Inboard yellowing on my juniper

[brentwood]

Something isn't right, only one that's showing any issues in my collection is this guy. Started some yellowing/browning, don't see obvious pests on it. Feels like a watering issue, but I'm guessing. Does seem to be pushing new green, not sure if that means it's better now. I sprayed with Neem, on principle.
I see some cottonwood and maybe spiderwebs, am I missing mites?
Thoughts?
Brent

 

[sorce]

Looks like a premature shedding of interior foliage due to wiring stress.

Sorce

 

[brentwood]

Looks like a premature shedding of interior foliage due to wiring stress.

Sorce

At this point, anything I can do? Just be gentler next time?

B

 

[butlern]

I don't know if it's the neem oil, I never use it so I cannot comment, but two thoughts (beyond mites) come to my mind, based on what I have seen with my junipers:
1) was the tree re-potted this spring? Sometimes my junipers will shed interior growth in the early summer after a re-pot. 2) was that wire recently applied (within 2-4 weeks)? Same thing... just as Sorce suggested... wiring can be a perturbation that will trigger a proportion of the foliage to drop.

If it's mites, it should be obvious after vigorous tapping of foliage (around various parts of the tree) onto white paper (dont try this if windy). Swipe of the hand.. red or green smears, then it's mites and there are options. Again, not sure if neem would help there, either. Just no experience with it.

 

[TN_Jim]

seems a bit early for mites, haven’t seen any signs of them yet south of you. have only had a handful of hot days and still getting rain. you’re water didn’t get alkaline on ya did it?…iron deficiency is a go to for chlorosis, but the images look pretty localised not across the tree…yea, perhaps the wiring..?

this video is very informative and goes into detail of what @butlern is describing, good stuff.

 

[Shibui]

Junipers routinely shed older needles each year which are obviously those in the interior.
Stress can make them shed old needles earlier or more which may explain the differences in your trees nearby. Consider if these have had different treatment in the last 6 months.
repotting can be a stress factor but so can NOT repotting. Root bound trees are also under stress because, as more roots fill the pot, it gets increasingly difficult for water to penetrate and be retained in the soil. This then leads to water stress as temps increase in spring.

 

[sorce]

At this point, anything I can do? Just be gentler next time?

B

Seems like overall vigour is more a problem than being rough.
Rough comes through as fully dead branches or no tip growth.

Without overall vigour it's not going to invest energy in close foliage that has a likelihood of being shaded by more vigorous young growth further out, that is reaching for open sun.

Sorce

 

[TN_Jim]

is this a parsons or a Hollywood? I don’t let them get that shaggy, always perpetuating that crotch growth is good I’ve found..keep em’ tamed and striving…chinensis, procumbens not so much issue. that said propitiation of crotch growing often a great thing…not removed as the some folks recommend

if all the junipers were knives out juvenile they’d still have way shorter needles than a pine, especially them janky elongate-scale foliage ones…keep a parsons like this, no scale..perhaps one day they’ll calm down with the right pot and balance

 

[TN_Jim]

this long scale thing had that long leggy mess, it was a dense mess of shag. was a neglected shrub in a pot. within two weeks it’s angry, needles, on its way to the burn pile or something decent twigs lost or not, went at it hard