Juniper help!

Elys

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I got my juniper procumbens in May as a gift, and I’ve kept it outside, watering it when the soil is dry (it has rained pretty often the past few months so I’ve watered it minimally).

In the past few weeks, the color is faded and I’ve definitely seen some spiders hanging around. No visible webs though. I’ve read that it’s probably spider mites… is he a goner?

21784D11-73DE-485C-8FED-6D37EE3B94B6.jpeg
 

DonovanC

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If you add your location to your profile people will be able to give you better advice. Where are you?
I’m betting, in an attempt to not over-water, you have in fact under-watered. The tree looks very dry and dead.
But you can try again! Perhaps try a Ficus 👍 I am bias, but I stand by my opinion. A Ficus is the best tree for beginners. Find an F. microcarpa at a big-box store somewhere.
 

penumbra

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I agree that it looks like it dried out.
FYI, spider mites do not look like spiders. They look like tiny little dots, much smaller than a pin head, ans are usually reddish.
 

Bonsai Nut

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Welcome to the site!

Sadly, conifers have slow vascular systems, and in many cases by the time the tree starts to show stress it is already dead. Not always... but often; particularly when you have a juniper with foliage that goes brown. I am hoping for the best... but it isn't looking good.

I wish I had good advice to give you, but all I can say is "try again"... but do something differently next time. Because I don't know the exact timing of care, I can't give you anything more specific. But I killed plenty of junipers in my day. And even though it has been a while since the last death, I'm pretty sure I'll kill more in the future. The challenge is to kill them each time in different ways :) That means you're learning! And because I take cuttings when I prune my bigger trees, I create many more trees than I kill.
 

DonovanC

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But I killed plenty of junipers in my day. And even though it has been a while since the last death, I'm pretty sure I'll kill more in the future. The challenge is to kill them each time in different ways :) That means you're learning! And because I take cuttings when I prune my bigger trees, I create many more trees than I kill.
I’m in my 5th year of bonsai and I have just this year gotten to a point where I’m actually able to keep junipers healthy. I’ve killed more junipers than I currently have - that’s for sure.
 
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