blight / rust on junipers

[quietobserver]

I'm having trouble controlling some rust or a blight on my junipers off and on for a couple years now.Now this spring Its rained quite a bit almost daily for a bunch of spells and the daconil/copper combo ain't cutting it anymore. They seem to make a gain during a dry stretch only to weaken again when they're wet for days straight. Now I'm back from a work trip and my reliable waterer says she hasn't watered the junis in question in nearly a week because there's been so much rain off and on and naturally they look like hell. I'm sure going back to the daconil / copper routine and a little luck with weather will rehab some, but thought someone may have more insight. I'm a little concerned and think I need to start with a new spraying option to avoid a downhill spiral that could have been prevented. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Stan Kengai]

Have you considered sheltering them from the rain and only watering the soil? Seems a bit extreme, but may likely be the only long term solution if your having continual problems. Continued use of fungicides is not a solution and may even worsen the problem.

 

[quietobserver]

Have you considered sheltering them from the rain and only watering the soil? Seems a bit extreme, but may likely be the only long term solution if your having continual problems. Continued use of fungicides is not a solution and may even worsen the problem.

Only watering the soil helped quite a bit last year but really struggled with spider mites, although now that I think of it they seem pretty easy to eliminate compared to some of the fungus and disease I've wrestled with from time to time. I actually just use dawn in water and a rotary toothbrush, go over the foliage on a saturday morning and hose off. Not practical for large collections, but nothing cuts grease or greasy mites like some dawn.

 

[Beng]

Only watering the soil helped quite a bit last year but really struggled with spider mites, although now that I think of it they seem pretty easy to eliminate compared to some of the fungus and disease I've wrestled with from time to time. I actually just use dawn in water and a rotary toothbrush, go over the foliage on a saturday morning and hose off. Not practical for large collections, but nothing cuts grease or greasy mites like some dawn.

GAH!!!!! That may be one of the craziest suggestions I ever heard! Not the watering only the soil part, the toothbrush part! I use honor guard mixed with either daconil, mancozeb, or copper.

 

[armetisius]

Perhaps?

I don't mean to seem confused but honestly I am a bit. I have no idea where you are or even if this applies to you but are you sure it isn't Cedar/Apple Rust? If there are large orchards within like 20 miles of you you could be suffering from a case of this disease. I know our Cedars (Juniperus virginiana) "bloomed" horribly this past week. I just spray all the members of the Rose family in the yard to try and hold it off them (Rose, crab apple, apple, are all affected). It seems to only need the right temp and dampness to kick it off. The other thing is you may need to Agrimycin if it is Cedar/Apple Rust. This can be devastating to ALL members of the Juniper or Crab apple families.Tends to be cyclic as you alluded to. Please contact your Coop agent if you cannot make a definite diagnoses. Just something worth discussing with someone who can give you a definite answer/suggestion.

 

[fore]

If true blight, you have to be aggressive imo. Macozeb, Heritage, Bannermax. Follow up with Zerotol, which can also be used as a prophylaxis.