Completely browned Juniper
I planted this formerly blue-green Juniper about 10 years ago. It is on a standard and was flowing nicely to the ground. In spite of global warming, our last winter was tough on junipers and chamaecyparis. Others might look good again in a few years. We had often no snow on the ground for several weeks, with occasional temperatures at night possibly below -20 dgrs. I think that with fully frozen ground no moisture could travel into branches, and that foliage died. As you can see on several branches the tips have new blue-green growth.
Am I correct in saying that all brown needles will stay brown and finally fall to the ground, and that new needles will only form at the branch tips?
May I cut the long branches to close to the trunk, and will then new branches be formed next to the cut, or should I replace the whole plant? Thank you for any help!
Comments (9)
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
7 years ago
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Junipers are turning brown & thinning out
Comments (10)you need to confirm such .... i got rid of all mine that were susceptible ... lol.. not much help eh??? google the term... i am sure you will be overwhelmed with info ... i did not care to spray them as required ... so i lost interest at that point in learning the process... they are conifers.. there is a conifer forum ... and MAYBE some peeps there have dealt with such ... but i would bet most of what you will hear is getting rid of them.. and planting a resistant variety.. or better yet.. something else ... your county extension office might have info on such also .... do not start spraying chemicals until you verify the disease ... and a good way to start is to figure out which juniper you have [the second latin name] .... not all Js are susceptible ... i would hate for you to spray.. only to find out it was winter damage.. or some such .... and that is one reason i dont want you to get the ID from some guy who sells chemicals ... they always seem to have a spray to sell .... whether you need it or not .... ken...See MoreTolleson's Weeping Juniper turning brown
Comments (18)how water moves through YOUR soil .... can only be answered by YOU .... with our guidance.. you are really getting out there.. and learning ... you WILL master it soon .. all juniper have some winter browning.. i agree with dave that the closeup shows a lot of green ... and i have high hopes ... transplant has given yours quite a shock ... so extra browning is not unusual ... leave it all be until summer.. then prune out the worst ... or ignore the brown completely .. until the needles fall off naturally ... i hate to worry you ... but SOME junipers in my area are susceptible to a tip blight .... you might want to ID that problem .. i cant think of the name.. and do some googling about it ... but back to transplant damage .. it will be hard to differentiate the two ... but it might be important to know about it in regard to timing of wounding of the tree.. aka.. pruning ... if.. in the other post.. you are referring to my comment about black pots ... i said.. black pots should NEVER be in the sun ... the media in the pot on a sunny day.. can cook the roots ... to deal with such you do one of the following ...: place in shade dig temp hole and stick it in .. pot and all to make shade.. but not digging a cauldron which will hold water in heavy clay .... plant the darn thing ... how water moves through the potting media .. [hope you saw the post about that] .. is completely different than with soil ... what did you use in your repotting ... almost all good soil has clay in it ... see the link .. our concern is if your soil is at the apex ... sever drainage issues there ... otherwise... almost all other soils are OK ... i am in the corner with sand ... trees/conifers love it.. but its hard to keep properly watered during the 'establishment' phase ... but once the plants are all set.. drainage is perfect ... and all but swamp plants love it ... we should all strive for loam.. but that isnt going to happen without incredible amending of the soil ... or you buy it with the house ... if you have a soil test done [the state ag college... probably GA state] .. they will tell you exactly where you fit in that little triangle ... and you will be far ahead in learning about how to water ... for under $10 you will know exactly what your soil is .. contact your local Ag office or soil conservation office for more info on such ... you can do as much damage with too much water.. as you can do with too little water.. with most conifers ... WET is bad ... DAMP is good ... good luck ken Here is a link that might be useful:...See MoreNew Juniper going brown?
Comments (12)as i figured.... the whole.. looks pretty darn good.. for what its been thru ... next.. you dont need any books... convert to the proper latin name ... and use google to look at images ... i have done this for you at the link ... as you can see ... it has vast potential.. for where you put it ... so it has to be moved ... i know nothing about the Cupressus macrocarpa the pot thing is cool.. doesnt bother me in the least ... i have had many trees .. of which conifers are ... root right down thru the drain holes of a pot .. into mother earth ... i would not give that part another thought ... one other thought.. on that spot .... is if direct sun hits that corner ... you MIGHT have a problem with sun cooking your TRANSPLANT ... once established.... i doubt any problem ... its all about not cooking a plant that has disturbed roots ... i simply have no clue what to put in that tiny spot .... perhaps a pic of the greater area ... instead of this little corner.. might inspire some suggestions .... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link...See MoreBrowning Juniper Procumbens Nana
Comments (4)Junipers can take some extreme heat and sun, and they often live in such dry conditions they get a significant amount of moisture from the air to survive. A pot is different from the ground, and so we treat them a little more gently, but I'm afraid daily watering is too much, and watering in the evening is usually a no-no due to setting up good conditions for fungal growth. I would back off on the watering to only when the soil(hopefully we'll-draining) is dry. Then water to thoroughly soak the soil through. Plus since it is showing signs of stress, I would put it where it gets a little shade in the afternoon until it starts putting on new growth. ez...See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years agowisconsitom
7 years agoplantkiller_il_5
7 years agoUser
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoin ny zone5
7 years agoThank you all! This browning happened only in April/May, before that foliage was blue-green, but probably dead already. Looking again at the trunk where it comes out of the ground, I noticed peeled-up bark, with that bark feeling like paper. I scratched that 'bark' off with my finger nails, removed soil and see wood without bark :
There were no vole runs and holes. Last summer and fall I used 1" dia PVC pipe runs (like a Z) with poison pellets against voles. Pellets now remain uneaten in those Z runs since last fall. The bark might have rotted away over the last 10 years.
The juniper looks like planted too deep, but should not have drowned because it sits 10 in above the bottom of a dry creek and 3 ft away which carries water from house gutters to a place 65 ft away. I water that area for 1 hour when there was no rain for a week, turn on/off manually an overhead sprinkler. I also have a healthy 12 ft Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Gracilis' in a vegetable garden, no rotting of the bark. My 'van Akker' sits 6 ft away from the dry creek across from the juniper and is happy
I just bought a Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Compacta', will plant it somewhat high.
Thanks again!
Bernd
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
7 years ago
in ny zone5Original Author