Gray tips on foliage and dull color

[SmallTreeGuy]

Hey everyone,

A couple of weeks ago I posted a Juniper that was and still is pretty sickly. I’m trying to get it happier. A lot of the foliage is growing but I have a section that has just been at a standstill and not grown at all since I’ve been tending to it.

I believe the juniper has been pinched severely in the past but it seems this part hasn’t overcome the stress of the pinching. There are ashy gray tips on the foliage (it comes off really easy). The foliage here is also darker green and has a dull ish grayish tint to it as opposed to the brighter green the rest of the tree has. I know it’s older foliage but it’s not dead. The branches are still green (I did a teeny tiny scratch test).

What is this gray tip business and how can I rectify the foliage in this area to become healthier?



Thanks everyone!

 

[pandacular]

Have you checked for mites?

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

I have not. How do I do so?

 

[pandacular]

Hold a piece of paper below the struggling branches and shake the branch. Look at the paper for tiny dots, or fold it and smear the sides together, checking for smears. Mites are almost microscopic, so this is the best way to check with the naked eye.

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

Hold a piece of paper below the struggling branches and shake the branch. Look at the paper for tiny dots, or fold it and smear the sides together, checking for smears. Mites are almost microscopic, so this is the best way to check with the naked eye.

Interesting!

Just went out and tried with a piece of copy paper and nada. I guess I can rule out spider mites then, right? I tried on a few areas too and not just the one . Maybe the tree is just choosing to take a break with this section?

 

[pandacular]

Glad you could rule out mites. That's really all I've got, hopefully someone who knows what they're doing can chime in

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

Glad you could rule out mites. That's really all I've got, hopefully someone who knows what they're doing can chime in

I’m going to try and take some better pictures tomorrow. Maybe they’ll help lol

 

[PowerTap]

I had a juniper in similar condition this spring. It made it, so there's hope.

What's your soil like? That was my biggest problem for me. I moved out of wet potting soil and into better draining soil.

I fertilized with fish emulsion and azimite which maybe helped and maybe was incidental.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Maybe those tips are male pollen cones.

 

[Shibui]

Not pollen cones nor female cones IMHO
If it is just one branch affected it is likely to be something related to just part of the tree. Several possibilities come to mind:
The branch has been damaged by bending or similar physical damage so sap flow is limited.
A root that mostly supplies that branch has been compromised. Hard to believe that just one section of roots would be affected while the others are OK but it could be possible.
The branch has been too shaded so the tree has withdrawn supply it sees as wasted because the branch is not returning food from photosynthesis.
Lowest branches sometimes grow more slowly because the tree is putting more resources into apical growth. Most trees try hard to be the tallest, fastest growing tree to out compete others nearby. Known as apical dominance. If upper branches are allowed to grow strong lower branches often deteriorate. Selective pruning is needed to overcome this.

There may also be other factors. Better photos of the entire tree may give better clues.
Also need to know about care - where it lives, sun, aspect(N,S,W,E) watering, fertilizer, etc.

 

[Paradox]

They are not pollen cones. Way too late in the year for pollen.

I agree it does not look good.
If we can absolutely rule out mites the the next thing that comes to mind is the heat that has been happening in TX could be causing a problem and the tree might need more watering. The soil composition wasn't described so can't be sure.

 

[Patrick K]

Looks like scale killing your growing tips. If so, physically remove the grey/white spots and any other bugs you can see, spray with insecticidal soap, apply systemic to soil, spray with dormant spray or lime sulfur in winter

 

[penumbra]

Personally, I can never definitively rule out mites. The paper test is a good diagnostic, but for me is not reliably accurate. Don't know what your weather is like, but we are in a drought here. This is perfect mite weather and I have seen mites on many things that have not had mites ever. I even see mites on native 100 year old oak trees which I find highly peculiar. I even found them on an Acer rubrum I have had for about 4-5 years.
I am spraying with a potent miticide with a bit of soap today.
Your juniper damage looks like spider mites.

