Getting a juniper back in good health

[Sunwyrm]

I wanted to see if there was anything else that can be done specifically for my "not-so-blue" shore juniper. I bought it this way fall of last year, and while the new growth on the tips are looking like a better color, the rest of the needles are yellow. Any diagnosis?

I used some Osmocote a couple weeks ago, but it's still in it's original nursery pot and soil. Would this be a good time to get it repotted or should I wait until it's healthier? Will it be able to get healthier as it is now or what more could possibly be done for it?

Pic with it's motivational counterpart:

Closeup from a few weeks ago when I cut back some of the dead needles by the trunk (hence the baldness):

 

[RickMartin]

Thin out all the brown needles and water it. Let it do its thing. I repot in spring just as buds start to push.

Rick

 

[Adair M]

Have you checked for spider mites?

 

[GrimLore]

Pic with it's motivational counterpart:

Looks like a Wiltonii on the left and a Prince of Wales on the right... Prince is a green variety

If you are positive it is a Blue variety it seems to be draining ok but I would go with a decent 20-20-20 fertilizer like Jack's weekly and a lot of sun. That of course will require frequent watering. If it darkens a bit after a few weeks you can also use Manganese in the form of Epson Salt diluted 1/4 teaspoon to 1 gallon of water. I find plants that are to show blue show better like certain Hinoki, Juniper, Cedar, and Spruce varieties.

I still think that one is a Prince of Wales as other then needing a trimming out looks otherwise ok.

Grimmy

 

[Paradox]

Looks like a Wiltonii on the left and a Prince of Wales on the right

It's not Wiltonii, I have 6 of them and they dont look anything like that.

I agree with checking for spider mites. Looks like that might be an issue to me as well.

 

[Dav4]

Definitely check for mites. Also, check to see if it's root bound. Junipers love full sun, but will get sun scalded if their roots are either too wet or too dry.

 

[GrimLore]

I am sticking with it is a mound juniper and not a shore juniper. If it is indeed a Blue Shore it is having a fungal problem and needs systemic liquid treatment for Phytophthora Root Rot.

Grimmy

 

[Dav4]

J. horizontalis 'wiltoni'

J. conferta, aka Shore juniper

 

[GrimLore]

J. horizontalis 'wiltoni'

Damn, my old wires are crossed this morning and thank you! I have all of those and somehow mixed them up

Grimmy

 

[GrimLore]

J. conferta, aka Shore juniper

Do you think it "could be" simply a green variety like the Emerald shore? I downloaded the picture of his and honest it looks ok except needing a trimming even when I enlarge it a lot...

Grimmy

 

[Dav4]

Do you think it "could be" simply a green variety like the Emerald shore? I downloaded the picture of his and honest it looks ok except needing a trimming even when I enlarge it a lot...

Grimmy

No idea on the cultivar, but the inner growth looks faded compared to the growth further out on the branches. I still suspect a root issue or mites...I would have re-potted it this spring for sure. If it's not root bound, there are healthy white root tips, it's still growing well, I'd wait till next year for the re-pot....and I'd still check for mites.

 

[Sunwyrm]

No idea either, though I'd like to hope it's a green variety. The one on the right was a blue shore I just bought from Lowes for comparison, but I doubt I still have the tag hanging around from the big guy. New growth is definitely lighter green than the little blue one, though what little growth there is seems slow considering how long I've had it.

Haven't seen any mites that I know of (I'll certainly check!). Would a picture of the roots help? lol I'll look much more closely at it tonight and report back. Thanks all!

 

[GrimLore]

No idea on the cultivar, but the inner growth looks faded compared to the growth further out on the branches.

First - I want to make it clear I do not intend to argue this at all, just point out a couple of items.

As a Doctor are you not concerned about knowing the patient which is this case "some" cultivar before doing a diagnostic? For instance looking at this closer @Sunwyrm had done " a little" interior clean up. To me if it is a healthy green cultivar it just means it needs more interior light and/or further cleanup. No?

They all need a lot of light regardless and never left to dry out completely. They also need a bit more fertilizer then he posted - you don't agree?

It appears that it drains good judging by the water dripping out the bottom. Makes sense to me as I have never seen any Juniper do poorly in Nursery mix/pots for a few years - EVER.

I sincerely thank you for getting my old arse mind on the right cultivar track, serious. I just wanted to re- read and point this things out.

Grimmy

 

[Dav4]

First - I want to make it clear I do not intend to argue this at all, just point out a couple of items.

As a Doctor are you not concerned about knowing the patient which is this case "some" cultivar before doing a diagnostic? For instance looking at this closer @Sunwyrm had done " a little" interior clean up. To me if it is a healthy green cultivar it just means it needs more interior light and/or further cleanup. No?

They all need a lot of light regardless and never left to dry out completely. They also need a bit more fertilizer then he posted - you don't agree?

It appears that it drains good judging by the water dripping out the bottom. Makes sense to me as I have never seen any Juniper do poorly in Nursery mix/pots for a few years - EVER.

I sincerely thank you for getting my old arse mind on the right cultivar track, serious. I just wanted to re- read and point this things out.

Grimmy

I've got loads of junipers growing in soil conditioner...they love it. I have no idea what cultivar, if any, we're dealing with and the OP doesn't know either. All I know is that, based on the picture given, the foliage looks faded and not that healthy. The causes are many and several have been discussed here, and now, it's up to the OP to figure it out. Pulling it out of the pot would go a long way toward telling if it's got a root issue or not.

 

[GrimLore]

No idea either, though I'd like to hope it's a green variety. The one on the right was a blue shore I just bought from Lowes for comparison, but I doubt I still have the tag hanging around from the big guy. New growth is definitely lighter green than the little blue one, though what little growth there is seems slow considering how long I've had it.

Haven't seen any mites that I know of (I'll certainly check!). Would a picture of the roots help? lol I'll look much more closely at it tonight and report back. Thanks all!

As @Dav4 stated definitely check for mites as they will quickly destroy a lot of plants. I really think it is not a blue anything though and trimming out more of the interior as well as more sun and fertilizer will make you grin. I tossed out the root rot as the only possible cause I have seen for any blue varieties but seriously doubt it as it seems to drain good.

One thing that certainly will help along the road is knowing exactly what you have and keeping notes, serious

A close up clear picture of the plant will help with ID, and once again skip the roots for now

Grimmy

 

[Sunwyrm]

Lol. The tag was still on it, just hidden.
It does say is a blue shore, but that nursery also had emerald isle....

Confirmed no mites, but it definitely looks root bound. I took pics, but having a hard time uploading from mobile. Will update soon.

Edit: the more I Google emerald shore juniper, the more I'm convinced that's my tree, tag or no...

 

[Sunwyrm]

Got the pics to work:

 

[Vin]

FWIW I have over 40 Junipers and there are color variations within the same species and varieties. I never get alarmed when I see color differences with one exception; brown. If you've ruled out critters and root issues then try a little iron if you want the foliage to get darker. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Sunwyrm]

Thanks, this makes me feel a lot better about it.

 

[Lynn E]

I am sticking with it is a mound juniper and not a shore juniper. If it is indeed a Blue Shore it is having a fungal problem and needs systemic liquid treatment for Phytophthora Root Rot.

Grimmy

Grimmy--what have you used to treat phytopthora root rot--haven't found anything that's worked for my in-ground rhodies. Thanks