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Interested in growing your own bonsai? The first step is to choose the right kind of plant.
The juniper is a coniferous evergreen shrub found in abundance in dry forests and mountains across the world. Juniper leaves are needle-like when young but become scaly as the tree matures. Its foliage is light green to blue-green with occasional shades of silver. There are over 50 species of Juniper, but the most popular -- juniper bonsai -- are found primarily in Japan.
Some juniper bonsai live for 200 years. Others die within two or three years of being turned into bonsai. The classic juniper bonsai is the Chinese juniper, a natural hybrid species called Juniperus X media.
The juniper is fairly disease free and grows best in full sun. It needs, however, to be protected from the very hottest sun at midday and from frost during extreme winters. Being kept indoors, poor humidity and bad lighting kills junipers, and over watering causes root rot. For re-potted plants, misting is best and can help avoid root problems. Misting also removes the dust that collects on top of leaves, which blocks the plant's pores.
Junipers should be given a high-nitrogen fertilizer every two weeks from spring to mid-summer, followed by low-nitrogen feed through until winter. This should be alternated with an acidic fertilizer (such as Miracid) for best results.
The plant should be re-potted about once every two years until the age of ten. The re-potting should occur during spring using only free-draining soil. The soil should include stone or clean grit so that alkaline deposits don't harm the plant.
Junipers can be shaped through by being carefully pinched back through the growing season. The pinching should be done with your fingers, and not by scissors, otherwise ends that were cut will turn brown. Remember that enough foliage should be left on the plant to protect the branches from withering. Pinching should be gradual, and should never be done on young leaves that are just sprouting. Also, there must be plenty of time between pinching sessions.
Interestingly, for several weeks after dying, junipers keep their natural shape. This, at times, can make it difficult to distinguish a living juniper from a dead one.
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