Yellowing/Brittle Foliage

[Impatient_growth11]

Hello all,

I need help and I'm afraid that my juniper bonsai is dying. This spring I recently re-pot this nursery juniper into a bonsai pot because I liked the way it looked as like a mini forest grove. However, since maybe mid June, the foliage is turning yellow and brittle to brown and falling off. I might have made a mistake by applying osmocote pellets (all purpose) to the bonsai, but I am unsure if that way the culprit. I noticed earlier ok in the start of this process a large portion of the tips turning black and then I didn't notice it anymore. I have attached pictures of earlier progression and then today. Is this salvageable? Thanks in advance.

Luke

 

[Shibui]

There is still plenty of healthy green parts so there's hope if you can figure out what's going wrong.
Repotting should not be the cause unless you were really brutal with the roots.
Osmocote pellets should not cause this unless yo have really overdosed it and I can only see a few so that's not too many.

Watering is one issue that can cause dead foliage.
Under watering is a common cause of dead foliage in summer. Just drying out for a few hours on a hot day can cause problems. The soil must be watered whenever it gets close to dry and many of us water small pots like this twice a day through summer.
Conversely overwatering so the soil is always wet can cause root rot and the tree can't absorb water so it dries out even though the soil is still wet. If you've kept it very wet this could be a cause but less likely through summer.

Wiring and bending junipers in spring is another cause for dead sections as the bark is loose and can separate if the tree is roughly bent at the wrong time. I can see some wire. Any chance that bending in spring could be the cause?

Pests like mites and scale is yet another cause of yellow foliage in junipers. Check closely for scale insects on the foliage or fine webbing among the needles.

 

[morriganflora]

How often do you water and is this tree always in the shade like in the photo?

 

[Impatient_growth11]

How often do you water and is this tree always in the shade like in the photo?

There is still plenty of healthy green parts so there's hope if you can figure out what's going wrong.
Repotting should not be the cause unless you were really brutal with the roots.
Osmocote pellets should not cause this unless yo have really overdosed it and I can only see a few so that's not too many.

Watering is one issue that can cause dead foliage.
Under watering is a common cause of dead foliage in summer. Just drying out for a few hours on a hot day can cause problems. The soil must be watered whenever it gets close to dry and many of us water small pots like this twice a day through summer.
Conversely overwatering so the soil is always wet can cause root rot and the tree can't absorb water so it dries out even though the soil is still wet. If you've kept it very wet this could be a cause but less likely through summer.

Wiring and bending junipers in spring is another cause for dead sections as the bark is loose and can separate if the tree is roughly bent at the wrong time. I can see some wire. Any chance that bending in spring could be the cause?

Pests like mites and scale is yet another cause of yellow foliage in junipers. Check closely for scale insects on the foliage or fine webbing among the needles.

Thank you so much for your detailed response! I have considered many things that you mentioned besides the wiring concept. I don't think I was too aggressive with it (along with root trimming in during the re-pot). It's most likely l due to underwatering. I always worry about root rot but we have had several super hot days where I didn't water because I was concerned that I was over-watering it. I am always worried that after repotting the root ball hung on to too much of the old soil (even though I try to be thorough) and by watering it daily I am causing root rot.

There was some fine webbing that I removed a few weeks ago and didn't think twice. Should I apply some neem oil based spray just in case? What color does scale insects look like? There are orange spots along the truck.

 

[Impatient_growth11]

How often do you water and is this tree always in the shade like in the photo?

5-6 times a week. This is a west facing patio so about half day in shade and the other half full sun.

 

[morriganflora]

5-6 times a week. This is a west facing patio so about half day in shade and the other half full sun.

You may be watering it slightly too much. Even just a bit too wet consistently will drown the roots and cause them to die and start rotting. I'd say it's a higher chance it's something else, though.