We’re Bombotany - an orchid, houseplant, and bonsai online retail store. This article is a quick-care sheet, primarily intended for those who just received one of our Juniper Bonsai in the mail. There’s plenty of info to gleam here for those that already have a tree, or are considering taking one home, too!

Looking for a more thorough Juniper procumbens walkthrough? Check out our Complete Juniper Careguide, where we dive in to the science, common misconceptions, what kind of tools are useful, and more.

Unboxing

Ideally, open our packages from the side with the label on it for smoothest sailing. After removing the padding (materials vary), be sure to check soil moisture content. Juniper soil can never run fully dry. However, if things are still wet after arrival, instead of a drink right away, give the roots a day or more as necessary to air out. Lift the accent mineral to check soil moisture content down below the red lava gravel top dressing – water when soil is still moist but not “wet”.

What's normal?

• Wet package contents (we do this on purpose, Juniper loves humidity)
• Copious amounts of top dressing gravel (you’re gonna lose some pretty fast)
• The typical procumbent "bald spot" hump for which Juniper Procumbens is named (new foliage typically fills canopies over this year’s hump next season)
• Unpleasant-to-the-touch foliage (this is a conifer, like Christmas trees!)
• Dead foliage low/central in the canopy, part of the natural growth process - time to grab your pruning snips!
• Orange-brown tips - sometimes pinecones, other times an indication of branching foliage
• Dark blue-green to bright lime-green foliage (seasonal color changes)

What's not normal?

(Message us with pics ASAP)

• Brittle/crunchy foliage which falls off easily when touched
• Large amounts of gray, orange, or yellow foliage
• Trunk looks pruned like a beef jerky stick

Quick Care

TL;DR 6+ hours bright light, consistently moist soil, >60% humidity

Consistent soil moisture is of utmost importance. Humidity needs to be 60% or higher in order to encourage foliage to grow rather than send the plant into energy conservation. 6 hours of very bright/direct light, or longer, dimmer days, is necessary for new foliage to come in attractively dense. Fertilizer needs are low and only necessary during the growing season. Read more.