Juniper Bonsai Winter Care

by Benjamin Lee Janssen
(Upstate New York, United States)

I got my Juniper Bonsai tree about 2 weeks ago. It came in a small pot at first you can see from the picture. I've been keeping it outside to help it go into dormant state for the winter and I thought a bigger pot would be less likely to freeze. I also thought putting more pebbles around the top would keep it from freezing on the top layer of soil like it kind of did. It hasn't gotten below 15�. It has been 32� the past two days and last night it was around 22�. I have read that the soil should be moist when it's in the cold. Since I had just put in new Miracle Gro Potting Soil that was dry I watered it just before I put it outside before I had to go to work. So it's inside now so that top layer can thaw.

How can I tell if the tree has gone into dormant state? And when it has does it need to remain outside?

What should I look for if there may be frost damage? Because I saw some white needles just now.

I heard I shouldn't prune it this time of year because the open woulds can freeze easy and hurt the tree.

I did do a little bit of pruning when I first got the tree. You can see from the picture with the smaller pot to the bigger I took off some parts that were growing strait up and down.

A friend from work has been taking care of a few bonsai trees, and he has had for 6-7 years and he told me to water it about twice a week or to just make sure the soil is moist. On the tag when I bought the tree it said that it needs watering everyday. I've just been keeping it moist so far.

When I repotted it there was a worm in the soil. I read that the worm helps prevent root rott which is common in juniper bonsai. And I assume it can keep the soil loose.