Tips and Advices on How You Can Grow a Juniper Bonsai Tree

Are you planning to grow a miniature tree without causing you too much hassle? Well, you can grow a juniper bonsai tree because it is considered one of the easiest tree species to take care and propagate as a miniature tree. Juniper bonsai tree is also one of the most famous tree types grown as a bonsai tree.

What does a juniper bonsai tree have that makes it one of the most famous bonsai tree? Aside from the reason that it does not cause any problems or difficulties on the part of the bonsai cultivator, a number of people are growing a juniper bonsai tree because it has qualities that makes it an attractive little tree. It produces flourishing foliage and it has naturally short length.

Juniper bonsai trees can be grown indoors and outdoors. But you need to remember that during the winter season, you have to place the juniper bonsai tree in a cooler milieu so that it can undergo dormancy period, which is very essential to its vitality. You can choose different juniper varieties to cultivate as a bonsai tree, and here are some examples of them:

  • Green Mound
  • Sargents
  • Needle
  • Japanese Garden Junipers
  • Chinese Junipers
  • Shimpaku

First and foremost, you should not forget to expose your juniper bonsai tree to a morning full sun and afternoon shade. Actually juniper bonsai trees prefer bright sunlight; you should place them under direct sunlight up to four hours. But you must not allow it to get direct afternoon sunlight, especially during midday because it can cause drying up of the soil easily, leaving your bonsai dehydrated if not given with water immediately.

A scheduled watering to your juniper bonsai tree is not necessary because it actually depends on the size of pot, type of soil, size and type of tree, and the weather conditions. There is a proper way for you to determine if your juniper bonsai tree needs to be watered, and that is to dip your finger at least half an inch into the soil. If you can feel that the soil is dry, then it is time for you to water your miniature tree. You should not allow the soil to get dry out extensively because this can cause weakness to your juniper bonsai tree. You must give sufficient amounts of water until the water spills out from the drainage holes of the pot for several times.

Fertilizer is also important in the promotion of growth and development in your juniper bonsai tree. You must use a mild organic fertilizer in feeding it. During the springtime, you must give a fertilizer that contains equal components of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium or NPK. During the season of fall, you must a give fertilizer that contains lesser amounts of nitrogen. During the winter season, you don’t have to give fertilizer because this is the time that you must allow your juniper bonsai tree to undergo dormancy period. If there are instances that your juniper bonsai tree becomes weak due to some reasons, you must not feed it. But you should apply immediate interventions so that your bonsai can be revived from its sickness or disease.

Repotting is an essential task you should not miss to do because this will prevent your bonsai from experiencing pot bound. When you do repotting, root pruning is involved. Once you untangle the roots, you must do it carefully so that you will not cause any damage from its root system, most especially to the hair roots. If you are growing a young juniper bonsai tree or if you have planted it in a small bonsai container, you must repot it every year. For a mature juniper bonsai tree or if you have planted it in a big container, you must perform repotting once in every two to four years. The time of repotting may actually vary, but the best thing you should do to determine if you have to repot your bonsai is to check on its roots so that you can prevent the possibility of pot bound.