On Mon, 17 May 2004 14:46:06 GMT, Bill Watkins wrote in rec.arts.bonsai:

Older foliage on Junipers will sometimes turn brown however, this
Juniper doesn't look that old and appears to be very healthy.

I was wondering whether that was the case -- is it common for old
foliage to turn brown, become brittle and fall off?

If so, should I try to remove as much of the dead foliage as possible or
does it make no difference?


It is not turning that dull green/gray color that Junipers will turn
when they are dying. This Juniper seems to be pretty dense which may
be shading some of the foliage from the sun which will cause dye back
on some of the foliage underneath.

I've noticed that it's quite dense. Since the tree is so young (not
really sure how to tell it's age, though) I thought it best to let it
grow however it wants until around Spring where I'll cut it back a bit.
I was thinking about beginning wiring then but am still trying to
determine whether the tree is too young.

Is this an appropriate approach to take?


Are the rocks etc. glued in? If so you will probably need to remove
all of that glued stuff and replace with some loose covering similar
to what is on top of it now.

No, the rocks aren't glued in. To be honest, I've not found any store
in Australia that sells glued rocks. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong
places.

This tree was purchased from a bonsai-only nursery, and not in a
shopping centre.


If the pot has regular potting soil in it you may want to repot with a
bonsai soil that is more porous. All of this will make watering
easier. Also Kevins advice on watering is good plus it sounds like you
may be overwatering the tree.

How can I tell whether the soil is "regular" soil or "bonsai" soil?
Also, we're just going into winter, should I repot now or wait 'til
Spring?

I think I shall most definitely cut down on the tree's watering; it
wasn't watered this morning but it's been raining all night!

Thanks for the assistance Kevin & Bill. I'm not much of a green thumb
but I'm trying!

--
- Cods
(un ROT-13 to email)

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