Is my bonsai dead?

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Hey everyone! So my brother in law was gifted this juniper bonsai, he tried his best to take care of it but eventually he end up neglecting it. I have lots of love for plants so I decided maybe I can bring this one back too life, with some help ofc. My question is “ judging from these pictures, does this juniper have a chance?? What steps should I take?

Btw I pinched all the dead leaves off already, that’s why it looks so naked
 

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Yes.
But feel free to hold on to it until that last bit of green disappears.

I do this.
I force myself to look at it so as to etch it into my mind that I shouldn't have ___________. Or if I don't know, have made a list of probable causes. Then I do an autopsy looking to find the evidence and then figure out what I should have done. Once I found evidence in one of my dead trees that let me off the hook, and I still cannot figure out how I could have known about the problem from outside appearances.

So, what did you do that you now suppose you shouldn't have?
If you hurry, you can probably get another (or several more) at end of the season sales so that you can inexpensively do what it takes for you to keep these damn things alive.

Keeping them outside is #1.
Making sure the roots get oxygen (air) is #2 (which means don't drown them).
... keep going ...

Use the BNut search tool to find juniper posts on BNut and read them to help you grow one in a bonsai pot successfully.


btw, my half-sister gifted me with one. It took me two years to kill it. For a time I got much better at it, needing only a month or so to kill a tree. Now, after about a decade, I kill very few (2%?).
 
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save the pot and chuck the rest. Even when it was alive its a pretty poor excuse for bonsai.
Way to kick him while he is down!

@Bonsainoobie Welcome to the site!

I actually agree with JoeH - not because I am trying to make you feel bad, but rather because it really isn't a great loss so you shouldn't feel bad. Though it might have had some sentimental value, a small, mass-produced juniper bonsai like you have is not a great loss. Far better to learn from the experience and try again with another tree!
 
Use pan water and leave in 6 hours a day, if alive he coming back.
 
Way to kick him while he is down!
Wasn't the owner's fault, its the nursery/manufacturer of it at fault for creating that stick in a pot. IT would be beneficial to the industry to try a bit harder and possibly keep new hobbyists interested with quality material potted up properly so it has a chance. Maybe some instructions? How many times here have we seen someone with a box store tree that kept it inside, overwatered or underwatered, and come here looking for help when they go south?
 
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