| Caring for your Indoor Bonsai |
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| There's a lot of information available on caring for tropical, or indoor, bonsai trees. But especially for the beginner, information is not always easy to find. Rather than reinventing the wheel by including instructions here, we direct you to a comprehensive internet article written by Brent Walston of Evergreen Gardenworks bonsai nursery. Be sure to explore the site while you're there - the many fine articles, extensive catalog, photo gallery. YOUR NEW JUNIPER The Minnesota Bonsai Society gets lots of questions from folks who are newly in possession of a small Juniper "bonsai tree," usually purchased at a retail store or mall. These small assembly-line creations often have a layer of pebbles glued on top of the soil, which should be removed as soon as possible if it can be done without harming the tree. If your tree has green stickery foliage and vaguely resembles the trees in the Karate Kid movies, it is most likely a Japanese Garden Juniper (J.c. procumbens). While this species is very tough in many ways, they can take abuse for only so long and will then become an ex-bonsai - this happens while you're still watering your green-appearing tree. View Japanese Garden Junipers here. Junipers are not indoor plants. They need a yearly period of dormancy at cooler temperatures than the average home provides. You may try to provide this cool period by moving your tree to a very cool room over winter - some use their basement or garage. During the spring to fall season, junipers should be outside. This information applies only to care in Minnesota. At most points south, the procumbens juniper is fully hardy and can stay outside all year around. |