Q. My junipers are
starting to die and turn yellow from the top. I water them twice a day; at
7:00am and 7:00 pm for 45:00 minutes. The nursery told me to water them every
other day, 4 days a week, for 1 hour.What should I do to save them?
 |
| Junipers are not desert plants and may not fare very well over time when surrounded by rock mulch |
A. I saw the pictures you
sent. They appear to be sheared as well. Because of dense, internal shading due
to their thick canopies, the “leaves” inside the canopy of these
plants die and turn brown. It is only the outer perimeter of leaves that stay
green. The inside stems aren’t dead but the “leaves” or
“needles” attached to them die and turn brown from a lack of light.
sent. They appear to be sheared as well. Because of dense, internal shading due
to their thick canopies, the “leaves” inside the canopy of these
plants die and turn brown. It is only the outer perimeter of leaves that stay
green. The inside stems aren’t dead but the “leaves” or
“needles” attached to them die and turn brown from a lack of light.
When these plants are sheared, the dead, brown needles in
the interior are revealed. Some junipers “re-sprout” from these brown,
seemingly dead stems but others may not. However, new growth is slow when they “resprout”.
the interior are revealed. Some junipers “re-sprout” from these brown,
seemingly dead stems but others may not. However, new growth is slow when they “resprout”.
Spider mites can also cause needles to brown and drop
off. Don’t assume your plant has spider mites unless you confirm their
presence.
off. Don’t assume your plant has spider mites unless you confirm their
presence.
I use a white piece of paper and “slap” a brown
branches against the white piece of paper several times. This dislodges the
spider mites from the needles onto the white piece of paper. By staring at the
white piece of paper for 10 or 15 seconds, you can these tiny spider mites crawling
around on it. You must look closely because they are the size of the period at
the end of this sentence.
branches against the white piece of paper several times. This dislodges the
spider mites from the needles onto the white piece of paper. By staring at the
white piece of paper for 10 or 15 seconds, you can these tiny spider mites crawling
around on it. You must look closely because they are the size of the period at
the end of this sentence.
Washing plants prone to spider mites once a month with a
stiff stream of water removes surface dust from the needles or leaves. Removing
the dust and dirt also helps control spider mite populations. Soap and water
sprays also work if spider mite outbreaks are light.
stiff stream of water removes surface dust from the needles or leaves. Removing
the dust and dirt also helps control spider mite populations. Soap and water
sprays also work if spider mite outbreaks are light.
Junipers are notorious for dying if the soil is kept too
wet. Their roots suffocate easily in wet soils. The first sign of overwatering
is browning of the tips of the stems. This can be from soils that don’t drain
easily or when these soils are irrigated too often.
wet. Their roots suffocate easily in wet soils. The first sign of overwatering
is browning of the tips of the stems. This can be from soils that don’t drain
easily or when these soils are irrigated too often.
Be careful of that. Juniper roots like to be on the dry
side between irrigations. I think this is what the nursery was hinting at.
side between irrigations. I think this is what the nursery was hinting at.
It’s hard to judge how
many minutes to give them but each of them should be fine if they receive 5
gallons of water each, distributed under their canopies. This would require at
least 2 drip emitters but 3 would be better.