Squamata Juniper Bonsai Care

The Squamata Juniper is also known as the Flaky Juniper, Himalayan Juniper or the Blue Star Juniper.

It is a small coniferous evergreen shrub with a wonderful blue needle foliage which can make it look very different from the majority of other junipers.

In 2017 I bought a small Squamata Juniper from a local shop. You can see how its developing in my Squamata Juniper Progression.

What Is The Natural Habitat of A Squamata Juniper?

The Squamata Juniper is native to the Himalayas and China but can now be found in garden centers in Europe and the rest of the world and is a common shrub to plant in gardens.

What Soil Do Squamata Juniper Bonsai Need?

Squamata Juniper bonsai prefer a moist, well draining soil. I use my standard mix of equal parts perlite/molar clay/compost and have had no problems.

(For more info on soil read – A General Guide To Bonsai Soil)

How Do you Water A Squamata Juniper Bonsai?

Squamata Juniper bonsai can be mildly drought tolerate once establish, but they should be ideally kept moist at all time.

If you are growing them in a pot, it is best to not let them dry out or be too wet. A well draining soil will hold the perfect moisture levels and you should water the tree just before it dries out.

(For more info you can read –How To Water A Bonsai)

How Much Sun Light Does A Squamata Juniper Bonsai Need?

Squamata Junipers trees can take full sun and you should try and position yours so it an get the most light.

(You may find you juniper turns yellow if you keep inside, you can read more about this in – Why Is My Juniper Bonsai Turning Yellow?)

How Hardy Are Squamata Juniper Bonsai?

Squamata Junipers are fully hardy. Being from the Himalayas should suggest they can handle the cold.

Nearly all juniper should be able to handle any amount of cold. It doesn’t matter where you live, they should be able to cope with it.

However, if your tree is in a very shallow bonsai pot it may need a little protection, they still need to be cold, but some protection can help, but in general, junipers are extremely hardy and you don’t need to worry about them over winter.

(For more info you can read – Working Out How To Over Winter Bonsai Trees)

How Often Do You Feed A Squamata Juniper Bonsai?

I feed my Squamata Juniper bonsai once a month during the growing season with a general all purpose fertiliser. This should be more than enough to keep them healthy throughout the season.

(For more info you can read – Do You Need To Use “Bonsai” Fertiliser?)

How Do Squamata Juniper Bonsai Respond to Pruning?

Squamata Juniper bonsai can be pruned and are treated like any other juniper bonsai. You should not remove more than 30% of the foliage at one time. This can seriously stress the tree and kill it.

You should also try not to prune the tree and repot it in the same season. This again can be too stressful for it.

When you prune a juniper you want to make sure there is foliage left on the branch. A bare branch is pretty much going to die. You should also try and prune inbetween the needles. If you cut across the needles these will turn brown and ugly with in a few day. It doesn’t rally affect the health, it just looks bad.

When you prune a juniper you should get plenty of new shoots just behind where you pruned, which will allow you to build up the structure. You will need to come back later in the year and check there is only 2 branches growing in one spot as you can often find multiple shoots in one area, which will form a knuckle of growth if you do not remove them.

Often you will only need to prune the main growing tip, which will allow the shoots behind to start getting all the main energy.

(For more info you can read- How To Prune A Bonsai Tree)

Repotting A Squamata Juniper Bonsai

Care should be taken when repotting a Squamata Juniper bonsai.

Roots can be trimmed, but like all junipers, not too much should be removed at one time. It is very easy to stress out a juniper and kill them, so be very cautious with your roots.

(For more info you can read – How To Repot A Bonsai Tree)

Wiring A Squamata Juniper Bonsai

Squamata Juniper bonsai will need wired to get the desired design you want. You can build plenty of foliage from pruning, but to get any decent shape from your tree you will need to wire it into position.

(For more info read – Why Do We Wire Bonsai?)

What Is The Leaf Pattern Of A Squamata Juniper Bonsai?

Squamata Junipers have needle foliage.

What Pests Does A Squamata Juniper Bonsai Suffer From?

Squamata Juniper bonsai can be attacked by spider mites and cedar rust. If your tree is healthy you should not really have any problems. However, you should be examining your tree often and making sure there are no pests. If find any and get them under control quickly then your tree will be fine.

Can You Propagate A Squamata Juniper Bonsai?

Squamata Juniper bonsai can be propagated from cuttings and air layers

They can take a while to root and are not the easiest, but it is possible. You can grow junipers from seed but it is a very slow process.

What Is The Growth Rate Of A Squamata Juniper Bonsai?

Squamata Juniper bonsai grow quite slowly. They also take a while to thicken up.

You should allow them to grow freely for a few years to try and get some good size and growth before working on them as bonsai. This can be frustrating, but you will end up with a better tree in the long run.

Should You Get A Squamata Juniper Bonsai?

Squamata Junipers are an okay tree for bonsai, most people would rather have a different variety of juniper, but these will do the job very well. They have a very nice colour but are a bit slow to grow.

Like most junipers, they than can be styled very easily, they are not hard to look after and respond well to bonsai techniques.

The foliage is needle like, which although not the best, can still work well for bonsai.

Junipers are good trees for beginners, but they can be difficult to style if you have no experience, as well as and slow to develop, but they are totally worth it. You can read more about – Is Juniperus Squamata A Good Tree For Bonsai?