Question
Hi,

I currently live in north florida and Im having problems with my Juniper who I hope some day will become a nice cascade type bonsai. I planted it in a 12 inch clay pot for training and I created what I think is well draining soil. Its showing new growth, the tips of the foliage are green.  But the interior of the foliage is yellowing.  I have the plant in direct sun so I dont think thats the problem and I fertilize every 2 to 3 weeks.  Im not sure if maybe Im over watering or under watering.  The pot is rather large for the tree.  The very crown of the plant doesnt seem to be as affected as the cascade part that is hanging down. Today I decided to give it a good deep watering and see what happens.  Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks Jo Ann

Answer
Bonsai is very advanced gardening. Growing conifers in a container is advanced gardening. If you have never had instruction, you will need to. There is a great deal to know, that is very different from what I have knowledge about. But, my first thought is don't water, don't fertilize. Use a smaller pot. Give it less sun. For Bonsai, the trick is to not have it grow well. This will keep the roots small, and the plant small. The roots are usually a fraction of the size of the plant, so the container needs to be a fraction of the size of the plant. Since the roots are so small, they will require very little water. Because the roots are not suppose to grow, you would not want to encourage them grow with fertilizer. Because the sun will dry the soil out too quickly, it is better to have morning sun and afternoon shade. You will need to clean the yellowing needles. They will not grow back. The real tricky part of Bonsai, is the pruning. It takes great skill and practice. Both the roots and the end of the limbs are pruned, very carefully.
My best advise is to find a good instructer. Read books. Learn as much as you can. It is not something that you can experiment with and hope it works.

bakerplanter