Any ideas as to what might cause brown tips on a juniper that was really healthy a week ago? I've been Watering daily. Light liquid fertilizer every couple weeks . Many of the brown tips just fell off this morning when I shook the branches a little. Thanks for any advice.
Brown tips juniper
- Thread starter Middeke01
- Start date
Wires_Guy_wires
Imperial Masterpiece
My junipers exhibit this when they're shaded and watered too much for their liking.
It could be that, or fertilizer burn by dosing a little too much fertilizer, but since it's just a couple branch tips I assume it's the above.
It could be that, or fertilizer burn by dosing a little too much fertilizer, but since it's just a couple branch tips I assume it's the above.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
It could also be root issues and/or wiring and/or spider mites.
When did you repot and wire?
When did you repot and wire?
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
Improper pinching and cutting with scissors can also cause brown tips.
You need to cut the needles back individually, to a juncture to avoid this.
Cutting needles off above a juncture ends up with the tips turning brown and dying back to
either a juncture, or the next late bud.
You need to cut the needles back individually, to a juncture to avoid this.
Cutting needles off above a juncture ends up with the tips turning brown and dying back to
either a juncture, or the next late bud.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
How do you cut needles on a juniper?
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
leatherback
The Treedeemer
@Japonicus you realize junipers do not have needles, but scales?
I wonder how you wish to cut scales. And why. I do not get the point you are trying to make.
I wonder how you wish to cut scales. And why. I do not get the point you are trying to make.
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
I am positive you get the point. My terminology is amiss. Perhaps you could term this section for me correctly...
If you wish to put me on ignore, as this is not your 1st go at me, it might fix the issue., might not.
I am at a loss of proper terminology. In my ignorance, I will again make my point with the image above to the OP Middeke01
who hasn't followed up with any replies for 3 days now.
If you were to sever this..."needle" (I have a hard time calling this a shoot between the red lines as it is
a component of a shoot for which I apparently have used the incorrect term) between the red lines, the remaining
"needle" will turn brown down to the juncture, at which point all is good and growing.
I'm saying this as I've seen it happen in the short time I've been doing bonsai.
I pinched all my juniper for 20 years until I learned from this site how not to shape my pads.
For the last 6 years I've had much less brown tips after thinning.
Of course entire shoots will need to be removed and smaller tufts of foliage, but again, at a juncture.
Not saying this is what happened in this case as others have also mentioned possible clues as to what is going on.
A reply would be beneficial.
Broad statement, all juniper?
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Good point. Te course growth on junipers is indeed often referred to as needles. I am sure I do too. Absolutely not sure whether botanically they would be needles or scales.
Why would I? I do not try and remember who posts what.
I certainly do not respond to messages based on who posts them.
If you feel targeted, then I am sorry. It is just that your posts then trigger me to respond, not because I singly you out and I feel sorry I have given you that feeling. No intent.
I would just call this a branch.
A needle is basically a singular leaf-like structure. It is formed, might elongate for a bit but in general does not produce further growth. Similarly with scales. A branch however has a terminal growing tip and can get new side-branches. From a functional point of view quite a difference.
Japonicus
Imperial Masterpiece
Thank you, good to know.
This might be the 5th division from a branch I pictured, but I have no intent to quibble over terminology
of such an insignificant part of bonsai. I would however like to be educated on what it should be called.
It's not a branch yet, but a baby is indeed a human, just not a man or woman yet. This has me thinkin'...
Sorry, just saw this. Reported early spring. Rewired about 2 months ago.
Thank you. It is quite a few tips in reality now.
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Sorry for the long delay. That could be part if it. I didn't pinch that many originally but did recently to remove the brown and then they all browned again. It does not seem happy.
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Sorry about the lack of reply. I was not seeing any notices and didn't think I had any action. Boy was I wrong. Thanks for the advise. I do think I've pinched wrong and I also wonder if I am a little over fertilized.
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Could you help me understand what "the next late bud" means? Sorry, not sure what to look for. Thank you
Meant repotted, darn spell check. Early spring for that and rewire a couple months ago.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
First off, stop doing anything to the foliage. The browning at the end is a sign of pruning/pinching of these branches. The end browns. That is what happens. Remove the brown, and you damage it again, and a new part browns. It need to start another bud to grow and that will take time. And new growth will come from further back NOT from the area you pinched. This browning is one reason why pinching the growing tips is not a good idea. Next to this, large-scale pinching removes so many growing tips that the tree gets stressed and can decline if weaker.
Instead, once the tree is growing well, you wait for runners (2-3 inch extensions) to form. With scissors, you then clip that branch and alone that branch quite far back, to beyong the profile. This will build strength of the tree and encourage backbudding.
I am not sure why you have a tray below the pot. I would remove that.
How often do you water / where are you located / what weather do you have?
Instead, once the tree is growing well, you wait for runners (2-3 inch extensions) to form. With scissors, you then clip that branch and alone that branch quite far back, to beyong the profile. This will build strength of the tree and encourage backbudding.
I am not sure why you have a tray below the pot. I would remove that.
How often do you water / where are you located / what weather do you have?
Thank you. Sorry for an ignorant question, but what do you mean by beyond the profile. Is that beyond the new growth or runner? I guess I'm just confused on the pot. I thought they helped with keeping a humid evironment and mess, but only as long as the feet of the pot kept the bottom out of standing water (which I fail at often). Would it be OK to raise the pot with rocks in the tray, just to help with mess? I water once per day unless it is very hot. I've started checking with a chopstick as I'm afraid I might have been over watering, and we were receiving unusual amounts of rain. We live about 30 minutes East of St. Louis, MO. Hot in the summer (can get to 100) and cold in the winter (can get below zero). Thanks again.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
In the substrate that you have there, you cannot really overwater. I dare say that more trees die because people underwater. WIth 100F summers expect to water twice a day.
Tip:
Dishes below pots do very little (nothing) to raise humidity in a meaningfull amount. However they are a good place for mozzies to breed, as every time you water the tray fills up with water.
You basically prune browned branches, rather than the green stuff.
Tip:
Dishes below pots do very little (nothing) to raise humidity in a meaningfull amount. However they are a good place for mozzies to breed, as every time you water the tray fills up with water.
You basically prune browned branches, rather than the green stuff.