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

I had a juniper in similar condition this spring. It made it, so there's hope.

What's your soil like? That was my biggest problem for me. I moved out of wet potting soil and into better draining soil.

I fertilized with fish emulsion and azimite which maybe helped and maybe was incidental.

I had a juniper in similar condition this spring. It made it, so there's hope.

What's your soil like? That was my biggest problem for me. I moved out of wet potting soil and into better draining soil.

I fertilized with fish emulsion and azimite which maybe helped and maybe was incidental.

It’s still in it’s nursery soil but if I need to I can do an emergency repot in my aka/pumice/sifted DE mix. (I’d rather do it in spring). What do you think?

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

I had a juniper in similar condition this spring. It made it, so there's hope.

What's your soil like? That was my biggest problem for me. I moved out of wet potting soil and into better draining soil.

I fertilized with fish emulsion and azimite which maybe helped and maybe was incidental.

It’s still in it’s nursery soil but if I need to I can do an emergency repot in my aka/pumice/sifted DE mix. (I’d rather do it in spring). What do you think?

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

Not pollen cones nor female cones IMHO
If it is just one branch affected it is likely to be something related to just part of the tree. Several possibilities come to mind:
The branch has been damaged by bending or similar physical damage so sap flow is limited.
A root that mostly supplies that branch has been compromised. Hard to believe that just one section of roots would be affected while the others are OK but it could be possible.
The branch has been too shaded so the tree has withdrawn supply it sees as wasted because the branch is not returning food from photosynthesis.
Lowest branches sometimes grow more slowly because the tree is putting more resources into apical growth. Most trees try hard to be the tallest, fastest growing tree to out compete others nearby. Known as apical dominance. If upper branches are allowed to grow strong lower branches often deteriorate. Selective pruning is needed to overcome this.

There may also be other factors. Better photos of the entire tree may give better clues.
Also need to know about care - where it lives, sun, aspect(N,S,W,E) watering, fertilizer,

They are not pollen cones. Way too late in the year for pollen.

I agree it does not look good.
If we can absolutely rule out mites the the next thing that comes to mind is the heat that has been happening in TX could be causing a problem and the tree might need more watering. The soil composition wasn't described so can't be sure.

They are not pollen cones. Way too late in the year for pollen.

I agree it does not look good.
If we can absolutely rule out mites the the next thing that comes to mind is the heat that has been happening in TX could be causing a problem and the tree might need more watering. The soil composition wasn't described so can't be sure.

Heat has been crazy but I’m using a moisture meter to only water when they need it considering the soil is still the mostly organic nursery soil. Soil should be staying only slightly damp right before being watered again. I have a mix of Aka/Pumice/and sifted DE (Napa 8822).

 

[PowerTap]

It’s still in it’s nursery soil but if I need to I can do an emergency repot in my aka/pumice/sifted DE mix. (I’d rather do it in spring). What do you think?

I'm not familiar with Texas enough to be able to recommend. Seattle gets and stays a lot damper.

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

Personally, I can never definitively rule out mites. The paper test is a good diagnostic, but for me is not reliably accurate. Don't know what your weather is like, but we are in a drought here. This is perfect mite weather and I have seen mites on many things that have not had mites ever. I even see mites on native 100 year old oak trees which I find highly peculiar. I even found them on an Acer rubrum I have had for about 4-5 years.
I am spraying with a potent miticide with a bit of soap today.
Your juniper damage looks like spider mites.

We are certainly in a drought here in Dallas. I work from home so babying and tending to my trees during the day is possible for me to do. I just want to make sure I’m not over tending them but I’m open to using a miticide and insecticidal soap if it’s a good time to do so.

 

[SmallTreeGuy]

I’m a little wary of repotting now but if it needs it I can do it. I can provide appropriate aftercare if I repot.

 

[PowerTap]

I’m a little wary of repotting now but if it needs it I can do it. I can provide appropriate aftercare if I repot.

If it's still in nursery soil can you lift it out of the can and see what the roots and soil situation is?