Hello,
I‘m new to Bonsai and joined a this website a couple days ago. I have a small Juniper that was gifted to me recently and have been reading up on them and watching videos on general care of them. I know they are an outside tree and have placed it on my back porch. I’m in northern Colorado and today is a warm 56 degrees. I originally placed the tree still in his ceramic pot in a small plastic tote with some mulch to protect it. I did notice some moisture within the mulch today and just worried about it getting rotted. Do I remove the mulch or leave it as is? I know the winds can get so strong and it’s suppose to snow a bit in a couple days. Is it ok as is, am I caring for it properly? The soil is still very moist so I haven’t watered it. Thanks in advance!
Naomi
Your welcome. I just made a post on my website about Procumbens Nana. Its a great article about your Juniper and its care. There is also a whole page on Junipers as well.
Your very welcome, watch out for spider mites on your tree. If you can find some rubbing alcohol add 50/50 with water in a spray bottle and spray the tree 3 days in a row. Spray everything, needles, branches, trunk, soil, pot and under the pot three days in a row. It will kill the mites and won't harm you or pets. Make sure the water the tree in the winter.
Naomi, Welcome to the club. You have asked some really good questions. I am going to assume your juniper is Procumbus Nana juniper which is generally used for beginner small Bonsai trees. Your tree will not do well outside on the patio during the winter. You should move the tree into a garage if you have one. The wind is a problem for your small juniper and will dry it out. The other major concern should be the up and down temperature changes your little tree will go through sitting on your patio. This is not good, you want the tree to have a constant temperature if possible. Your tub is probably heating up the pot/soil and generating condensation in it. This is probably not good for the soil and may end up over watering the tree. Do not bring the juniper inside either, they generally get spider mites after a while and die. If you can put into a garage be sure to water it from time to time when the temps. are above 32. The tree will not need light either during the winter. Start putting it outside in spring when temps are getting warmer on a consistent basis. Bring back in the garage during storm fronts and temp. drops until the front passed and it warms up again. You can leave the tree in the mulch if you put it in the garage, take the tree out of the mulch to water it and put it back after it is done draining. Your tub should have holes in the bottom of it for drainage to. You can read more on winter care here: Winter-Care