Advise Please: Collected Juniper needle tips pale yellow

joagraha

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Hello, I could really use some expert advice on a fantastic Juniper I recently found at a local nursury here in Austin, TX.

It was poorly potted in a plastic garden center pot. When I bought it (3-4 weeks ago) I noticed it had some pale yellow (almost blond) needles, but wasn't too concerned as they were not brittle and brown like I've seen in dead or dying Junipers. As you can see it's got some age on it and has lived through some abusive weather. It survived last summer's severe drought.

Here are the variables to consider:

POTTING: Once I got it home I immediately repotted it in a large bonsai pot so that I didn't need to take much of the roots off. I probably removed 10-20% of the roots

PRUNING: I am always reluctant to over-prune new junipers. I clipped approx. 10% of the branches and only those that were very small/weak and under the main canopy. I did not remove the any primary or secondary branches.

SOIL: The soil is a mixture of turface, orchid bark and perhaps 15% potting soil with sphagnum moss covering the any exposed soil level root bases (down here I feel even junipers need some organic soil to hold water once the 3months of consecutive 100 degree heat comes).

CURRENT WEATHER: Since buying it, the weather has been mild (high 60s at night to low 80s during day)

SUN EXPOSURE: having some experience collecting or repotting junipers here, I've been careful not to expose it to constant full sun. I've kept in a partially shady spot exposing it to only a couple hours of full sun and Partial Shade the rest of the day

WATERING & FEEDING: I've been trying to only water as needed. After an initial solid soak I've been watering every 3 days. I have not fed the tree with any fertilizer yet.

In summary, since buying and repotting the tree I've not seen much improvement in the color at all, in fact it's likely gotten worse. I've lost junipers in the past and do not want to lose this beauty as I think it has wonderful potential.

Please check out the attached pics. I think the topdown image best shows the condition I'm speaking about. Can anyone advise on what they believe the cause and potential remedy is?

Personally, I think it's received adequate water and sun. I wonder if the soil is holding too much water, but I'm nervous about repotting again in only turface and bark, unless I'm confident that this is the problem.

Please advise! Would these yellow needles most likely be due to poor soil, overwatering, underwatering, disease, pests??

Thank you for your help!!
Baonsai Deadwood at purchase.jpgBonsai Deadwood Today.jpgBonsai Deadwood topdown.jpg
 
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I hate to ask a silly question... but have you ruled out whether it's a standard or variegated variety of juniper? Also, yellowing foliage on a plant where it's not obviously dessicated and/or dieing, can be a nitrogen deficiency. Though I wouldn't feed it anything for a few weeks after the repot.

Good luck,

Victrinia
 

PaulH

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I think Ms. Ensor called it. This looks exactly like a variegated landscape juniper.
Paul
 

yenling83

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I'm 99% sure this is just a variegated form and the yellow color is natural. I'm not a big fan of that soil mix-in general I think Bark is best to keep weeds and roots from growing, turface and reg potting soil are not great from my past experience. New Zeland sphagnum moss on the surface is good if your worried about drying out, a great mix is akadama/pumice/lava or akadama/pumice-if you use a higher percentage of akadama this will help the tree from drying out. I might just wait a year or two before re potting again. Wait a month after re potting before fertilizing, and use organics.

This is all just my opinion. Good luck with your tree!
 

rockm

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You say it is a "collected" juniper? Was it dug from the wild?
 

Bill S

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The soil does sound like it will be a wet mix, which is not so good.
As far as veriagated, typically they don't just change to veriagated, and it is not even throughout the foliage so I don't think that is the answer.
 
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Bill...

He lives in Texas my friend... that 'change' may just be new growth... we'll have to see what he says about it when he checks back. :)

V
 

joagraha

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all, thanks for the feedback. I believe it could be variegated, but I think soil could still be a problem. Although it drains when watered, the soil still holds water longer than I'd like and is quite likely 'muckier' than it should be.

As mentioned, I've tried to compensate for the coming heat of a Texas summer, but may have overdone it. Any thoughts on an emergency repotting? Again, considering I'm in TX, what suggestions do you have for a good composition?
 

Smoke

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all, thanks for the feedback. I believe it could be variegated, but I think soil could still be a problem. Although it drains when watered, the soil still holds water longer than I'd like and is quite likely 'muckier' than it should be.

As mentioned, I've tried to compensate for the coming heat of a Texas summer, but may have overdone it. Any thoughts on an emergency repotting? Again, considering I'm in TX, what suggestions do you have for a good composition?

Water when it "needs it". Then repot next year.
 

gergwebber

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yeah first things first, check the label on the pot...... but that pot looks really old, so in that case just ask the nurseryman/woman at check out they will probably all about that plant(when they got it, why it was in the boneyard, what growers they order from and maybe even what catalog)..... anyway that really looks like natural variegation.
 
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