Question
I recently bought a indoor juniper and I've waterd and lightly pruned.I even started using fertilizer. And still it is going down hill. I've been following the instructions that came from the nursery please help.

Answer
Nick,

There is no such thing as an "indoor juniper". All junipers are outdoor plants. You probably bought a bonsai tree. If it came with glued together stones those should come off immediately. They put them on the plant for shipping purposes and they limit oxygen into the soil and make it impossible to tell it it needs watered or not so you overwater it. Use a screwdriver and pry them off. If you want you can soak them in water and carefully remove the glue.

I am president of my local bonsai club and have been growing bonsai for nearly 20 years now. Your plant needs to go outdoors in full sun immediately. You said, "I've been following the instructions that came from the nursery." but you didn't say what those instructions are. If it is over 85 degrees the plant needs watered daily. Under 85 degrees every other day. Under 80 every couple of days. In the winter it also needs to stay outdoors in a protected location where it will be near freezing. It can be buried in a flower bed or stored in an unheated garage or shed. It does not need light once temperatures are below freezing. If it was in the Rocky Mountains buried under 6 feet of snow it would not be getting light. It  does need moisture and any time that temperatures are above freezing it needs watered in the winter. Outdoors it does not need a drain tray. Indoors you should make sure none of your plants sit in a drain tray full of water for more than an hour. No houseplants are swamp plants.

I suggest that you go to the library or a used book store and get a good book on bonsai. Many nurseries carry bonsai plants but few know how to grow them or hand out proper instructions. I suggest you do an Internet search for a bonsai club in your area. If you join a club you can learn a lot about the art of bonsai. Good luck.

Darlene