Juniper woes

[Matt B]

My previously healthy Juniper is having some issues. I'm suspecting problems with moisture, but I'll leave that to the experts. The symptoms are branches browning starting from the base and progressing towards the tips. The tree is in the same soil as the last season, thirds of pine bark, lava and perlite. Last season it did well, this season it is slumping. Here are some pics.

 

[Scorpius]

I'm no juniper expert, but I like to keep an eye out for spider mites and fungus. I also found that juniper are no so keen on having their soil dry out between watering and they do not like wet feet either.

 

[Matt B]

Examining with a magnifying glass, found no evidence of mites. Just to be sure, I shook a branch over clean paper and examined it for anything tiny and moving. Nothing.

 

[Dav4]

Junipers are better kept on the dry side then the wet, and I'm thinking that 1/3 pine bark is way too much. Does the soil ever really dry out?

 

[Matt B]

The soil is the same as last season. The watering schedule is 3x per week. The water goes right through the soil, and the soil seems dry down to an inch after a day. What would you suggest to alter to turn it around? Are the browning branches goners, or could they stage a recovery from the green tips?

 

[Dav4]

I like 100% inorganic soil but that’s for the next repot season. Have you checked for spider mites?

 

[Leprous Garden]

Don't water on a schedule. Check the plants and water according to what's happening in the pot.

Does this Browning look like anything more than the old leaves being shed? Most conifers have some brown hiding underneath.

 

[Matt B]

I like 100% inorganic soil but that’s for the next repot season. Have you checked for spider mites?

No spider mites, checked with magnifying glass.

 

[Matt B]

Don't water on a schedule. Check the plants and water according to what's happening in the pot.

Does this Browning look like anything more than the old leaves being shed? Most conifers have some brown hiding underneath.

The browning is a progressing problem, and if you look at the photos, other parts of the tree are fine, with little damage, but one whole side of the tree has progressively been browning on the smaller branches, starting from the main trunk and large branches and progressing outwards over weeks toward the tips and leaves.

I have seen trees brown from the tips and leaves progressing towards the trunk, but haven't seen the opposite.

 

[Esolin]

I'm no expert, but I had a juniper that looked like that and suspected the roots were staying too hot and damp, causing fungal rot issues, which caused the tree to shed older less efficient foliage in a bid to maintain balance. If it were mine, I'd give it a good drench with an antifungal like Mancozeb and then try to water less/keep the roots cooler either by relocating it into partial afternoon shade or putting a reflective cover over the pot. Mine is finally looking better and gaining some strength. Hope yours recovers.

 

[Leprous Garden]

I have seen trees brown from the tips and leaves progressing towards the trunk, but haven't seen the opposite.

I see the opposite every year when evergreens ditch their oldest leaves, usually in the fall as they prepare for winter. The prior post I think is on the right track with this type of browning.

 

[sorce]

Looks normal.

Was that most browning pictured branch so thinned last year?

Looks too thin to not be abandoned, anything beyond normal seems abandoned.

Sorce

 

[YukiShiro]

Does not look like there is much wrong, except that it is really thinned out atm.
when did you hard prune it ? it would not have a lot of strength with so little foliar mass to photosynthesize with. Let it grow and build some foliar mass
also sometimes if you bump a little branchlet too hard the tree just aborts them

Best regards
Herman

 

[Ming dynasty]

I like 100% inorganic soil but that’s for the next repot season. Have you checked for spider mites?

Even for developing junipers?

 

[LuZiKui]

I really don't think 1/3 of pine bark is going to cause a problem with too much moisture for your juniper. I was just reading a juniper thread and @Beanwagon grew a behemoth juniper in 4 years using just run of the mill potting soil, worth a quick read if you want to develop your juniper more:

Beanwagons Nana #1

This was the 1st Juniper Squamatta that i purchased. It has been very neglected. I put it in the ground and had planned to keep it there for as long as possible to thicken it up, however i have to move house now so i put it in the largest pot i could find. A picture from January 2016...

www.bonsainut.com

I could be wrong but I think the browning that you are seeing is the old needles dying off as the shoots turn into wood. Doesn't look overly concerning to me but I might give it a year to regain health and vigor before doing serious work on it.