hey

the leader is the ONLY ONE going heavenward .... i see nothing wrong with it..

otherwise i dont know which one you are worried about ... based on that picture it looks pretty happy ...

please better define what you are not happy with

ken

Hi Ken, sorry, I should of been more descriptive. This moonglow was added with one other this year to complete a privacy/noise barrier. We planted 3 other Moonglows last year and they do not, nor have looked like this one. The leader looks good to me as well however, the branches are not tight with the leader, they appear to be growing outward instead of heavenward. Almost what I would expect after a heavy/wet snow fall. This is part of my concern, what is going to happen this winter when we do get a heavy snow fall? Will the branches break or worse will it completely loose the cylinder/column look? So, to me the branches look week and I guess we are looking for a way to "strengthen" it - if that makes sence.......
on a side note we do remove the heavy snow from the trees to prevent branches breaking.

thanks again..

here is a picture of one of the moonglows planted last year - notice how "tight" the branches are to the leader?

And a picture of the berm .......

{{gwi:735483}}

It's probably that nursery grown plants shown in photos are often so crowded that they keep a very tight conical shape. Then when you get them home with rain and wind and room to breathe they open up sometimes to the point of looking scraggly.
Two months planted is very soon to worry- they will perk up and look to the sun soon enough.
If it really bothers you you can tie a piece of twine around the plant at mid point very loosely to keep them tight.
Don't constrict them at all- just enough to give them a little support and encouragement.
I usually only do that when I expect a heavy snow load but have occasionally tightened up young plants this way and it works well.

berm.....

check out the link ...

maturity does not equate with the tight little babes you planted ... the ones that are displeasing you are loosing up like its elders are prone to ...

i wish you had come to us beforehand .... scopulorum family of junipers has many problems associated with them .. i am not happy that you went with a monoculture...

your future includes tip blight with ends browning.. and snowload issues ...

may as well read up on juniper tip blight.. so you will be prepared to battle it ...

bottom line.. give them 2 years to get over the transplant.. keep them PROPERLY watered ... remove the stakes by the end of this year ....

you might.. if the budget allows.. plant a second line of some other plant.. so that in 5.. 10 .. years.. the junipers are not making you happy ... you will already have new plants growing .... you could go rather cheap and small .... since the junipers are already there ... check out musser forests and their 2 or 3 year old seedling offerings... next proper planting time is fall.. about when the leaves fall off the other type trees ...

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks for the responses. Ken - do you ever have good news for me? LOL. thanks for the prediction. Did some reading, hopefully good up keep and keeping them healthy will keep Phomopis & kabatina at bay as long as possible. We selected these for multiple reasons 2 being deer resistant and relatively low height (20'). We are always open to suggestions for others - do you have any?

Thanks much ....

Here is a link that might be useful: prior post

ken is right about theses loosing up as they age and the snow loads- I have six I planted along a fence about 4 years ago- they are thriving quite well and have filled out nicely-but they do not do well under snow loads- I have lost a few branches because of this. So far I have been lucky with any blight- I have a few wichitas & skyrockets that I planted around the same time and they are also doing well. I do try to keep them a bit neat and slightly trim back a bit to give them a little more breathing room. If they die someday it will suck-but I can't worry about it now I guess.