Hi everyone. I just got this California juniper on the weekend at the bonsai a thon event. I was excited i found it and now that the event is over and have time to study the material. i notice the leaves on the California are not bright green as the ones i see on videos. Can anyone help me figure out why mine is different?
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It’s likely winter coloring. If the foliage doesn’t feel crunchy, I think you don’t have anything to worry about. Watch the watering and wait until spring.
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Ok i think you’re right, some of the foliage is shades of blue and white… by the way scratched a bit off the soil from the top and anywhere I check i found fine roots. Then i looked in the bottom on the pot hole and i see bigger roots their. I assume this california been in the pot for while. The soil looks like a bonsai mixture. Would you wait to repot?
The soil up top still looks intact, so I imagine the rest is as well. If it drains well and it’s where you want it aesthetically, I say leave it as is. Watch the spring fundamentals video where Ryan talks about repotting, and common misconceptions we have in bonsai.
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Junipers do change colour in the winter some varieties more than others. This is where they move resources so that the foliage can withstand the freezing temperatures.
I suscpect this is what you are seeing here. As spring starts the green colour will come back.
I think it’s more so just on the weak side-health wise. The color is a bit off, there’s no runners and there’s some juvenile foliage in certain areas. If you give it the right balance of water and oxygen, full sun and a good organic feed it should do great.
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Thanks for the advice. This growing season i will keep and eye on its growth patterns. Then ill proceed on how to style it. Depending what grows. I’ll for sure will just let it grow this year and keep hands off.