New guy to bonsai

[IrishCrow]

Hi everyone. I'm Mudd I'm from Pennsylvania. I'm new to bonsai. I started with a juniper last week and am now the owner of two junipers a ginseng ficus and tea trees. I'm really excited to get into the art. The trees are beautiful and working with them seems to be very calming. I've been doing a lot of reading and lots of viewing you tube videos. Abd to be honest my head is spinning. Trim here, don't trim there, wire this way don't wire that way. It's got my head spinning. So I figured ide join the forum and get some questions answered through here. Well that's some about me. If ya have any questions feel free to shoot me a message. Take care

 

[Adair M]

Mudd,

You will find lots of conflicting information on the Internet. Even here.

Take your time, find someone who's trees you like and learn how they do them.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Welcome! I hope you're keeping the juniper outdoors?

 

[IrishCrow]

Mudd,

You will find lots of conflicting information on the Internet. Even here.

Take your time, find someone who's trees you like and learn how they do them.

Thanks Adair

 

[IrishCrow]

Welcome! I hope you're keeping the juniper outdoors?

Sure am. Had to bring them in today due to heavy rain but when I bring them in I have a full spectrum light I put them under

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Sure am. Had to bring them in today due to heavy rain but when I bring them in I have a full spectrum light I put them under

No need to bring them in when it rains. That'll stress them out more than the rain will. Just tilt the pot if you're worried it's too much rain.

 

[IrishCrow]

No need to bring them in when it rains. That'll stress them out more than the rain will. Just tilt the pot if you're worried it's too much rain.

Awe ok cool. Good to know. Thanks !!

 

[Adair M]

Yeah, it's a tree. Trees like rain. They stand around outside and wait for it.

Junipers like sun, too. Full sun. Matter of fact, the more sun the better. Except when it rains. Then, they like rain.

What it comes down to is, they like being outside. In the sun. In the rain. In the cold of winter. In the summer heat.

Now, tropicals???

Haven't a clue.

 

[IrishCrow]

Yeah, it's a tree. Trees like rain. They stand around outside and wait for it.

Junipers like sun, too. Full sun. Matter of fact, the more sun the better. Except when it rains. Then, they like rain.

What it comes down to is, they like being outside. In the sun. In the rain. In the cold of winter. In the summer heat.

Now, tropicals???

Haven't a clue.

Lol gotcha. I have mine out back facing south. Lots of sun!! I just wasn't sure about the rain thing because of the whole root rot thing. But now that I know I'll be sure to let them drink it up. Thanks for the tips!!

 

[Adair M]

Ah... Root rot...

It happens in soil with a lot of organic material as part of the mix. Which is why quality bonsai soil is totally inorganic! Won't rot because there's nothing to rot! To compensate for the lack of organic material in the soil, supply organic fertilizer. Easy peasy.

 

[Potawatomi13]

You will find lots of conflicting information on the Internet. Even here.

Second this comment! Beginning with fertilizer. If you do not like the stink of organic do not use. It also breaks down into soil and adds back previously absent organic matter. Beware of putting in front of hot sun reflecting wall.

Any relation to Harry Mudd?

 

[IrishCrow]

Second this comment! Beginning with fertilizer. If you do not like the stink of organic do not use. It also breaks down into soil and adds back previously absent organic matter. Beware of putting in front of hot sun reflecting wall.

Any relation to Harry Mudd?

Hey pota. Thanks for the input. But nope. No relation.

 

[rockm]

Sure am. Had to bring them in today due to heavy rain but when I bring them in I have a full spectrum light I put them under

As a beginner, you are not alone in thinking of bonsai as "delicate" and "sensitive." They are nothing of the sort, particularly junipers. Junipers are among the toughest trees out there, inhabiting some pretty desolate, stark places on the planet.

The reason they get root rot as bonsai has everything to do with owners not understanding dirt. In the wild, junipers are native to soils that drain well. The earth has almost unlimited drainage, since water can flow out of the soil quickly to another place. In a bonsai pot, that's not the case. Soil that holds too much water doesn't drain. The water stays in the pot and suffocates the roots. This is especially true if you're using soil with organic (bark, etc.) components. Plain old potting soil sold at nurseries is MEANT to hold onto water because mostly it's used for indoor houseplants.

