Juniper foliage turns grey. Help!

[walton1993]

Hi all, I’m new to bonsai and recently purchased a Juniper.

It’s been about 2-3 weeks since I purchased the tree and a section of the foliage is starting to turn grey.

Does anyone know what could be causing this and the steps I should take to reverse the problem? Pictures are attached.

I don’t know if the soil mix is the issue but it was fine at the nursery. I live in Indonesia which has a tropical climate.

Any advice is appreciated.

Best,
W

 

[just.wing.it]

That branch is dead.
I can't tell you why.

 

[0soyoung]

juniper foliage turns grey = juniper foliage is dead.

Use your head = think it through. It happened to a single branch, not the whole tree --> it is not an issue with the soil mix.

Trace all the grey and dead stuff back to a common point. Look at what is going on there, at the point all those dead things have in common. It could be the branch was bent and broke. It could be insects at the common location. It could be a wound/cut at the common location. Maybe take a picture of this common location and somebody can help

 

[walton1993]

Understood. Attached is a closer pic of the common location.

Unfortunately, I’m still having difficulty picking up the signs of what may have caused this.

 

[Dav4]

The cambium that led to that branch was damaged and the branch dried out. Trauma is most likely, such as when wiring and bending the branches.

 

[0soyoung]

I see it has been wired. A frequent problem is breaking the stem when wiring. The wood that carries water and minerals to the foliage is cracked underneath the bark and this stopped water from getting to the foliage that died. I would simply cut this off and move on.

I suggest that you slice this branch near the "Y" after you've cut if off and look closely for the damage that is likely there. Say, slice one side lengthwise and make repeated cuts across the other stem. See if you cannot find what I think you will find. Junipers carry water mostly in the wood very close to the bark; the rest is not functional.

 

[Adair M]

It’s not hard to figure out what happened.

Look at the picture below:



See the section I circled? There’s no wire there.

To the left, there’s wire.

The problem is, the section I circled has no wire. It has no support. So, when the foliage was getting arranged after styling, the artist tried to move the foliage into place. And in trying to place it, he broke the branch where there was no wire, no support. If you look carefully, you can see the damage in the middle of the unwired section I circled.

It’s a common mistake made by someone who isn’t very well trained on proper wiring technique.

 

[walton1993]

Thanks all. Yes - when I purchased the tree there was a thick wire around the branch. I took the wire off and there was a scar on the cambium. Will be more careful next time.

Will do the cut as 0soyoung recommended. Thanks again for sharing the info!

 

[walton1993]

It’s not hard to figure out what happened.

Look at the picture below:

View attachment 271649

See the section I circled? There’s no wire there.

To the left, there’s wire.

The problem is, the section I circled has no wire. It has no support. So, when the foliage was getting arranged after styling, the artist tried to move the foliage into place. And in trying to place it, he broke the branch where there was no wire, no support. If you look carefully, you can see the damage in the middle of the unwired section I circled.

It’s a common mistake made by someone who isn’t very well trained on proper wiring technique.

If I recall correctly, that mark/scar occured when I was removing the original wire from the nursery.

Thanks for sharing the tip on wiring and supporting the tree

 

[Adair M]

Thanks all. Yes - when I purchased the tree there was a thick wire around the branch. I took the wire off and there was a scar on the cambium. Will be more careful next time.

Will do the cut as 0soyoung recommended. Thanks again for sharing the info!

No need to go the cuts 0so recommended. The damage is right there where I circled.

I don’t know whether the damage occurred when it was wired, or when you removed some wire.

It’s best to leave wire in place unless it’s cutting in.

 

[Adair M]

If I recall correctly, that mark/scar occured when I was removing the original wire from the nursery.

Thanks for sharing the tip on wiring and supporting the tree

Then you broke the branch when you tried to remove the wire.

 

[walton1993]

Then you broke the branch when you tried to remove the wire.

Yes, I think that’s likely what happened.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Vance Wood]

Understood. Attached is a closer pic of the common location.

Unfortunately, I’m still having difficulty picking up the signs of what may have caused this.

It looks to me like the branch was a bit older than one expects on branches of this size. Being a bit older it probably broke down inside below the bark killing the branch. When you remove the wire I think you may find where the branch is broken.

 

[0soyoung]

The cambium that led to that branch was damaged and the branch dried out. Trauma is most likely, such as when wiring and bending the branches.

No need to go the cuts 0so recommended. The damage is right there where I circled.

Loosing a little bark and cambium never killed anything. We do it all the time, girdling branches, and (maybe) making air layers.

Aside from a little bark (and maybe cambium) damage, I don't see anything in the pic to explain why the branch died. I suspect that you just know that it is not a good thing to leave a branch section unwired like this, but exactly what is the damage you see in the pic that explains why the branch died, @Adair M ?

 

[Shibui]

Death of a branch or part of a branch or trunk seems to be quite common after wiring and bending juniper. I suspect it is due to rough handling that separates the cambium from underlying wood. In this case almost certainly from bending that branch back and forth while unwiring.
I can see a depressed area of paler bark on that branch. Maybe it is just a little outer bark peeled off but I suspect that the problem does lie under there.

 

[Vance Wood]

There is one other aspect not mentioned much: Junipers have a tendency to abandon foliage it does not need or want for no apparent reason to our eyes. This is why most Junipers in nature reflected in aged bonsai have significant amounts of dead wood.

 

[Bolero]

There is one other aspect not mentioned much: Junipers have a tendency to abandon foliage it does not need or want for no apparent reason to our eyes. This is why most Junipers in nature reflected in aged bonsai have significant amounts of dead wood.

I always thought Deadwood was due to Environmental & Weathering reasons...

 

[Adair M]

Deadwood in a juniper is Jin (a large branch) or a large section of trunk (shari) that has died and has the heartwood exposed. Not twigs.

Juniper branches can delaminate easily if they’re twisted. Then the cambium is exposed and can dry out. And die. I can definitely see a section where the bark is lifted off the wood, and likely killed the cambium. Maybe it happened when he took the wire off, I dont know. Maybe the guy who wired it originally damaged it, and the process of removing the wire damaged it further. I don’t know.

I don’t wire or unwire junipers when they’re growing. They’re too easy to damage. If I want to create Jin and shari, the growing season is a great time to create them because it’s very easy to strip the bark (and cambium layers) off. During the winter, it’s nearly impossible to remove bark and cambium.

I find the fall the best time to work juniper because the bark and cambium are firmly attached, but the branches are still somewhat flexible. In winter, the branches are hard and brittle. Spring is ok, but it’s easy to damage the cambium.

 

[M. Frary]

Next time maybe cut the wire off too.

 

[Vance Wood]

Never the less try some time growing the Sargents Juniper available in the every day nursery trade and I think you will find out what I was talking about, they just up and crap out on foliage and branches for no visable reason.