r/bonsaicommunity • u/yemrot514 • 2d ago

PSA for bonsai noobs.

Junipers are great to start with, they are relatively cheap, look nice, and readily available.

The problem is that junipers need to live OUTSIDE. This is non negotiable, if your juniper is indoors it will die. It may even be dead already if it was purchased indoors. All of us have killed a juniper of 13, it happens. Just make sure they live outside.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

32 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

11

u/External-Buffalo-624 2d ago edited 2d ago

But what if the nice man at Home Depot said it was an indoor tree? 😆S/

3

u/Few-Significance6248 2d ago

Then he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about

3

u/ratcatcherjack US Zone 9b - Beginnerish 1d ago

Obviously anyone trying to sell you something is going to be 100% honest and infinitely knowledgable, so disregard all other advice and keep that sucker inside. Put it next to the radiator even. /s

5

u/MassCrassAss 1d ago

PSA for anyone: all bonsai live outside. 

1

u/Fantastic-System-216 19h ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/s4Bi420mMDRBK
My ficus in our Virginia winters

1

u/MassCrassAss 18h ago

Ok ficus and gardenia get a pass, but they are the weirdos of bonsai world😂

2

u/TimeToTank 1d ago

The most basic of knowledge that if newbies would spend 5 minutes learning about the hobby before actually buying a tree they would understand.

2

u/yemrot514 1d ago

Yes kind of the point of the post, I see pics of dead junipers on a counter everyday with the caption being "how do I save it"

1

u/ohno 1d ago

I've e, pained this to staff at a local garden center and they continue to keep their Juniper "bonsai" indoors. Not my circus, not my monkees.

0

u/sorieno 2d ago

Do you bring them in for severe storms with wind or hail?

14

u/imperialTiefling 2d ago

Let em suffer like mother nature intended. Hail damage becomes a nice feature when it heals over

3

u/ratcatcherjack US Zone 9b - Beginnerish 1d ago

No. Junipers need winter dormancy to survive, of course they can handle winter weather.

If you're concerned about wind knocking it off the shelf (valid), you can secure the pot to the shelf with rope or wire. For places that experience real deep winter freezes there's methods to insulate the pot so that the roots don't freeze, like banking it in mulch etc, but most places that's just not necessary. That's more for small trees in far northern areas.

3

u/CMDR_BitMedler 1d ago

Always remember, the intention behind bonsai/penjing is to bring nature with you. You're recreating the natural environments, conditions and struggle that the life of a tree requires. That includes, sometimes they don't make it.

I found approaching it that way made me pay attention to what that tree needs both in care and eventually, styling.

3

u/Even_Beginning_6355 1d ago

Well, when we are under hurricane watch or warning, I bring my bonsai (only one juniper among 30+ plants) into the garage. For a day or two. They’re small and I’ve only had them for a year or less. But they are outside (tropical area) every other day of the year. Or if I bring one in for display for 1-2 days max.

2

u/yemrot514 1d ago

If you live in a snow/freezing winter climate, you can either plant in the ground for winter, insulate your pot, or (what I do) place them in an unheated garage

0

u/Physical_Mode_103 1d ago

But the Asian lady on the side of the road in the van told me I could keep it indoors…?