Good bonsai soil is made up of irregular, larger particles that don't break down. The components used are meant to drain well, but retain water inside the particle, giving it up over time.

Rain is not a problem with bonsai planted in the right soil. It just flows through for the most part.

Don't baby your trees and treat them like hothouse orchids. They are not. They actually REQUIRE wind, rain and weather to stay healthy, just like trees in the wild.

You haven't specified the area where you live--state would do. Local climate is critical to what kind of care you need to give.

 

[IrishCrow]

Hey rockm. Thanks for the input. I really appreciate you breaking it down for me. For my junipers, they did come in regular potting soil. So what I did was add the soil to a bucket of washed gravel and mixed it together to the right consistently that I've read about. I now understand they need the weather . I live in Northeast Pennsylvania. Not only is it pouring for the past couple days, the night temp has been dropping into the low 40s. Is it still ok to let them out? And you are right on about me babying my tree. Lol. I was trimming and wiring my one tree and I was acting like it was a piece of fragile glass. But again, I really appreciate the knowledge. It's nice to get info from someone who knows what they are talking about. My head is spinning because of all the contradicting info online. Thanks again

As a beginner, you are not alone in thinking of bonsai as "delicate" and "sensitive." They are nothing of the sort, particularly junipers. Junipers are among the toughest trees out there, inhabiting some pretty desolate, stark places on the planet.

The reason they get root rot as bonsai has everything to do with owners not understanding dirt. In the wild, junipers are native to soils that drain well. The earth has almost unlimited drainage, since water can flow out of the soil quickly to another place. In a bonsai pot, that's not the case. Soil that holds too much water doesn't drain. The water stays in the pot and suffocates the roots. This is especially true if you're using soil with organic (bark, etc.) components. Plain old potting soil sold at nurseries is MEANT to hold onto water because mostly it's used for indoor houseplants.

Good bonsai soil is made up of irregular, larger particles that don't break down. The components used are meant to drain well, but retain water inside the particle, giving it up over time.

Rain is not a problem with bonsai planted in the right soil. It just flows through for the most part.

Don't baby your trees and treat them like hothouse orchids. They are not. They actually REQUIRE wind, rain and weather to stay healthy, just like trees in the wild.

You haven't specified the area where you live--state would do. Local climate is critical to what kind of care you need to give.

 

[ConorDash]

I'm completely new too, so I couldn't give you the advice these guys can but I'm quickly learning a similar lesson in hardy the tree can be. I wanted and am currently keeping mine indoors a lot, don't want it to be outside in cold or wind etc.. But it's a tree.. They came from out there.. They can deal with it better than we can! So from advice on here from these guys, I'll be trying to keep mine out a lot more. However it is nice to have inside, nice to look at and easy to check on. It's situational on which tree you have but most of them seem to like outdoor more than indoor. Just have to nail down all the specifics of what your particular species likes.

If you throw up some pics, I'm sure the guys (and girls, I think there are some...) will give you more specific advice on it.

 

[sorce]

What up Mudd!

Welcome to Crazy.

Sorce

 

[aml1014]

Hey rockm. Thanks for the input. I really appreciate you breaking it down for me. For my junipers, they did come in regular potting soil. So what I did was add the soil to a bucket of washed gravel and mixed it together to the right consistently that I've read about. I now understand they need the weather . I live in Northeast Pennsylvania. Not only is it pouring for the past couple days, the night temp has been dropping into the low 40s. Is it still ok to let them out? And you are right on about me babying my tree. Lol. I was trimming and wiring my one tree and I was acting like it was a piece of fragile glass. But again, I really appreciate the knowledge. It's nice to get info from someone who knows what they are talking about. My head is spinning because of all the contradicting info online. Thanks again

My junipers get zero protection in winter and I repot in March normally when night time lows are still in the mid 30s and they even get a couple Frost's and they are always fine. Junipers are quite resilient trees.

Aaron