Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Six sure fire tips for growing Juniper Bonsai

Juniper_Bonsai_Tree
So why some bonsai trees are growing to be quite amazing while others just dying? I have discovered these secrets while reading the “Bonsai Gardening Guide”. And guess what – it really works. My guests are always so impressed when they see my wonderful Bonsai trees, that they are sure I have hired a professional gardener. Well, I most certainly not, and I promise you that following these six basic rules will make your bonsai tree grow amazingly just like mine:
1. Location. So where should you place your bonsai?
Like you and I, the Juniper cannot grow without sunlight and fresh air, so please place it outside. Junipers with scale-like foliage should get the afternoon shade. It withstands the cold winter, but for subzero temperatures, you should move it into your porch, where it will get the sunlight. When your bonsai is indoors, it should avoid heaters and air conditioners. Of course, as the temperature is getting better, you should return it outside.
2. Water. How much my Juniper should drink?
Like most bonsai beginners, I used to over-water my plant until it died…So you should stick to the rule that says the soil should be dry on top, but when checking inside with your finger, you should feel the moisture. This is the time to water your plant. I water it twice a week, but of course it depends on your climate. You should water it gradually, meaning water it, wait a few minutes until the water has reached the roots, then water it again. A different way of watering is setting the pot in water for half an hour, thus saturating the soil.
3. Insects. Which of them you should fight?
Since mites can harm your bonsai like any other plant, you should spray all your plants monthly using appropriate insecticide.
4. Pruning. When and where should I cut?
Growing Juniper Bonsai is an art, and you are the artist, meaning you will determine the final outcome, and you should take action for it rather than standing still watching your plant grows. Pinching out is compulsory for maintain their miniature look, but the branches should have some foliage for keeping them alive. Foliage pads should be pinched out in late spring, especially near massive growth areas. Wiring is another technique of forming a bonsai.
5. Fertilizing. How do I keep my plant small but healthy?
Well, proportionality is the name of the game. Give your bonsai solution of high nitrogen fertilizer only once every a month and a half on spring months only. During summer, feed it with low nitrogen fertilizer. This would keep it healthy yet small.
6. Repotting.
This one is very important. Every two years, on June, I repot my Juniper. First I’m looking for rooted roots. If I find some, I cut them out, and plant my Juniper in moss with anti-bacterial properties that can stop the root rotting.

These tips were most helpful for me, as you can see in my blooming garden of bonsai trees. All of this and much more I have learned from the stunning Juniper Bonsai Guide.

The Guide for Creating Stunning Juniper Bonsai

Juniper-Bonsai-Tree
A master bonsai reveals insider secrets in his book

As I promised before, in this post I’ll give the crucial elements for growing a beautiful healthy Juniper bonsai. These tips & tricks were introduced to me by the amazing book of “Bonsai Gardening Secrets” - a mandatory guide for any person thinking of having its own bonsai tree. The advices presented are based on the long experience of a bonsai master. These advices saved me much time and hundreds of dollars. Before I found this book, I have read many other guides which pretend to help a beginner to grow a bonsai. Most of them were merely a collection of nice photos with very little material, whereas this book is full with valuable information as well as pictures. It includes step by step instructions to creating your own bonsai trees; even if it’s the first plant you have ever grown.
One of the things the book explains very well is which plant to use with which form for creating a bonsai tree - and as you’ll learn, this is really important in bonsai gardening. The guide of course tells you which are the top bonsai species to get started with and where to get them – this alone would save you weeks of checking different stores, not to mention the money spent on the wrong choice. Besides the six sure fire tips for Juniper Bonsai Care included in this book, as will be described in my next post, it will teach you principals that only Bonsai Masters are familiar with;
• The different 14 styles of bonsai (with photos of course), and how to get each one of them
• The secret of making a young tree as old tree, AKA “Jin & Shari” (It’s really amazing. You must try it!)

• How to choose you first tree
• Find the species that are right for you, from over 20 different species
• A Buyer’s Guide – this free-of-charge book is worth actually hundreds of dollars.

If I (like many other) had this book before purchasing my first bonsai….well, it would have saved me so much sorrow and money. This book will give you all the information, tips and pitfall before buying your first bonsai.
The most surprising thing about the amazing book of “Bonsai Gardening Secrets” is its price – for less than $18 (!) you can get this guide immediately. It’s available online, so you can access it without having to wait for it to arrive to your mail.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Growing Juniper Bonsai is for everyone

Juniper Bonsai
Introduce this plant into your life and get much more than a gorgeous tree

Five years ago, while visiting my friend, I noticed the beautiful dwarf plant with its light green foliage, which after few months became silver. This small tree impressed me so much, that I had to ask my friend how did she managed growing it, especially as I knew she really had no special skills in that area. Her secret was very simple, as simple as growing Juniper bonsai. This tree is ideal for beginners. Following six basic rules, you can rest assured you will have an impressive addition to your landscape. These dwarf trees are so popular across the nation, that when talking about traditional bonsai, most people think of the Junipers, originated in Japan and China. Its foliage is one of two kinds:
• Juvenile foliage, which is needle like, with stunning colors from blue to dark green.
• Adult foliage, a scale like foliage with colors of light green and blue with gold and silver hues. There are more than fifty species of this evergreen tree around the world. The most popular are the Chinese Juniper (Juniperus media) and the Needle Juniper (Juniperus Rigida). The Juniper bonsai brought to my life much more than beauty. This small yet amazing plant is responsible to the harmony and serenity which I have experienced after long years of tension and stress. The satisfaction of introducing my lovely Junipers to my friends, family and other guests is something hard to describe. The most surprising thing is how easy it is to grow them, especially thanks to the amazing bonsai guide – more about this on my next post.