As will be readily apparent when you read this, i am a beginner. I recently (2 weeks) got a juniper. At the same time I got an azalea and ficus. All three are outdoors (8b). They get about five hours of direct sunlight a day. It is rather hot (90F). While typically dry it has rained quite hard two or three times in the two week timespan. I water them nearly everyday (when the soil is dry) and mist them once a day. The azalea and ficus are doing well. The azalea shows new growth. But the juniper is showing signs of browning and yellowing. What is the most likely suspect? Does it need more sun (than the others)? More/less water?
The juniper looks healthy to me! Can u show what you mean by yellowing because i don’t see it, on the pics all looks good
Yeah, that looks good to me. Yellowing on the oldest needles this time of the year is normal.
Junipers ciuld get a bit more though.
Also forget about misting that much, you might get fungal issues down the road.
Okay…I’m probably over reacting. I’m referring to the browning/yellowing on the right hand cascading branch. In fact, that’s probably why it has me worried because eventually I’d like to do a cascade design so that branch is pretty important.
Thanks! I will provide it more sun light. Regarding your recommendation for misting is that true for junipers or other bonsais as well. I ask because I also have two azaleas that are showing new growth and seem to be doing well.
You mentioned sunlight which made me think about the fact I’m in 8b. Will the juniper go into dormancy naturally? Or will I need to fake it out somehow? And is so, how?
Thanks for helping a newb!
I don’t really mist anything, just occasionally water the trees foliage to knock off dust.
Occasional misting is ok but to much can lead to trouble, there are a few species that like moisture.
Junipers are mostly ok full sun in my experience, maybe give it some shade in heatwaves.
If your winter temps drop close to freezing the juniper will go dormant without any issues.
Usually when daytime temps go below 50-40 F the trees start dormancy, if it’s too hot move it in a shadier part of the garden an put it on the ground, that will help keep it cool.