Itoigawa Juniper - Browning tips

[DamianTrimboli]

Hello! Writing you again from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This time Im having issues with one of my itoigawa shohins, the tips (just the tips) of all the branches are turning brown.
In december I wrote you about another itoigawa juniper that I brought from Europe in 2019 and was still not growing since then, I repotted that one with fresh akadama + kiryu (as Marco Invernizzi suggested me) and 2 weeks later started to grow again, with juvenile folliage tho, but i don't care.
My other itoigawa shohin started to decline in january (it killed one branch in the back in 2 days, while the rest of the tree was wonderful). Since the akadama + kiryu mix did wonders with the other one, i decided to repot (without touching roots, because it was summer) into a bigger por with the akadama mix. It didn't improved, soon after the tips started to turn brown.
What do you think this could be? It doesn't look like phytophtora, or phomopsis.

January 14 (with the soon to be death branch in the back):




January 29 (Repot, and the dead branch)

February 15: Seems to be doing well

Now:

 

[leatherback]

could be fungal. Alternatively.. how do you fertilize? Any option you nurt the root tips?

 

[DamianTrimboli]

When I repotted i havent touched the roots, it was summer, of course some soil came out when i lifted it from the pot, but not on purpose.. but I remember one section of the root ball was black, probably linked to the branch that died.

 

[misfit11]

I would spray preemptively with a broad spectrum pesticide. Could be spider mites, fungal infection, who knows? This is a really nice tree and I'd hate to see you lose it.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Looks like typical repotting damage to me.
When juniper roots get a beating, they tend to behave like this. It can take a couple months before the regular growing resumes. First they show a decline for a little while, then they bounce back slowly. The funny thing is that those brown tips now don't show any signs of tip blight, but in a few weeks you'll see black spots emerging all over them.
I think tip blight is often wrongly diagnosed in junipers, and it's usually a result of damaged roots that allow tips to die, and when those tips break down, a fungus grows on them. We blame the fungus for damaging the tips..

The problem with junipers is that the signs of overwatering are almost the same as underwatering. And tips going brown is one of those signs.
From the state of the roots, I'd say it has been too wet. I think this because the center of the soil doesn't have a lot of roots while the edges do. Especially in clay pots this happens when the soil stays wet for too long.
Then again, a single week of too little water could have the same result, but I would expect more roots to be present in the center of the soil, searching for water.

I don't want to make any assumptions, but I think it's safe to wait this out a couple weeks. In the mean time, keep an eye out for grey or dull coloring. If that doesn't happen, it's restoring. If it does happen, it's dying.

 

[DamianTrimboli]

I'm sending microscope pictures of some branches, what do you see?

 

[sorce]

The Microscope pics are cool, well appreciated, but if those were the roots, that's your problem.

Could it be a winter dulling that is making it look much worse?

How's it feel?

I'd blast all them browns off to know if they continue.

Sorce

 

[bwaynef]

Looks like typical repotting damage to me.

I did a half-bareroot repot (pretty invasive by its nature) of a Kiyozuru Shimpaku 2+ weeks ago and w/in one week the tips were pushing bright green growth. If you're saying repotting provides a typical kind of damage, I balk at that.

 

[DamianTrimboli]

I did a half-bareroot repot (pretty invasive by its nature) of a Kiyozuru Shimpaku 2+ weeks ago and w/in one week the tips were pushing bright green growth. If you're saying repotting provides a typical kind of damage, I balk at that.

I also did some bareroot repots to put some kishus in a stone in the end sprint (I thought it was risky, but since I have a greenhouse I took my chances) and also in 1 week started to put new beautiful growth, and now are growing strong.
But it was kishu, maybe itoigawa is different.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I did a half-bareroot repot (pretty invasive by its nature) of a Kiyozuru Shimpaku 2+ weeks ago and w/in one week the tips were pushing bright green growth. If you're saying repotting provides a typical kind of damage, I balk at that.

Have you ever done a full bare root and chopped half of the roots off? I have.
That's when this happens.

Repotting shouldn't damage the foliage at all if it's done right. If done wrong.. Or after collecting a juniper.. Or after killing a bunch of roots with whatever technique.. This is typical for what the damage looks like.

 

[DamianTrimboli]

The Microscope pics are cool, well appreciated, but if those were the roots, that's your problem.

Could it be a winter dulling that is making it look much worse?

How's it feel?

I'd blast all them browns off to know if they continue.

Sorce

We are just getting colder temperatures, starting fall right now. temperatures between 15 and 22 celcius. summer was pretty hot. between 24 and 35 celcius.
I expect to have a winter between 2 and 12 celcius.

If it was the roots. what would you do?

I have a lot of stuff to put in.. for example: zerotol, mancozeb + metalaxil, tebuconazole, metilthiophanate, daconil, superthrive, gk365, hb-101, etc etc

 

[sorce]

Definitely don't start spraying!

Leave it in full sun well watered!

Sorce

 

[ChristianDGreat]

We are just getting colder temperatures, starting fall right now. temperatures between 15 and 22 celcius. summer was pretty hot. between 24 and 35 celcius.
I expect to have a winter between 2 and 12 celcius.

If it was the roots. what would you do?

I have a lot of stuff to put in.. for example: zerotol, mancozeb + metalaxil, tebuconazole, metilthiophanate, daconil, superthrive, gk365, hb-101, etc etc

What is the update on this tree? i think i have some that have this issue as well.

 

[DamianTrimboli]

they got much much better with the time. both of them. started to grow from every tip.
Recently, one of them started to decline again, lost most of the branches and the the few that are "still alive" are declining as well.. the other one is perfect.
Not having too much hope right now seeing this rapid decline, but if I can save just one branch, I will be happy.