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Question: Bonsai care: juniper kengai?

(Posted by: 23 flavors on 2009-07-27 14:34:58)

Ive been doing some basic research on bonsai plants and today while in home depot I saw bonsai plants and picked one up. - Juniper Kengai. - 5 1/ 2 inches - Its in a pretty deep pot which surprises me - moss "stuff " on top of soil Are there any good websites that are free that I can find helpful info on? Do you have any tips on caring for it? This is my first one and I hope I dont kill it, But you have to start somewhere! Hopefully I will be able to start from a baby seed sometime!! THANKS!

Posted by: flattrack75081 on 2009-07-27, 15:33:29

Keep the plant outside. Replace existing soil with 75% expanded shale, 25% landscapers mix. Water daily in the summer. Fertilize at 1/ 2 rate every week until September. Your local library is great. Once you can actually see pictures of all different styles, you can get a much better idea of what is going on. Always drink a beer before you start to wire or style plant.

Posted by: MASTERGARDNER on 2009-07-27, 14:51:01

Bonsai's are quite needy plants. You can't just sit one in a corner and forget about it. Because they are root-pruned to stay in a small container forever, they need to be thoroughly watered every day and fed maybe once a month with small amts of fertilizer. They need filtered light and since you have purchased a juniper it will probably need strong light or filtered sunlight to stay healthy. They enjoy being outdoors in the summer as long as they aren't left in the hot sun - they like spots with shade in the hottest part of the day. Enjoy