Hi -is it in regular soil, or grit (the gravel on top doesn't count unless it goes all the way through). BTW, before I forget, you always measure a plant from the top to where it enters the soil - you didn't say how tall the pot was after all. Also, never ever sit a pot in water (like the saucer) because the water wicks back in and rots the roots as yours probably did, though the worst problem has likely been watering much too often. Whether or not the soil on top is dry is not the point - junipers should be allowed to dry almost all the way in between waterings, but that is also confusing because the tree really should be in mostly grit, not any kind of 'soil', and therefore water should run right through it and be allowed to drain away, so even an extra watering won't kill it. The grit can be many types, look at the bonsaisite.com Soil Forum (under General Discussion) for what to use, and only add a little bit of organic components to the grit, all mixed together. Your tree may already be gone - they take a long time to show it, but if not, then give it what it needs and doesn't need... www.bonsai4me.com has basic information on junipers.

Upon closer look, I think it is scale. I fought a losing battle against scale on a tropical hibiscus houseplant about 10 years ago, and that was a very humbling experience. I sprayed insecticidal soap repeatedly with no success, then removed some leaves, then some branches, eventually moving up to stronger chemicals. I couldn't get rid of them, even after submerging the plant to ensure complete coverage. Those were a few mm across - rather large compared to these little ones, about 10x smaller. When I look close at the Juniper, I don't see anything moving, so I no longer think they are mites. I DO notice some of the circle-in-a-circle patterns that remind me of scale, so I feel like it's over. I don't think I've got a chance of getting rid of them - there must be over a million of them. Too bad since it was doing so well and this is considered a fairly tough, worry-free plant. Thanks for the input, +oM Alan

Those must have been some hungry deer!! Deer will eat junipers (and no, it doesn't kill them) but they tend not to be on the top of their menus unless there is not much else to browse or they are very hungry. White tail deer commonly browse on native junipers throughout the southwest and the Rockies and there have been numerous online reports of deer browsing more ornamental species as well. Prickliness has nothing to do with it - deer will browse all manner of conifers (including monkey puzzle or Araucaria) with very prickly or sharp needles. They do tend towards those with less terpenes however, if given a choice.

You don't specify what weeds you have but if you haven't done so yet, you should have them correctly identified before you try any herbicide on them. You won't know their life cycles and weak points until you get them identified. Are they crawling all over the junipers - touching them - or growing straight up like a grass? One method for weeds growing above grouncovers is to use the "glove of death". Put a rubber glove on your hand and put a cotton glove over it. Then dip your hand in the herbicide solution (in liquid form) and lovingly caress the weeds to death. This works great for grasses and other upright weeds, but would be tricky for vining, crawling ones. Sometimes with the vining ones(like bindweed)you can place bamboo posts in the beds and trick the vines to grow around the posts. Then use your glove and run your hand up the posts. It's important to follow label rates on your herbicide. More is not better and puts more chemicals into the environment than necessary to kill off your target. Sometimes a stronger solution actually burns the plants back so fast that the herbicide does not have time to work its way throughout the root system. Good luck and I hope this helps.