Blue point juniper problems, chances are your blue point is in trouble, as these issues can be multiple ones. The tree is a beautiful must-have for all homeowners who look for rich greenery on the exterior of their homes.
However, while care is necessary, there can come a time when your blue point encounters a problem. This article guides diagnosing the problem with the right solution, so read on.
Contents
What Are Common Blue Point Juniper Problems?
Common blue point juniper problems are the leaves turning brown, overeating issues, pest infestations. On the other hand, it would also face diseases such as blight, or root rot, and may even be attacked by scale. Hence, the plant would be in issues if these are not treated soon.
– Leaves Turning Brown
There are numerous causes for Junipers to turn brown. The frequent reasons include fungal tip blights, cankers, mechanical damage, and salt injury. Several juniper samples with tip blight were delivered to the Plant Disease Clinic this spring.
Two prevalent ailments affecting junipers are phomopsis and Kabatina tip blights. Typically, the kabatina tip blight emerges in February and March. From April to September, Phomopsis tip blight develops.
Both diseases share a similar set of symptoms. Affected needles change color from reddish brown to gray. The fungi can encircle branches, killing off the tips. Pycnidia are tiny, black fungal fruiting structures on damaged leaves and stems. They are frequently visible to the unaided eye.
– Overwatering Issue
Between irrigation, the juniper bushes prefer to dry out. For Juniper, overwatering often causes more issues than under watering. If the plant requires water, the branches can break and dry out, meaning you will know when to water it.
However, due to the lack of this tip usually being known, the owners would start to water their tree excessively and as a result the branch tips would start to turn brown or yellow.
Well-draining soil is essential for Junipers, particularly when grown in a container. These evergreen shrubs enjoy dry environments and are vulnerable to root rot when exposed to moisture regularly, and some would over water it.
– Pest Infestation
Aphids, bagworms, scale insects, and spider mites are the four most prevalent pest issues on junipers nationwide. The branches are sticky and covered in a dark sooty mold caused by visible aphids.
Three approaches will work on them: a garden hose spray, ladybugs, and contact pesticides. Although they are more difficult to spot, scale insects leave branches sticky and covered in black mold. They are the best with a systemic insecticide or a dormant oil application in the winter because of their strong outer shell protection.
If you tap a branch over a sheet of dark-colored paper, spider mites—about the size of salt and pepper—will be visible. On the stems, they leave behind tiny webs. Before turning brown, the branches first turn a light greyish-yellow color. Systemic insecticides and a garden hose can control them.
Caterpillars of a little black moth are called bagworms. They consume the needles of juniper trees, using them to finally create a cocoon. The branches are hung with 2-inch-long bags that are simple to pull off.
– Blight
Younger needles on junipers can turn brown and fall off the branches due to twig and tip blights from the Chinese juniper. Branch tips become pale, then reddish-brown, eventually bending brown and breaking off the shrub.
The branches develop cankers where the dead parts meet the living branch sections. Fungi that cause blights thrive in warm, humid temperatures during both in spring and summer.
Dieback may appear near the heart of the shrub or maybe along the length of the branches, depending on the type of blight.
– Rotten Roots
A fungal disease called Phytophthora root rot makes junipers wilt and grow yellow needles that eventually turn brown and fall from the shrub, making it appear thin.
The shrub will perish, even if only a few branches exhibit symptoms. Planting junipers in heavy clay soil or soil that doesn’t drain well will help to prevent infection, if not, the roots will develop some fungi from the soil, and it will damage the tree in the long run.
The susceptibility of Junipers to this disease will increase in response to excessive watering, hot temperatures, and drought, as a result these fungi would start to peak.
The fungus will still exist in the soil even when the Juniper is gone. Do not replant existing landscaping plants with sensitive species in the same area.
– Scale Attack
Juniper needles will turn brownish yellow and fall from the branches, which may finally die from the invasion of juniper scale insects. A strong infection can cause the Juniper to perish in a matter of years.
Typically, black or grayscale insects have an oval or circular appearance. In addition, they may expel honeydew, a transparent, gooey material.
The tree would have these pests growing over it, and developing themselves by laying a number of larvae, and increasing. The latter is one of the key issues that you would face on your tree, it is important to get rid of them very quickly.
What Are Solutions to Blue Point Juniper Problems?
The solutions to blue point juniper problems are to provide proper aeration, adopt a watering schedule, apply neem oil, control blight, prevent scale attacks. In addition, plant it in the correct period, supply the right soil, prune it, provide fertilization, and adjust the location.
– Provide Proper Aeration
When the plants are dry, management techniques include cutting out diseased branch tips. It will stop the spread of the fungus.
Give plants enough room to grow to allow for proper air circulation and sun exposure while constructing new plantings. When possible, pick cultivars that are resistant to illness. Although they are a possibility, fungicides are rarely required in mature crops.
