Definitely allow it to just about dry out between waterings until you can get it outside after the last frost has passed where you live (may be in April or May). Can you put it right in the window to get all the sun possible (normally a tree that's dormant won't need it, but yours is indoors anyway). Don't bother about fertilizer til March and then you can give a more balanced one than the no-nitrogen you'd use in fall for conifers. Don't prune anything now. Don't put it outside in your weather now - it's too late really and all you'll do is shock the heck out of it temperature-wise. Don't keep it near a heater, and do try to keep it in a cool place with good air circulation. And cross your fingers - right now your worst problem isn't the lack of 'outdoors' but how much you've watered (considering the soil is most likely 'potting', which means mostly peat, which means it holds water indefinitely!). You should repot in May into something with lots of pine bark bits (1/8" size if you can manage), a little compost, and a LOT of grit, like small aquarium gravel, a little perlite, crushed lava rock or pumice, etc. for fast drainage. Don't ever let the pot sit in drain water and don't bother spraying it - not necessary and usually a huge waste of time.

When appropriate to put it outside (check out lucy's advices) living in an apartment doesn't make it impossible to do, try those hanged plant boxes sold everywhere. Beware of the max weight allowed though.

Junipers are adapted to dry places, and they can't bear it too wet. That's why lucy told you to use a lot of grit in the soil composition you'll use for repotting. Let it dry between waterings, especially now that you're at risk of root-rot due to over-watering.

Check out on the net, there's thousands of sites available with good info.

FP

Lars,

This is why you ought to do the research BEFORE you buy ;-)

To add to what the others have already said....I would put the tree in the coolest room (above freezing) you can find. Even if it doesn't contribute to the tree's very real dormancy needs, it will compensate to some extent for the hostile conditions the tree is being subjected to. By that I'm not insulting your living conditions- it's just a recognition of the fact that conditions indoors in winter- low light, nonexistant air movement and humidity- create stress for even tropical plants.

Long term, a juniper IS NOT going to do well indoors. Some people have succeeded in keeping them alive, but invariably the tree looks unhealthy- largely due to the lack of a dormant period which can only be achieved by exposing it to temperatures below 35-40 degrees F at the MAXIMUM, for at least 6 weeks. (your suspicion is correct- the tree doesn't know what time of year it is) Ten degrees is not too cold, though at that temperature you do need to protect it from wind and, to a lesser degree, sun; both conditions cause the foliage to lose moisture which the frozen root system is unable to replenish. I do agree w/ the others that exposing it to such temps at this stage of the season would be more harm than good. Once the danger of frost has passed, you'll need to get it outdoors (expose it gradually- sudden exposure to full sun after a winter indoors can burn up the foliage)and leave it there until next autumn's temps get around freezing, at which point you need to protect it from wind. You can worry about how to accomplish that when the time comes.

BTW, your care sheet advising you to water daily is correct ONLY for trees kept oudoors, in the summer, and potted in a well-draining soil like that mixed specifically for bonsai. Indoors, you won't need to water anywhere near that often. Personally I think that care sheet is just going to mislead you.

Les

Thanks for all the tips, I really appreciate it. I have let my tree dry out over the last week, and it continues to get really good sun next to the window it sits by. After reading all this stuff on dormancy and such I have begun to wonder if perhaps my tree had a brief period of dormancy (from when it started experiencing the cooler tempatures in the fall until after I opened it from the box it was mailed in just before Christmas) and is now expecting it to be "spring" and "summer" after living in my heated apartment for the past month. In which case I am wondering if I should treat it as if it is not in dormancy with the plan of acclimating it to the outdoors over the summer and allowing it to return to dormancy next fall. If it has begun to come out of dormancy inside my warm apartment, should I fertilize it? Is there anyway to tell if a tree is dormant? I have also read about the technique of placing the tree in the refridgerator to allow it to be dormant. Any thoughts on that (seemingly drastic) technique? Thanks again for your advice. I really want to keep my tree healthy.

As far as a tree is concerned (in the N. hemisphere) it's way late for dormancy to be started (artificially). It normally starts in Oct/Nov. and now is when trees will be ready to come out of it, except that they're in the cold, but buds are forming inside, ready to pop as soon as they get enough hours of sun and warm up. However, you cannot assume your tree has had a dormant time (beyond a little bit of dry rest it may have taken on its own for a week or so - many indoor plants will do that, stop growing, need less water, without your ever realizing it), but dormancy to a N. hemi. tree is closer to 3 months of close to or below freezing temps, and a short cool spell won't do it. Don't use the fridge. Fertilize once in Feb. if you want, then in March, and every 10 days or so after that.

Can anyone recommend a good Juniper fertilizer? I'm hoping for one that is easily found at a local nursery/greenhouse. One local place that I stopped said that a traditional conifer fertilizer like Miracid would work well. Is this true? If it is a bad idea to get a fertilizer such as this is there an online store that you would recommend? Thanks a lot!

Just use any well balanced house plant fertilizer - found all over, but Miracid's ok.

FWIW, you can't buy "Miracid" anymore. It's now "Miracle Gro Azalea, Camelia and Rhododendron Food" or something of that nature. Same product-different name.

In any case, I would not fertilze it until you get it outside and it begins to grow in more favorable conditions. As I mentioned earlier, conditions indoors, in winter, are not conducive to good growth; with that in mind, I'd avoid encouraging weak growththat will just need to be trimmed off later.

Les