Browning juniper with no apparent reason

[Hbhaska]

Ok, I’ve lost some trees in the past just like everyone else. But I have also saved several of them from imminent death. This small procumbens nana is browning and I don’t know why. No mites, no apparent root rot, no overtly excessive sunlight. Sometimes, I just wish I knew what nature (aka God) is thinking

 

[AZbonsai]

Looks like a goner to me. It looks like it is sitting real high in the pot with exposed roots. Is that by design?

 

[Hbhaska]

Looked like a goner to me. It looks like it is sitting real high in the pot with exposed roots. Is that by design?

Definitely not a goner, there is green underneath the surface. By design, yes. Similar ones thrived in the past. Perhaps put this back in nursery pot with nursery soil?

 

[AZbonsai]

It has been my experience these things show green for awhile even after being dead as a door nail. I could be wrong. Next go around I would not expose the roots. Might be mites...its color is off.

 

[hemmy]

This small procumbens nana is browning and I don’t know why.

When was it repotted and when was it wired?

 

[Hbhaska]

When was it repotted and when was it wired?

7 months ago.

 

[Hbhaska]

It has been my experience these things show green for awhile even after being dead as a door nail. I could be wrong. Next go around I would not expose the roots. Might be mites...its color is off.

It has been my experience these things show green for awhile even after being dead as a door nail. I could be wrong. Next go around I would not expose the roots. Might be mites...its color is off.

No mites, also did a treatment just to make sure. The color is definitely off.

 

[Firstflush]

How much are you watering? Cooler day temps and nights in our location with fall coming indicate the need to take the water back a notch.

 

[Hbhaska]

How much are you watering? Cooler day temps and nights in our location with fall coming indicate the need to take the water back a notch.

I actually think I should have watered more. We being in Southern California.

 

[Hbhaska]

I’m going to soak the pot in water for 2 hours. Fingers crossed

 

[KillerButts]

Ok, I’ve lost some trees in the past just like everyone else. But I have also saved several of them from imminent death. This small procumbens nana is browning and I don’t know why. No mites, no apparent root rot, no overtly excessive sunlight. Sometimes, I just wish I knew what nature (aka God) is thinking View attachment 335125View attachment 335126View attachment 335127

You are not alone and I am in the same boat. I have lost 3 and been able to keep none. Each time like you I learned nothing which is incredibly aggravating when your usually the one saving plants for people. There is something about this juniper idk but I appreciate that you made the post.

I don’t know how long you were able to keep yours but mine have all died within a month. I kept them but I can’t find the 3rd at the moment.

Meanwhile 5’ away other juniper thrive.


All I can think of so far is that I am unable to meet nursery conditions, or it’s getting X-ray in shipping.

 

[jimib]

Is the soil totally dried out? If not I wouldn’t soak it. I’ve overwatered to death, root rot, and I’ve never heard of too much sun for a Juniper. I lost one to a fungus this year..hopefully it pulls through

 

[Japonicus]

Wiring damage preceding juniper tip blight is my guess. I am in process of saving one from such temperment using
the same treatment as for needle cast in pine, except not just a Spring treatment.
I lost the top half of a procumbens to wiring damage that followed up with tip blight.
So I sprayed with Phyton27 and rotated with Infusion systemic granules.
It made a come back, I paused treatment, it worsened, resumed treatment, and is currently on the up swing.
However, this close to Winter, I expect it not to survive to Spring with such limited photosynthesis.



There is new growth for sure, just not enough for the good of the shrub.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I call this the grey death.
When junipers shut down entirely in a natural way, they go brown. Dessication in a slow progression, it tried to survive as a functional system.

When green foliage dries up and becomes crispy and grey, it's not even trying to survive. Either the sap flow is inhibited or the roots have stopped functioning entirely. The foliage stays green/grey because it's not drawing resources from them; the sap system isn't active.
It can take a few weeks for the rest to dry up and die.

Brown is good, it means that it's struggling but it can be saved. Grey is almost certain death. It has been in 100% of the cases I've seen.

 

[Hbhaska]

I call this the grey death.
When junipers shut down entirely in a natural way, they go brown. Dessication in a slow progression, it tried to survive as a functional system.

When green foliage dries up and becomes crispy and grey, it's not even trying to survive. Either the sap flow is inhibited or the roots have stopped functioning entirely. The foliage stays green/grey because it's not drawing resources from them; the sap system isn't active.
It can take a few weeks for the rest to dry up and die.

Brown is good, it means that it's struggling but it can be saved. Grey is almost certain death. It has been in 100% of the cases I've seen.

I agree. In one case, I accidentally broke a branch and presumably because of inhibited sap flow, that branch slowly turned brown and died. I removed that branch, the rest of the tree is thriving now. In another case, the whole tree turned gray and died entirely. However, here’s yet another success story - a tall nana slowly started graying and I performed the paper test to discover that it had spider mites. I used soap and water and performed treatment every 2 days (rinsing after). This tree survived brilliantly. So in my limited experience, gray is not certain death or at least that’s what it seemed.

 

[Japonicus]

I used soap and water...(rinsing after).

Try this next time

Safer Brand 16 oz. Outdoor Insect Killing Soap Concentrate 5118-6 - The Home Depot

Target and kill aphids, grasshoppers, harlequin, mealy bugs and mites. Perfect for outdoor usage and chemical resistance for safety.

www.homedepot.com

of course you can buy it premixed in a hand held spray bottle. The potassium salts of fatty acids breaks down the
skin or exoskeleton of insects exposing them to the elements their "skin" protects them from.
Unlike SOAP The one below here in the thumbnail also has pyrethrin, another eco friendly ingredient used in
animal and thug repellant.

 

[KillerButts]

Unlike SOAP The one below here in the thumbnail also has pyrethrin, another eco friendly ingredient used in
animal and thug repellant.

 

[Vance Wood]

Ok, I’ve lost some trees in the past just like everyone else. But I have also saved several of them from imminent death. This small procumbens nana is browning and I don’t know why. No mites, no apparent root rot, no overtly excessive sunlight. Sometimes, I just wish I knew what nature (aka God) is thinking View attachment 335125View attachment 335126View attachment 335127

It's not a goner, it's just not too happy. What kind of soil do you have it plated in? How often do you water the tree, and how often do you fertilize and with what.

 

[Hbhaska]

It's not a goner, it's just not too happy. What kind of soil do you have it plated in? How often do you water the tree, and how often do you fertilize and with what.
Thank you, Vance. It’s in pumice, lava rock and akadama. I water them every second or third day depending on how moist the substrate is to the touch. There was a recent heatwave about 85 or so here, not as bad as the previous one (90+). That’s the reasoning for my 2-hour water soak idea. I have not fertilized this one since repotting 7 months ago. I generally use organic fertilizer cubes in cages. Here’s a different one, I believe it’s shimpaku.