The Juniper is the genus of around 50 to 70 species in the cypress family. It is an evergreen coniferous tree or plant which is extremely popular for Bonsai purposes.

There are over 50 varieties of Juniper bonsai trees. Some of them are more famous and common like the Chinese Juniper and Needle Juniper bonsai trees. They are two of the easy-to-grow bonsai trees, making them a good option for beginners. These bonsai trees can stay indoors and even outdoors.

By exposing them to the right amount of humidity and sunlight, your Juniper bonsai will successfully thrive!

It’s time to learn how.

What’s the Role of Sunlight in Growing Juniper Bonsai?

The Juniper Bonsai is the actual tree’s miniature version and is not the houseplant. Therefore, you must keep it in a cold or cool place during the winter days.

You must grow your Juniper bonsai in a place where it will receive more than four hours of sunlight daily. Choose carefully the soil you would like to use. The ideal soil for Juniper bonsai tends to be dry.

Put the tree outside where it will be underneath the bright spot that receives more sunlight every day. Juniper bonsai can’t live indoors.

During the winter season, protect your tree from the extremely low temperature, which is 10 degrees Celsius or 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Some species of Juniper change their shrubbery color throughout the winter season. They become purplish brown which is due to their chill protection mechanism. They’ll go back to their normal color when the winter season is over.

There’s nothing wrong from keeping your Juniper bonsai indoors. They can easily adapt when you put it outdoors. It is where most of the growers want to keep their plant.

Still, a Juniper bonsai tree can manage to live under direct sunlight. Putting it in a place where it can stay exposed to the beautiful afternoon shade. In keeping your Juniper bonsai plant indoors, make sure you keep it where it can get enough air and sunlight.

Positioning Your Juniper Bonsai to Get Most of the Sunlight

As said before, a Juniper bonsai cannot survive if you keep it indoors. That is true because it is not actually an indoor plant. Therefore, you should avoid treating it like one. You must give what it really needs, or it will die.

Likewise, it should stay in a cool place that is less exposed to sunlight. This will give your plant some to rest, which is genetically necessary for its survival.

In getting it exposed to sunlight, do it as early as you can. Let it enjoy the morning sunlight completely. This will wake up your plant at the earliest period, which also encourages increased growing time each day.

Protect your Juniper bonsai from the extreme midday sunlight. Too much exposure to this will cause burning of the needles that results in the loss of foliage.

General Care for Your Juniper Bonsai Tree

Sunlight

While it’s fine to keep the Juniper bonsai indoors, it can still adapt to be outdoors. It is where most people prefer keeping theirs. While the Juniper bonsai tree can take direct sunlight, still you must put it where it can enjoy the afternoon shade.

If you choose to keep the tree indoors, then make sure you put it in the airy and bright location where it will receive the right amount of sunlight it needs.

Watering

Unlike the big bonsai tree species, the Juniper bonsai tree doesn’t mind drying out until you water it again. However, you should still check the soil every day so that you can figure out when should you water your Juniper bonsai tree.

To find out when should you water your Juniper bonsai tree, perform the so-called “chopstick method.” Take the wooden chopstick then stick it around 1 to 2 inches in the soil. Allow it to sit there for around 10 minutes.

Take the chopstick out and inspect it. If the chopstick feels damp, it means the soil is still wet and your Juniper bonsai doesn’t need water. Water the plant again if the chopstick is dry.

Be sure the water can drain when you water your Juniper bonsai tree. If the water doesn’t drain, it may cause the roots of your plant to rot.

Use a spray bottle when watering your Juniper bonsai. Lightly spray its foliage whenever necessary. This will help the plant and its foliage breathe better.

The watering method you choose to use is also necessary for a re-potted Juniper bonsai tree. The roots of your plant need some time to settle so that they can distribute the water to the entire plant. When you spray the foliage, it will prevent the bonsai tree from getting dehydrated.

This video will show you different methods to water a Juniper bonsai tree.

Humidity

For every bonsai tree, humidity is a crucial element of its growth cycle. A lot of people put the humidity right under the potted Juniper bonsai tree. The main purpose behind this is to make sure they reach the targeted humidity level.

On the other hand, the pot should never sit straight in water because the roots may submerge that can lead to rotting. Without the ideal level of humidity, your Juniper bonsai tree will wither up and eventually die.

Fertilizing

Treat your Juniper bonsai with fertilizers once every 3 weeks. During the springtime, use a fertilizer rich in nitrogen. Use a well-balanced fertilizer for your plant in the summer months. Throughout the fall season, use a fertilizer that contains less nitrogen.

A Juniper bonsai tree becomes dormant during the winter days. Therefore, avoid giving it any kind of fertilizer throughout this season. However, don’t ever forget watering it.

Your Juniper bonsai is a coniferous plant. In terms of its growing habits, every plant ranges from low-grow plants to amazingly tall trees that can reach a height of 16 feet.

Juniper wood is tough and comes with a rich red hue. Hence, it is a good type of wood to use in making cabinets. Aside from that, a Juniper bonsai tree produces berries used in flavoring gin and spices. In fact, these berries are often the main ingredients used in preparing a variety of mouth-watering Scandinavian foods.

To avoid mistakes in feeding your Juniper bonsai, please watch this video.