Plant ID

[Kase]

I was given a bonsai for Christmas. Unfortunately I didn’t do much research and have not been watering my plant properly. Also I’m not sure what it is so I don’t know if it should be in the sun all day or not. Any help appreciated thank you




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[Promethius]

Hi Kase, and welcome to the forum.
Please consider adding a location to your profile, as some advice is region-dependent.

It looks like a common juniper. It doesn't appear to be in good health: by the time junipers look like this, they will often go on to die regardless of what you do (I'm speaking from much experience in killing junipers).

It should be kept outside, ideally in full sun. It seems to be inside in a number of your photos - I'm not sure whether this is just to get a better shot, but if it has been inside since Christmas, that would very stressful for a plant.
Its soil also looks quite wet in your photos. It's important to stroke a balance when watering. Plants need moist soil, but most hate 'wet feet,' where the soil is permanently soaking wet. Good soil drainage helps accomplish this. A 'bonsai' form Bunnings will often come in a cheap pot with limited drainage holes; the soil is often of a limited quality and drains poorly. This combination can be fatal in combination with overly-generous watering.

I'd put it outside in full sun, in a spot that receives direct sunlight for at least the full morning. Leave it out through the night - they don't need to get moved around, which again is potentially stressful for plants. Many people are advocates for using Seasol on stressed trees, which wouldn't hurt.
The next step is to learn how much water is needed. This will change based on the tree, the soil and the weather. You can insert your finger 1-2cm into the soil at the edge of the pot. if it feels wet - nothing needed. If dry - time to water. When you water your plant, water it thoroughly, until water comes out of the drainage hole at the base. In summer, most of my trees are watered daily or second-daily.

There's no harm in trying to save this one, but don't fault yourself if it doesn't make it. Just learn and move on - the next one will fare better, with more reading and prep! There's heaps of info on this forum, when you start looking around.

Andy

[shibui]

Agree with all Andy has given.
The tree could be a number of different conifers. Just not quite enough details to make a good ID but it certainly does not look good now and I really doubt it will survive. Unfortunately that's the fate of a great many little bonsai

First aid for dry trees is a good soak in water to rehydrate the soil then monitor water for a few weeks to see if it survives. FYI I currently water myu bonsai pots twice a day during summer. With some potting mixes and some pots once a day is enough but missing just a single day in hot weather is enough to finish many small trees.

Definitely an outside tree but full sun may be too much even for a species that loves sun unless watering is perfect and that's rarely the case with newbies so afternoon shade would be preferable. Better advice will depend on your location as Hobart is way different to Broken Hill.