Whole branches frequently die when junipers develop fungal cankers, often brought on by the fungus Botryosphaeria stevens. This symptom may appear to result from mechanical damage, as can happen if a branch breaks close to the main stem.
The branch turns reddish-brown and dies because water cannot reach the tips. Botryosphaeria canker may or may not be successfully treated by pruning away dead branches. Fungicides for Botryosphaeria canker are not available.
– Adopting Watering Schedule
After planting, juniper plants require twice-weekly watering for the first two months. You can reduce your watering after the initial time to once a week for the first year.
The plant will get water without becoming stranded in stagnant water thanks to well-draining soil. When there is a drought or dry spell, watering is very important.
Mature juniper plants have deeper roots and won’t require frequent watering. This evergreen shrub can withstand droughts, and regular rainfall is sufficient to support an established plant.
When growing Juniper in a container, watering is required once per week or whenever the soil becomes dry along the growing zones. In full sun, potted juniper plants may dry up more quickly and need more frequent watering.
– Apply Neem Oil
Three approaches will work on them: a garden hose spray, ladybugs, and contact pesticides. Although they are more difficult to spot, scale insects leave branches sticky and covered in black mold.
To remove spider mites from the foliage of your Juniper, spray it, or you can spread some neem oil, in order to get rid of the damaged that are caused by the spiders. When you start to spread this oil, eventually all the pests will disappear, and luckily, they won’t return, as the smell of neem oil is a repellent for them.
This would give your tree such a healthy start, and it wouldn’t feel stressed as different pests are eating the leaves, or even living on the branches or the trunk.
What you can do is get some neem oil from a local gardening store, apply it on some cotton, and then spread it around the branches and the leaves. Very soon, you will see the pests have stopped appearing, and don’t worry, they won’t be seen, because they smell will be disgusting to them.
– Controlling Blight
To stop the fungus from spreading and creating juniper blight, clean the pruners with a household disinfectant between cuts. A fungicide with a copper base can prevent the disease when the blight is persistent and recurrent.
It can be purchased as dust, wet powder, liquid concentration, or ready-to-use product. Apply the fungicide to the leaves and branches three to four times, allowing 10 to 14 days between applications.
Remember that you must carefully follow the manufacturer’s directions because copper fungicides can harm plants if used in cool, moist conditions or when the temperature reaches 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Tackle Rotten Roots
Better drainage where junipers are planted is one of the best strategies to stop root rot. Try to keep fresh deliveries away from the main growing area while you inspect them for disease symptoms.
If you discover an infection, remove and destroy diseased plants right away, and then make sure they would dry properly, after which you may pot it again with some fresh soil.
However, you should note that if the old pots must be used again, they should be cleaned of all dirt and treated with aerated steam for 30 minutes or soaked in a sanitizing solution.
– Preventing Scale Attack
Horticultural oil can be used to treat scales. Mix one to two ounces of this significant oil with one gallon of water and mist the beautiful tree.
Give the branches and leaves a good coating. While there are scale insects, the treatment should be applied every two weeks but at most four times.
– Correct Planting Period
The greatest place to grow Blue Point is in an area with full light, loose soil, and no standing water. Verify that there is no surface water flowing close to the Juniper.
The best time to plant this Juniper is in the early spring because it is dormant and won’t experience any stress. Autumn, around the end of September or the start of October, is the second suitable time.
Plant Blue Point Junipers eight feet apart if you want to use them as a hedge; give them 10 to 12 feet of space if you wish to plant them as a specimen. The hole for planting must be twice as large as the juniper roots.
Fill the bottom of the hole with peat or compost and mix it with the dirt, why you should be doing this is because the plant needs to establish very keen rooting system when it is being planted in the first place.
Place the tree, so its trunk is out of the earth and its roots are exposed. Backfill the entire hole with the soil you prepared, and this is very crucial, because you do not want your plant to be in the wrong soil, and get stressed. After that, thoroughly water the tree so that is starts to establish itself.
– Provide Proper Sunlight
Blue Point requires at least 6 to 8 hours of daily direct sunlight for optimal growth and vibrant color. Therefore, the Juniper will benefit from planting in full light since it is a sun-loving plant.
The most important thing is to obtain at least a few hours of direct sunlight. However, it can also thrive in semi-shade. In this scenario, the plant will develop in a relatively typical manner, but the color of the needles will probably be green.
In the complete shade, Blue Point cannot flourish. The crown will be sloppy, and the plant will frequently become ill with fungus without direct sunlight. It will eventually expire.
– Supply the Right Soil
Sky Point Light, quickly draining soil is preferred by Juniper. It will develop swiftly and without issues in such a substrate.
