any tips for a novice

[Bonsai Halo]

Hello Everyone, Curtis here

i am a complete newbie to all things bonsai but i have been reading alot here

I was walking through bunnings the other day and I saw these Bonsai on display near the counter... after having a 5 min wait to be served (slow service) i decided to buy a Sargent Juniper (i will post a pic of it later on tomorrow).

i had full intention of keeping it on my windowsill but after reading for it to grow i had put it outside. At the moment it is reasonably small and i don't intended to start shaping it until another month. For all July my goal is to keep my little Juniper alive and i was hoping some of you more experienced people had any general tips as to getting best growth possible.

at present it is in its stock soil and pot and in my opinion looks healthy

be grateful for any tips from you gurus thanks

[Bougy Fan]

Hi Curtis and welcome. Put your location on your profile - advice can be dependent on where you live. Glad you have learnt the first rule that bonsai are trees and need to be outside. Good luck

[Bonsai Halo]

Thanx Bougy Fan
I live in Cairns if theres no-one here that knows the climate up north its normally wet half-year and hot rest of it

[Bougy Fan]

I wouldn't do much at the moment - just make sure the mix is free draining. That means after you water it the water runs out the hole in the bottom. Watering is hard to know how to do for a beginner - but if the mix is very free draining it is hard to overwater. Unfortunately Bunnings "bonsai" usually don't have a free drainging mix. Generally overwatering will kill a bonsai, especially with a beginner. I'm sure that has been no help at all

[Bonsai Halo]

I got it thanx
i would have only watered it a little just so it moistens it a bit
hopefully it all goes well

[paddles]

this is the most importand piece of advice I (or anyone) can give you... Join a club!!! attend the meetings, you will learn more in one year of meetings/workshops than 10 yrs of reading and messing around on your own... (I speak from experiance here) I'm sure that someone can chip in with the location of your closest club.

[alpineart]

Hi Bonsai Halo , welcome aboard the Ausbonsai Forum . As with most bonsai sold in these type of stores they are basically cuttings with roots or very young plants . There is plenty of info here you just need to find it . Search for Malsai , pre bonsai Trainers , then filter through them to find Junipers , or simple search for the species or Junipers themselves . Google search that species gives you plenty of info and pics to look at , this will aid in design and future plans and direction to take your new found Trainer . Good luck and All the best with it .

Cheers Alpineart

[dansai]

i would have only watered it a little just so it moistens it a bit

I'ld also do some reading on watering. There is plenty of thorough articles and posts on AusBonsai. watering a little to keep it a bit moist can encourage many surface roots that will die very quickly the first time you forget to keep it a "bit moist". Best to give a deep water that wets all the potting mix and freely drains out the bottom of the pot then let it dry a little before watering again. This will encourage roots through the whole pot and will keep the air in the mix fresh as well, the water will flush out the stale air and draw fresh air into the mix. A good potting mix should contain about 20 - 25% air. Very important for healthy roots and trees.

Good Luck and welcome to AusBonsai

[Paulneill]

hi mate figs grow very well your neck of the woods , why not air layer a couple of good fig branches .

[Andrew F]

hi mate figs grow very well your neck of the woods , why not air layer a couple of good fig branches .

Solid advice.

Figs grow crazy up there. Welcome by the way