Im new to this and I had my tree outside and it rained a few days and it got over-watered and the top foilage began to brown. There was no pooling of water no mold on the soil or tree been putting it outside when its sunny out to try to dry the soil. I dont know what else to do or if I should trim the brown foilage off or re-pot. Need advice and knowledge it was a Christmas gift and im in Michigan.
Junipers top foilage browning
- Thread starter blum42
- Start date
Deep Sea Diver
Imperial Masterpiece
Hmm.. one thing that hasn’t been mentioned it’s how long the foliage has been this way?
Best
DSD sends
Best
DSD sends
bwaynef
Masterpiece
Long-term, this tree needs to be outside. You may need to transition it to outside full-time, but that's where it will be healthiest. Don't cut anything off. Let it recover. Don't let it stay too wet. If necessary, tilt the pot to aid in drainage. Depending where you are (it'd help to know. you can add it in your profile), this likely needs to be repotted into less dense/organic soil.
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
Where are you keeping it right now if you have "been putting it outside when its sunny out to try to dry the soil."
If inside, not the place for juniper. Has it been inside since christmas?
If inside, not the place for juniper. Has it been inside since christmas?
Nera
Yamadori
Agree with others, bonsai trees need to stay outdoors. How long have you been keeping it indoors?
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
A few days of rain does not equal overwatering. Overwatering takes weeks or months to affect the roots and then the health of the tree so unless this tree was chronically overwatered for the past month or more overwatering is unlikely to be the cause of the current state.
The problem is, those symptoms are also symptoms of several other care problems.
Underwatering directly dehydrates the plants system. The plant responds by shutting off peripheral shoots to save water loss and we see browning foliage at the top and ends of branches, moving progressively toward the plant's core. Dehydration shows up very much quicker than overwatering. A single day of dry can kill a bonsai.
In addition, junipers are know for being slow to show symptoms. It can be several weeks after the event before we see a response in junipers and many of us have forgotten, by then, that we missed a day of watering a week or so before.
Sunburn can also cause similar symptoms because foliage is directly burnt by strong UV. Plant foliage has a similar ability to our skins to produce some sort of protection against sun. Foliage (and human skin) that has been protected from sun has less natural protection. If suddenly exposed both will burn. Skin and foliage that has regular exposure develops natural protection so can stand more exposure for longer periods before damage occurs. Trees taken from a protected location (plant nursery) and put into direct sun (because everyone says junipers need full sun, right?) may burn. Gradual acclimatisation allows the foliage to develop natural sun screen. A few extra hours each day over 2-3 weeks will usually prevent sunburn. A clue to sunburn being the problem is the affected parts are usually on the top and the sunny side of the tree with the shady side and interior less affected.
The symptoms I see in the juniper, along with the few stated facts look far more like dehydration or sunburn.
You have not given any location but I'm guessing northern hemisphere which means mid-Spring and even the best growers get caught out underwatering as day length increases, temps climb and accelerated plant growth demands extra water.
Note that it is worth while adding a location to your profile because that gives additional clues to any problems and allows our experts to give advice better suited to your specific location.
I would say those few days of rain have actually saved this juniper from death rather than caused a problem.
The problem is, those symptoms are also symptoms of several other care problems.
Underwatering directly dehydrates the plants system. The plant responds by shutting off peripheral shoots to save water loss and we see browning foliage at the top and ends of branches, moving progressively toward the plant's core. Dehydration shows up very much quicker than overwatering. A single day of dry can kill a bonsai.
In addition, junipers are know for being slow to show symptoms. It can be several weeks after the event before we see a response in junipers and many of us have forgotten, by then, that we missed a day of watering a week or so before.
Sunburn can also cause similar symptoms because foliage is directly burnt by strong UV. Plant foliage has a similar ability to our skins to produce some sort of protection against sun. Foliage (and human skin) that has been protected from sun has less natural protection. If suddenly exposed both will burn. Skin and foliage that has regular exposure develops natural protection so can stand more exposure for longer periods before damage occurs. Trees taken from a protected location (plant nursery) and put into direct sun (because everyone says junipers need full sun, right?) may burn. Gradual acclimatisation allows the foliage to develop natural sun screen. A few extra hours each day over 2-3 weeks will usually prevent sunburn. A clue to sunburn being the problem is the affected parts are usually on the top and the sunny side of the tree with the shady side and interior less affected.
The symptoms I see in the juniper, along with the few stated facts look far more like dehydration or sunburn.
You have not given any location but I'm guessing northern hemisphere which means mid-Spring and even the best growers get caught out underwatering as day length increases, temps climb and accelerated plant growth demands extra water.
Note that it is worth while adding a location to your profile because that gives additional clues to any problems and allows our experts to give advice better suited to your specific location.
I would say those few days of rain have actually saved this juniper from death rather than caused a problem.
No when the weather permitted i put it outside we had a month of 5 degrees and below and strong winds so thats when it was inside the garage with a grow lamp.
Im from Michigan
It was only inside the garage under a grow light for the days where it was below 5 degrees and very windy out
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
A month inside in a dry environment with little humidity will do it. Putting under a grow light will exacerbate the issue because the tree wants to be dormant during the cold.
If the tree was received during christmas, the best course of action would have been to get it into a wind protected spot and try to induce cold dormancy before the feb/mar coldest time of year.
It has somd green left so maybe it will recover. If not, try again and look up specific seasonal care for the species you are working with.
e~b
Sapling
from one beginner to another, utilize the wonderful advice from the experienced members here - but do not blindly follow the advice/treat it like a universal truth. I agree with the advice given BUT you still need to be closely watching the soil and only watering when needed. For your specific soil, climate, positioning, only you can determine when the tree needs more water.
Also, it will take months, maybe a year to recover. So don't give up anytime soon if you dont see improvements!
