Brown tips on juniper

[sandovmc]

I bought this plant from a nursery about 3 months ago in hopes of developing it into a bonsai. It was originally in a cheap black nursery pot with organic soil. I have repotted it using equal parts Akadama/Red Lava Rock/Pumice. I have not used any fertilizer or any other chemicals on it yet and I have not done any pruning since it is still in development. I water it once or twice a day depending on need (it lives outside in Colorado - temps currently in the 70s F). I recently noticed the tips turning brown and am getting concerned. Anyone have any clue what might be going on here?

 

[River's Edge]

I bought this plant from a nursery about 3 months ago in hopes of developing it into a bonsai. It was originally in a cheap black nursery pot with organic soil. I have repotted it using equal parts Akadama/Red Lava Rock/Pumice. I have not used any fertilizer or any other chemicals on it yet and I have not done any pruning since it is still in development. I water it once or twice a day depending on need (it lives outside in Colorado - temps currently in the 70s F). I recently noticed the tips turning brown and am getting concerned. Anyone have any clue what might be going on here?

I note that the plant is wired and the trunk shape appears to have changed from one picture to the next. Could you please provide additional information as to the extent of work completed since you acquired the plant 3 months ago. Also if you are aware of the work done prior to acquiring the plant. Other information is helpful to include when asking for assistance would be the timing of work that is done and the particular species you are working with. For example: Sabina Juniper or otherwise.
When you repotted the plant how much root work was done and what was the condition of the roots? The detail is important in assessing the overall situation.
Short story, a little more information please. Thanks

 

[sandovmc]

The repotting was done 4 weeks ago. At the time of repotting the roots looked to be in very good shape and I only trimmed the really long roots. The soil level was also very high when I got it so some natural layering of the lower branches occurred - so I did cut those roots. I have wired the main trunk and 2 of the runners (done when I first got it). I am still trying to develop it so I have not done any other styling, just trying to get the main leaders/runners placed right. This was raw stock so nothing was done to it by the nursery as far as I am aware. It is a procumbens nana.

 

[sandovmc]

I note that the plant is wired and the trunk shape appears to have changed from one picture to the next. Could you please provide additional information as to the extent of work completed since you acquired the plant 3 months ago. Also if you are aware of the work done prior to acquiring the plant. Other information is helpful to include when asking for assistance would be the timing of work that is done and the particular species you are working with. For example: Sabina Juniper or otherwise.
When you repotted the plant how much root work was done and what was the condition of the roots? The detail is important in assessing the overall situation.
Short story, a little more information please. Thanks

The repotting was done 4 weeks ago. At the time of repotting the roots looked to be in very good shape and I only trimmed the really long roots. The soil level was also very high when I got it so some natural layering of the lower branches occurred - so I did cut those roots. I have wired the main trunk and 2 of the runners (done when I first got it). I am still trying to develop it so I have not done any other styling, just trying to get the main leaders/runners placed right. This was raw stock so nothing was done to it by the nursery as far as I am aware. It is a procumbens nana.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

In a pot like that, I don't think a regular procumbens would need water twice a day. Try using a chopstick in the soil as a probe for moisture.
I think it's a combination of possible things; maybe mechanical damage, maybe some damage by late frost, and potentially overwatering (there's akadama in your soil and akadama in such a large body of soil takes 2 days to dry on a hot summer day).
There is no cure except for waiting it out.

I have a kishu with brown tips that were caused (as it is the case in 90% of the brown tips on junipers) by it standing in wet soil for prolonged periods of time.
Check the chopstick, of any type of untreated wood, and you'll get better at watering. After a while, you can do it without the probe, but it really doesn't hurt to give this technique a go.
Honestly, I still use it and I'm five years in. It's fool proof and I do tend to be a fool sometimes.

 

[sandovmc]

In a pot like that, I don't think a regular procumbens would need water twice a day. Try using a chopstick in the soil as a probe for moisture.
I think it's a combination of possible things; maybe mechanical damage, maybe some damage by late frost, and potentially overwatering (there's akadama in your soil and akadama in such a large body of soil takes 2 days to dry on a hot summer day).
There is no cure except for waiting it out.

I have a kishu with brown tips that were caused (as it is the case in 90% of the brown tips on junipers) by it standing in wet soil for prolonged periods of time.
Check the chopstick, of any type of untreated wood, and you'll get better at watering. After a while, you can do it without the probe, but it really doesn't hurt to give this technique a go.
Honestly, I still use it and I'm five years in. It's fool proof and I do tend to be a fool sometimes.

Thanks, I do use a chopstick (and finger sometimes if I can't tell). With a recent repot (shallow/flared roots) and having such a deep pot could there be an issue with the roots being above the water table? The roots probably aren't even 1/3 of the pot. I wasn't worried about over watering because while the bottom 2/3 of the pot may still be saturated, the top third (where the roots are) seems to be dry when I water again. I put it in a deep pot so it can develop and thicken for a couple years. Would it be a good idea to put it in a more shallow pot? I am hesitant to do it only 4 weeks after the original repot - I don't want to stress it more if it is not doing well.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Eventually the roots will grow down, as they always do. So I wouldn't repot for at least a year.
The water table is a body of standing or pooling water (in my definition at least), roots need dampness, not standing water. So a deeper pot is not an issue as long as the bottom part keeps evaporating upwards and the general dampness is achieved in the upper layers. Which is probably happening.

It might just be that these tips are a result of the repot four weeks ago. Junipers are slow like that. But those roots are already regrowing and the issue will resolve in a couple of weeks probably when the new spring growth starts pumping.
If you're already using the chopstick, that's nice. Make sure you jam it in deep, so that it has the same water absorption as your soil particles (they do work with cohesive and adhesive forces, just like wood!) so damp = damp and there's no trickery or gradient (as in: if the bottom half part of the stick is damp, the entire soil probably is as well, even though the top layer looks dry). So if parts of the wood are damp, so is the soil. And it's not wrong to water a little early, or a little too often, it's prolonged wetness and a lack of air that cause issues.

If you by any chance removed a whole lot of soil and exposed all the roots, this is a normal response as they require time to adjust. It's better to see this than the grey death some junipers get from root death (crispy grey foliage). What you're seeing now are protective measures done by a healthy plant; shutting down the parts that evaporate the most to preserve some water. If the browning tips don't continue to spread over the course of a couple weeks, you're in the clear. So I would just wait it out if I were you. Good of you to ask for advice! Better to catch it sooner than later. But this seems like a normal response to me.