Juniper turning brown!

[Emoska]

Hi everyone,

My poor lil' Juniper has recently started turning progrsssively brown, and I'm not really certain why.

Throughout winter its been the only tree that wasn't under serious attack from spider mites, and kept its beautiful green foliage. But as Spring approached, the needles started turning brown

I've made sure that it dries out a little, to ensure that over-watering wasn't the issue. And have been checking near-daily for spider mite infestations (which it had a few webs, but nothing drastic). I've kept it in the shade a little more recently, but took it out into full sun today to try anything to save it.

Does anyone have any ideas about what might be happening here? (And just in case you're wondering, the medieval wiring has been in place for months now - way before it started turning brown, so I'm not sure that's the problem!).

Thank you in advance

[Pup]

What fertilser have you been using if any. Also what potting mix is it in it looks like black stones to me.
If you have used a high nitrogen feed that could be the problem.
Just some thoughts if it is not spider mite have you checked for Aphids look closely. There are those that are almost the colour of the wood.
Pup

[buddaboy]

Thx for the answer to this question Pup. This happened to all three of my Junipers two weeks ago, and I had no idea why as they were all different ages and stages. At the start of spring I went and gave all my figs a little boost ready for growth spurts, and on the way through I added just a touch of nitrophoska to all my trees. Including the Junipers, because it was spring already.

BB

[Emoska]

Hi Pup

The fertilizer I've been using is slow-release osmocote, and a powdered bonsai fertilizer a month or so ago.

As for the potting mix, it's the stuff that came with the Juniper when I bought it at the nursery. It seemed to be doing fine in it, so I repotted with it.

I haven't checked for Aphids yet though... I will check this out tomorrow in the sunlight and report back

[Webos]

I've been battling Juniper Aphids in all of my Junipers. They are very woody looking and large in size (for an aphid). Anyone got any good advice on ridding my trees of them?

[Emoska]

Had a look over my tree and there's no sign of aphids or mites anywhere... I'll check again tomorrow in case I've missed any!

[Jamie]

i found with my junipers that i had problems with was that when ya mist the tree with a spay bottle it hightlights more then you can see normally. you would be surprised at how many webs i found in mine! give that a try and see what ya come up with!

[Jonden]

Was the osmacote fresh? because if it has been stored for a while ,especially in a damp area the casing tends to start breaking down, so when you put it on your tree or in the potting mix, it releases all the fertiliser too quickly and burns the roots, causing th foliage to brown.
Cheers, Jonden

[Emoska]

I've checked again today, and there are no pests in sight. The osmocote was bought fresh as far as I can tell too!

I'm not really sure what could be going on... It's in full sun at the moment, and being watered as needed. Unless it's the potting mix or amount of sun/water, I'm not sure what could be going on!

I suppose I'll just keep my eye out for pests at this stage :-S

[Hutch11]

funny that! i too use slow release osmocote on my juniper and the ends are also turning brown.. i have checked and there are no aphids/mites etc..

maybe overwatering????????????????????? is this a common problem with junipers??

[john tapner]

I have had little trouble with junipers and I have many of them. I use 50% gravel and 50% Nesci's potting mix with a handful of zeolite and blood and bone in the mix. I also use Dynamic Lifter on the surface about 4 weeks after potting. It is a good idea to take a sheet of white paper and place it under the foliage and shake the foliage. Anything that drops onto the paper observe carefully to see if it moves. Mites are only the size of the fullstop at the end of this sentence. If mites are visible use Confidor.
When spring growth starts an application of Nitrophoska is a good idea, but not to excess and not during the hot summer months. Then again sparingly in late summer/early autumn. I have found that growing young stock in a plastic training pot helps keep the roots cool during summer and the tree can easily be transferred into a bonsai pot if required for whatever reason.

Works for me,

John T

[Jamie]

I've checked again today, and there are no pests in sight. The osmocote was bought fresh as far as I can tell too!

I'm not really sure what could be going on... It's in full sun at the moment, and being watered as needed. Unless it's the potting mix or amount of sun/water, I'm not sure what could be going on!

I suppose I'll just keep my eye out for pests at this stage :-S

the full sun and watering...???? do you water the foliage when it is really sunny? the water might be acting like a magnifying glass and burning the foliage?? like you get on broad leaf species??? i couldnt be certain this is the same for junipers though. i might be completely wrong?? correct me if i am please

[Emoska]

the full sun and watering...???? do you water the foliage when it is really sunny? the water might be acting like a magnifying glass and burning the foliage?? like you get on broad leaf species??? i couldnt be certain this is the same for junipers though. i might be completely wrong?? correct me if i am please

Hmmm, that's an interesting theory. While I'm not intentionally misting the foliage, it is getting wet from time to time. I'll keep an eye on it and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks for the tip on the kind of potting mix you're using John Might be time to consider a potting mix change...