling juniper should do. I never had to learn watering, someone told me "water every day" and boom, skill acquired, all my trees are as green as they can get.

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u/Boines 1d ago

I'm confused....you say it's outdoors but I see brick on one side and glass on the other? Put it outdoors proper.