Advice needed to rejuvinate sad pine

[Grizzly]

Hi Guys,

I posted a thread about my maple which I called Lazarus. This pine was purchased at the same time, about October 2005.
Both trees were cooked in a car coming back from the Bonsai babysitter (not by me). They were also knocked around a bit with the heat from the Black Saturday Fires.

Rather than describing the problem, I'll let the photos tell the story.

Bonsai 01.jpg

Bonsai 01 Front02 31-10-2010.jpg

I would really appreciate some advice as to what to do for this plant. Thanks heaps!

[missybonsai]

i would get some life back into it like in the first picture: plant it in the ground or a large pot and give it plenty of fertiliser. Wait a year or two and it will come back looking great. IMHO, after that i would cut off the long scraggly bit and just keep that first branch; that will give you the 'bones' for a nice semi-cascade But please wait until it looks at least as good as the first picture, it looks great health-wise there.
Good luck
Oh, and get rid of that moss! It looks so lush, but put it on something else, maybe Lazarus your maple; junipers don't like having their roots wet, and moss keeps them wet. While attempting to keep the moss moist, you might be killing the roots of the juniper. That might be part of your problem, and also maybe wait until the top of the soil is dry before watering it. If the earth is damp, don't water; most of the time junipers don't mind actually drying out a bit. Well, mine don't anyway, and they havent died... yet .
Again, good luck!

[LLK]

Being a Grizzly, you should be able to tell the difference between a juniper and a pine! Your "sad pine" is a juniper and it does indeed look in very poor health. Black Saturday being more than a year and a half back, I am surprised that it hasn't recuperated better -- assuming that it is alive at all. A pity, because it was a really pretty tree. Have you tried scratching the bark with a fingernail to see if the cambium under the outer bark is still green?

Lisa

[strawbs]

Gday grizzly, looks like its on its last legs,
have u repotted it or has it been there since 05?
once juni's start to go they go!
there still might be hope.
pitty could have been a nice tree.

strawbs

[Grizzly]

Thanks for your feedback guys.

FIrstly, Lisa you are sooo right, I didn't even think of the obvious! My Grizzly experience is more in line with my signature than my experience with plants!
I just done the scratch test and yes there is life, seconded by new young tips (not seen in the photo) on the outer edges of the branches.

Strawbs, It has not been re-potted and I'd guess well overdue?

Missbonsai: Thanks for the note about the moss. I have noticed that the soil generally tended to look dry and considered that if anything, was very packed. I'm guessing the poor plant has become root bound from neglect. I will go with your suggestion of replanting it to a bigger pot and giving it a retreat for a year or two.

Do you suggest root trimming and if so, how much? Thanks again.

[Dumper]

at this time if u trim the root. make it minimum. cut out the rotten one. before u trim the roots. make sure it's a cool day and be sure that the roots are saturated with water.

if u are planning to put it in the ground. be sure u water them a lot. on the ground. they will need more water as the area is bigger.

if you trimmed the root. go soft on the fert for the first 2 weeks.

keep in a semi shade area

that is a way that i think might bring the juni back.