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New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 5th, 2015, 11:09 pm
by bonsai_beginner
Hey everyone
Just purchased a new juniper from Bonsai Sensation. (Incredible nursery by the way)
I'm noticing that some of the needles are brown. Like in between branches, are brown and then the top cluster is green again.
Just wondering what this could be, and how to correct it

This is my first juniper so I'm a complete novice with them in all sense of the word haha
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm doing some reading and research on them now but I just love asking things here because everyone just gives fantastic answers and advice on all aspects of the species

Thanks in advance
DK


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Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 1:01 am
by Daluke
Lots of sun and regular fertiliser. Luke

Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 1:25 am
by bonsai_beginner
Here are some photos

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Image

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Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 6:50 am
by kez
Just the old needles, nothing to worry about

Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 7:37 am
by adge0001
You've got good healthy growth. Those old needles fall off and become the branches for new growing leaders.


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Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 10:27 am
by mjhc
Keep in full sun and you'll have a very healthy tree. Looks very healthy as it is

Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 12:08 pm
by bonsai_beginner
Thanks for the help everyone


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Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 3:53 pm
by Andrew F
A good habit with new junipers is to clean out dead/yellow needles and remove all buds growing inbetween primaries/secondaries [crutch shoots] and anything that grows downward or doesnt fit into the ultimate design of the tree.

Opening the foliage up makes for a healthier tree all round and leaves little space for pest to hide.


Ps: How good are Tien's juni!!! :cool:

Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 5:44 pm
by mountainman
Looks like a juniper procumbens, it will alway's be like this.Pull off old needles with tweezers,but they do drop off, with age.....

Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 6th, 2015, 8:53 pm
by bonsai_beginner
Thanks Andrew! I'm totally new to junipers of all types and any advice like this is greatly appreciated. Now to work out what you mean by "remove all buds growing in between primaries/secondaries" hahaha

His nursery in general is the best!


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Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 7th, 2015, 5:19 pm
by Andrew F
bonsai_beginner wrote:Thanks Andrew! I'm totally new to junipers of all types and any advice like this is greatly appreciated. Now to work out what you mean by "remove all buds growing in between primaries/secondaries" hahaha

His nursery in general is the best!


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Sorry mate I should of elaborated. Basically its the little shoots that come up in the forks of first/second order branches [old wood], unless you want to keep them as insurance in case of unforeseen die back.

Could you post some pics of the whole Juni, keen to see if its from the same batch that I got mine from.

Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 7th, 2015, 6:15 pm
by bonsai_beginner
Thank you Andrew
Really helpful, I'll do a further inspection soon and cut these back

Here are some photos of mine
Image

Image

Image this is the back of the tree

I did a little wiring today, just to pull that right branch down a bit

Thanks
DK


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Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 7th, 2015, 6:17 pm
by bonsai_beginner
Ps. Is this what you're talking about?

Image

Image


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Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 7th, 2015, 6:55 pm
by Andrew F
Yep that's them, epicormic shoots, if you wanted to research them further. But for the time being I'd leave them, the more photosynthetic surface area the better.
For now, I'd water and feed it and learn how it grows so you can prune and train accordingly.

Id also suggest you join a club or find someone to do a 1 on 1 styling sesh. It sounds cliche and has been said over and over again but it helps more than anything [trust me] to have someone a bit more advanced to at least look over your shoulder while you work.

Re: New juniper, brown needles, advice needed!!

Posted: September 7th, 2015, 7:02 pm
by bonsai_beginner
Okay great!
Thanks heaps for the help Andrew!

Was it the same batch of juni's as yours?


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