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Bonsai beginner

Hi,

I just started bonsai as a hobby. I did a little research on how to take care of bonsai. I recently bought a small juniper shrub(came in a plastic flower pot), repotted it into a bonsai pot, covered and intergrated the roots with new soil and bonsaied it myself.

I read other posts and heard junipers are meant to be outdoors, but I live in a small apartment in New York and other than my room, I have no other place to put the tree. We get 5 months of freezing weather and my room not that warm, it's surrounded by windows, and the air is well circulated.

Can my juniper survive in this type of environment?

If junipers are strictly outdoor bonsai, why are they sold as indoor plants?? How can people take care of them who don't have an outdoor area to store plants?
Asked by Tanlu 10 months ago
 
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Answers (1)
Votes: +1
Answered by BonsaiMark on October 1, 2009
Tanlu

As attractive as it may be Junipers do not do well indoors.(ie THEY WILL DIE) Regardless of the conditions. For my entire professional bonsai career I must have answered the Juniper question 1000 times.

Unscrupulous business try and do capitalize on innocent customers by selling Juniper looking Bonsai in their stores with the idea that they can be grown indoors. The culprits to name a few are Home Depot, Loews, KMart, Walgreens and Target. I am sure there are many others. No respectable bonsai nursery or dealer will sell you a juniper bonsai and give you the idea that the tree can be grown indoors.

Sadly these dealers sell to people and it is often their first stab a bonsai. The tree then dies in short order (if it wasn't half dead already) and the customer gets frustrated with the hobby and never returns to try bonsai again.

Your best bet is to give the tree to someone who can provide it with the environment it needs. Or you can move to a place so you can accommodate the tree. Knowing what rents are in NYC.. OUCH! I hate to sound harsh but junipers simply aren't meant for apartments with no balcony.

The best advice I can give you in your situation is to collect trees that can be grown indoors.

Ciao!
Bonsaimark