Loam and certain other types of soil are also acceptable to it. However, this Juniper cannot be grown in water-stagnant, hard clay soil. Therefore, combine native soil with a few bags of compost or peat before planting. Then, plant your Juniper in this mixture.
Additionally, you want the soil to be neutral or slightly acidic, with a pH of 6.0–6.8 for the skyrocket juniper. The addition of compost or perlite will also slightly acidify the soil.
Remember, that you must check the pH using a specialized kit if the substrate has not been amended with organic matter, because it shouldn’t be highly alkaline, and it shouldn’t be very acidic either. If the soil is alkaline, add sulfate from the garden center to make it acidic.
– Preventing Over Watering
The spartan juniper requires watering when the top three inches of soil have dried up, you must water it about half an inch to an inch every week.
For the first one to two years you must follow a very strict growing pattern to your plant, because this one takes a little bit to properly set itself into the environment that you are going to be growing it.
In the beginning phase of the tree, one inch of water should be present after you have properly taken care of it with all the right requirements. A huge juniper should be planted with enough water to reach all of the roots, but once more, this is a suggestion for junipers that have just been planted.
If the Juniper produced healthy growth the following year, it had established roots, and watering could be discontinued, to elaborate further, don’t over do the irrigation process of the plant, because it would harm it, as this is a drought tolerant plant.
The Point Juniper, which has been rooted, it can go for a little while without water. This plant’s roots may begin to rot if you water it in wet soil or if water collects around it.
– Proper Pruning
If you choose, you can prune the Point Juniper, but because the blue point’ is so little, this kind doesn’t require pruning. It is also frequently used as a hedge, and the first few years do not require pruning. You must start doing so especially when it starts to grow twigs or some of the tips are starting to look weaker than usual.
Early spring or autumn are the optimum times to prune it back if you do so. The plant won’t experience much hardship during this time because it is often dormant. It is best to use a sharp, high-quality instrument for pruning. Don’t forget to disinfect it as well, because it may lead to different types of infestations that may be on the tools.
Avoid cutting more than 30 percent of the plant in a year to prevent the plant from dying. Spraying the tree with a fungicide after pruning will be beneficial, and this way, the weaker parts of thee plant would be cut off.
– Fertilizer Needs
Blue Point generally thrives without fertilizer. However, you can fertilize a tree rapidly if you want a big, lush tree. The ideal fertilizer has a balanced NPK composition, meaning with nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous.
Additionally, good fertilizers are made specifically for conifers available on the market. Therefore, it should primarily be produced as slow-release pellets, so that the plant wouldn’t get any burns, and the hinder of the growth would resume again.
In order to tackle the malnutrition of the plant, you must fertilize it, when you see that the plant is showing signs of stress, such as the foliage is changing color, or the soil feels like it is lacking the proper minerals.
Early spring is the best time to use granular fertilizer. Typically, one application is sufficient each year. Then, continually adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the first year following planting, Junipers should not be fertilized. Don’t fertilize either in the late fall or winter.
– Location To Grow
The Juniperus Chinensis “Blue Point” is the ideal tree for practically every landscaping need because it is a multi-purpose evergreen. You can use these point junipers for various purposes, provided it has access to full sun. They should get six to eight hours of sun each day in a perfect world.
The Blue Point Juniper will blend in regardless of your garden’s design, whether modern, rustic, Asian, or even Zen. They are a remarkably well-liked option for lawns and are even used to frame entrances. In addition, these trees make stunning examples of the topiary craft.
That is not all, though. The Juniperus Chinensis “Blue Point” is perfect for windbreaks because of its dense leaves. Or you might use them to create a privacy screen. You will need to place them appropriately for these jobs.
The brilliant color of Juniperus Chinensis ‘Blue Point’ makes it a wonderful addition, but it also serves a useful purpose. These trees are useful for preventing erosion.
They can withstand pollution and even deer, but make sure that you locate it in a place where it wouldn’t be exposed to car pollution. You can’t go wrong with the Blue Point Juniper because it grows well in cold, snowy, and arid climates.
Conclusion
It is understandable why the Juniperus Chinensis ‘Blue Point is a well-liked shrub with its eye-catching silvery blue-green foliage so caring for one is not that hard; just make sure:
- The season that you plant the tree is very important because it would give the tree time to establish itself, and as a result, most problems will not be caused.
- Remember not to over water the tree, because doing so will develop fungi and the roots will be weakened. You can water it once about one inch every week.
- You can always apply neem oil, in order to tackle the spider mites off the tree.
- Make sure you only fertilize it when it feels like the plant is stressed, or the soil is lacking in proper minerals.
Now, you know all about the issues that your tree may face, and the solutions to each problem. Go ahead, check the tree’s issue, and fix it!
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