Garden lovers Gardening and landscaping How to Check if your Juniper Bonsai is Dead

How to Check if your Juniper Bonsai is Dead

Juniper is a variety of Cypress tree. Properly speaking, bonsai trees are not difficult to care for if you have the proper knowledge and technics to cater for their well-being. You may have noticed that your juniper bonsai is looking abnormally dull with leaves appearing brown and brittle. In such a case you should act fast. The sooner the better!

Fingernail test
With your fingernail or a pocket knife, gently scrape a tiny bark off the trunk. The bonsai is still alive if the trunk appears green from the inside but if the color is grey or dark then it could be that the tree is suffering or it is dead.

Snap-scratch test
Carefully bend the twig sharply. The branch will bend easily and show moist within if the bonsai tree is alive. If it is dead, the branch will detach cleanly with minimum pressure and appear dry within.

Check the roots’ color
Healthy roots are white and firm. If the roots are rotten, they will show discolored and mushy sections. And, this is due to overwatering. If you find that the roots are black and you are still unsure if the juniper is gone, you can cut a few roots and check the color from the inside of the root is still white. If yes, you may try a few tricks to save your bonsai.

Read further my blog post on How to Save your Bonsai Tree.

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