Sargent Juniper dying?

[Jeska]

Hello I have a medium sized Sargent Juniper (juniperus chinesus). The needles have turned brown on one side and the moss has turned brown also. This is my second bonsai and I'm not sure of the cause? Please help? It is 11 years old.

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[Max]

has it been recently repotted? there may be an air pocket on that side causing the roots to die

[Boics]

Looks like it may just be normal attrition of older growth that hasn't seen enough light.
Sargeant Junipers will change colour with the seasons and will lose their "sheen" and vibrant green colour as the winter months roll on.
They will also shed needles / branches in favour of stronger growth - typically that up higher / with more access to light.

If there is still a bunch of fresh healthy growing material I suspect this may not be so malicious.
You can cut back, style and expose some areas to make the tree less "bushy" however I would not do this until you can be sure the tree is healthy.

[Boics]

Some good reading in here for you mate!

viewtopic.php?f=131&t=10344&hilit=+juni ... wn#p109988

[treeman]

I think this tree is pretty much gone. But perhaps not. What is going on under the soil surface?? Was it repotted recently? What was the old soil like and the new? This can be caused by root trouble as well. If it's sun burn, there's no real problem. I'm going to take some pics of a tree that I have had trouble with that I know is not a root issue. Some parts are growing well some parts are not and some start off ok and then turn. It seems like it has some kind of infection in the sap and shows up here and there for whatever reason. I don't know if it is able to be cured. I'm hanging on to it for the moment but the burn pile is looming!

[GavinG]

Are you keeping it outside? They need good light, and good watering through the heat of summer - it may just be showing stress from the heat. Good luck!

Gavin

[treeman]

So....This is a shimpaku which has problems.

P1100894.JPG

A healthy branch (apparently)

P1100905.JPG

Branch with problem (older)

P1100899.JPG

Another one (newer)

P1100903.JPG

Both of these (there are others) come from this branch:

P1100902.JPG

All the other branches seem fine until.....
(sorry about the bad pic but you can see the yellow tips)

P1100906.JPG

It's obvious this tree has infected sap and it spreads.
The roots are fine.

P1100904 - Copy - Copy.JPG

Here's another one. ''Mint Julep''

This one had one infected branch which was removed way down past the affected area. It was thoroughly sprayed with copper.

For 6 months all seemed fine. Then......

P1100907.JPG

Here, from the ''healthy'' side of the tree, I'm holding to little branches together. You can see the difference. It doesn't seem that it is spread easily by spores. Worth disinfecting cutting tools in metho I think. Especially if you have a valuable tree.
This tree is also a lost cause. At the moment, these are the only 2 trees affected. Both of these will be burnt.

P1100910.JPG

[Jeska]

has it been recently repotted? there may be an air pocket on that side causing the roots to die

Thanks for your reply. I received it as gift (Valentines Day this year), so I am unsure if it was repotted before then. Definitely hasn't been since I got it.
The soil is quite dense under the decorative stones. But if it were an air pocket, how do you go about fixing it?

[Jeska]

Looks like it may just be normal attrition of older growth that hasn't seen enough light.
Sargeant Junipers will change colour with the seasons and will lose their "sheen" and vibrant green colour as the winter months roll on.
They will also shed needles / branches in favour of stronger growth - typically that up higher / with more access to light.

If there is still a bunch of fresh healthy growing material I suspect this may not be so malicious.
You can cut back, style and expose some areas to make the tree less "bushy" however I would not do this until you can be sure the tree is healthy.

Thankyou for your reply. It was doing quite well inside for a few days when I first got it (Feb this year), I kept it indoors in a well sunned area. Problem began to appear quite rapidly when it was placed outside, where it received afternoon sun. I have since placed it back inside (as I thought the sun may be burning it) but it keeps on getting worse.
A bit of background - I live inland NSW, temps have been high (35C-45C daily). The sun is extremely hot and dry here.
If it is the sunlight that's an issue I am finding it hard to get it enough sunlight but not too much that it burns.

[Jeska]

So....This is a shimpaku which has problems.

