Juniper & Other Questions (New to Bonsai)

[McCoy]

Good day all.

I am new to Bonsais. We recently had a company function and each of us received a bonsai as a gift. It's a Juniper (2006 juniperus p. nana). This bonsai seems to be doing well and seems healthy. 3 of my colleagues left their bonsais in the office when they went on leave and I brought them home with me to care for them. Two of them are really not doing well. They haven't had water for quite some time and I don't know what I can do to help these bonsais live (if they're not dead already).

They are not planted in soil and it's just little rocks in the pot. The water filters through very quickly and it doesn't seem as if the water is sucked up again after watering them. They are currently placed in a table inside the house in front of a window and gets sun most of the day. I was told to maybe start dropping some soil into the top of the pot when I water them. I am watering them daily. The instructions on the pots reads: Evergreeen, fulls un/semi shade, cold and frost hardy. Repot 3 years. Water daily. Exotic.

I am in South Africa and it is summer here now. If you want I can upload pics of the bonsais. I really don't know if they are sill alive.

PS: I also recently bought a wild olive and a baobab bonsai which are both probably 1 or 2 years old and I'll ask the questions about them in a different topic.

Thanks a lot in advance!
Ok, I've uploaded these photos. The two on the outsides are the problamatic ones. I am actually not too sure if I'm doing anything right at all, but the middle two seem fine :dry:
<br><br>Post edited by: McCoy, at: 2007/12/25 11:23

[mikey012076]

Hellow McCoy welcome to the forum, the two outer problematic ones are dead trust me, there is no help for them, the two that are left in the center you will want to take out side, they can not live inside your house they will die. also keep out side in your winter, that is what cold and frost hardy means. you will have to also use some black top soil to re pot your trees, junipers need bacteria in the soil that you can get from sphagnum peat moss and loam, loam is just a name for black top soil, what they are in now is called Akadama soil, it does hold water but not to much so you mite want to re pot them, junipers like less water then most plants and trees, so do not over water them , if they start to turn yellow then you have over watered them just cut down on the watering good luck for now if you need to know more I am here to help. here is a link in this forum to read about bonsai, http://www.bonsaitreeforums.com/articles/contributors.html<br><br>Post edited by: mikey012076, at: 2007/12/25 19:14