P1100894.JPG

A healthy branch (apparently)

P1100905.JPG

Branch with problem (older)

P1100899.JPG

Another one (newer)

P1100903.JPG

Both of these (there are others) come from this branch:

P1100902.JPG

All the other branches seem fine until.....
(sorry about the bad pic but you can see the yellow tips)

P1100906.JPG

It's obvious this tree has infected sap and it spreads.
The roots are fine.

P1100904 - Copy - Copy.JPG

Here's another one. ''Mint Julep''

This one had one infected branch which was removed way down past the affected area. It was thoroughly sprayed with copper.

For 6 months all seemed fine. Then......

P1100907.JPG

Here, from the ''healthy'' side of the tree, I'm holding to little branches together. You can see the difference. It doesn't seem that it is spread easily by spores. Worth disinfecting cutting tools in metho I think. Especially if you have a valuable tree.
This tree is also a lost cause. At the moment, these are the only 2 trees affected. Both of these will be burnt.

P1100910.JPG

Hello thankyou so much for your reply.
Yours has some very distinct similarities to mine. The fact that there is one "healthy side" is identical.
The very tips of the needles are almost white, fading to brown, fading to green.. the exact same as your shimpaku, only everywhere! (On one side only)
You say it took a few months for it to set in? Mine appears to be a lot more aggressive, going from a healthy normal tree, to this, in about one week.
I have never cut this tree before, or tried to shape it. I only received it this year as a gift.
It is a very sentimental tree to me, so hearing this is worrying!
Thankyou for posting though! If it does get worse I think I will have to dispose of it to stop it spreading.
Fingers crossed there is a solution!

EDIT: This may be a stupid question, I've never dealt with anything like this.. As its localised to one area, do you think that cutting off the affected area would be beneficial to the plant?

[Matt S]

Mike - There's a tiny pine moth that's been causing troubles here in Adelaide, most commonly pencil pines but sometimes other conifers too. The larvae get under the bark and eat the cambium layer resulting in random weakened branches which usually die off. If you break off an infected branch (most active time for the moth is Autumn and Spring) you'll see tiny green larvae. The local gardening expert reckons the best cure is a dose of chlorflurifos (sold as Grass Gard at Mitre 10). Might be worth a check.

Jeska - Firstly your tree needs to be outside, it won't survive if you keep it indoors. Secondly I reckon your trouble is heat stress. Keep it away from walls (reflected heat) and try and give it morning sun only while it recovers. Wherever it was bought from might have had it under shadecloth and the sudden shock of afternoon sun on extremely hot days would have caused the browning off, usually on the side facing the sun (or wall).

Matt.

[shibui]

Thankyou for your reply. It was doing quite well inside for a few days when I first got it (Feb this year), I kept it indoors in a well sunned area. Problem began to appear quite rapidly when it was placed outside, where it received afternoon sun. I have since placed it back inside (as I thought the sun may be burning it) but it keeps on getting worse.

Jeska. The quickest way to kill a juniper is to keep it inside. They definitely need to be outside with fresh air and some direct sunlight. How much sun depends on how well you can manage the water. Mine definitely do better with a little protection but I also have some in full sun all day so it is possible. I am also on the inland side of the divide but maybe a little further into the foothills so we also have pretty warm weather here. I water every morning and every evening during warmer weather but I use a very open potting mix that will not remain waterlogged.
that you don't have treeman's juniper disease.

[Daluke]

I've got a number of junipers and a few had gotten what looks to be the same problem. It atarts with a few tips then spreads like wildfire.

I found spraying with copper fungicide stopped it dead in its tracks for a few trees. I sprayed onto the foliage, left the foliage alone for a few days then got back to misting. I watered the soil like normal.

A few trees didn't make it.

I guess it's some kind of infection. Some pull through with the right medication and others don't.

[treeman]

Mike - There's a tiny pine moth that's been causing troubles here in Adelaide, most commonly pencil pines but sometimes other conifers too. The larvae get under the bark and eat the cambium layer resulting in random weakened branches which usually die off. If you break off an infected branch (most active time for the moth is Autumn and Spring) you'll see tiny green larvae. The local gardening expert reckons the best cure is a dose of chlorflurifos (sold as Grass Gard at Mitre 10). Might be worth a check.



Matt.

Thank you Matt. I ill keep an eye out for that one. Hadn't heard of that before..