Help with dying leaves/fronds

[Mike_w]

I have what I think is a juniper or some thing similar. It doesnt have needles it has like fronds. a lot are turning brown is this common for this sort of tree. Its quite old although I hav'nt had it long a few weeks , I keep it out doors and under stand its always been kepy outside. Any advice would be appreciated.

[rainbowgardener]

I'm not a bonsai grower, but to me fronds doesn't sound too "similar" to juniper. I'm thinking it would be very helpful for when one of our bonsai experts does come along if you could post a couple pictures of your tree.

Instructions for doing that are here:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724

Incidentally welcome to our forum; glad you found us!

[Marsman]

Fronds? Like these? This is my cypress and it's all turned brown at this time of year.

[img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/My%20Bald%20Cypress/DSC_0116.jpg[/img]

Let's see a picture of your plant.

[djlen]

Marsman, do you know what kind of cypress that is?

[Marsman]

It's a Bald Cypress. Here are [url=https://photobucket.com/Mars_Cypress]some more shots[/url] of it. I picked it up at a nursery where they were using it to hold down some tarps. The top had died off and they cut it down. I'll see what I can do with it. I'm going to angle cut the top and already have a leader picked out.

This is my better Bald Cypress.

[img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/82f20034.jpg[/img]

[djlen]

You see......this is the kind of thing that hisses me off.....people finding these trees in local nurseries....lol.
That's a nice tree above. I never find trees like that locally.

[Rosaelyn]

Well, there are two types of Juniper... needle and scale. The scale type looks somewhat like a "frond."

https://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Juniperus.html

The second pic is the two different types. Is that what you mean by fronds?

[Mike_w]

Thanks Rosaelyn for the link to picictures. Mine is the scale type. Its quite a large tree about 70 cm tall 50 - 60 cm across at widest point. About 30 % of the foliage has turned brown. Please be patient with me I'm very new to this.
This tree was left to me by a friend who died and I realy wont to keep it alive.

[Rosaelyn]

Good to hear it sounds like we may have ID'd your tree. Are you able to post any pictures of it? This might help us with your browning problem.

Junipers are an outdoor tree and tend to be very unhappy indoors. Another possibility is an infestation...

[Mike_w]

Thanks for your reply. I keep it outside, and as far as I know always has. I will have to post pictures tomorrow. I have spoken to a family member of the previous keeper, and he said he thought it always went a bit brown around this time but not as much as it has now. You mentioned infestation how do I tell and what can I use to clear it. Mike

[Mike_w]

I hope this works, don't know how clear the pics are as I had to take in the dark. There is one good one which shows the problem. Not the best photos, sorry about sideways pics but but had problems rotating in photobucket.

[img]https://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu172/mike_w_photos/P261109_18410001.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu172/mike_w_photos/P261109_18420001-1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu172/mike_w_photos/P261109_18410002.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu172/mike_w_photos/P261109_18410003.jpg[/img]

[djlen]

Well, it's very blurry, and I could be wrong, but it looks to me like you've got a Chamaecyparis obtusa or Chamaecyparis obtusa nana to be more accurate. Also known as an Hinoki Cypress. Very nice specimen for bonsai. I had two of them for years until they were destroyed by feral cats and they are beautiful.
Check these pics. for comparison:

https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/chamaecyparis_obtusa.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2005/12/chamaecyparis_obtusa_nana_gracilis.php&usg=___9oT6w4p7KgCOhKFfrFt63h-440=&h=600&w=800&sz=254&hl=en&start=1&sig2=r8pXuKttvBGHw6nSRUdnHA&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=VQA3GYnSWVaznM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchamaecyparis%2Bobtusa%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3DVFA_en___US345%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1&ei=XeMPS8GaC8jk8QbR4MyRBA

Click on this image for a enlarged view:

https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Chamaecyparis_Obtusa_bonsai.JPG&imgrefurl=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chamaecyparis_Obtusa_bonsai.JPG&usg=__FCqUwuZPgHjJf25ImlZ6boHYUKM=&h=2816&w=2112&sz=2292&hl=en&start=18&sig2=b4ILOnpquxUZFRb6sLxg7w&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=H56xgj1eAiOQYM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchamaecyparis%2Bobtusa%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3DVFA_en___US345%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1&ei=XeMPS8GaC8jk8QbR4MyRBA

[Mike_w]

Yes it does look more like the second, any idea why its going brown. Thanks Mike.

[Rosaelyn]

Where is your cypress located? Does it get lots of sun?

https://www.bonsaigardener.org/hinoki-cypress-bonsai.html

The Hinoki Cypress loves full sun with warm climates. If this bonsai is not provided adequate sun, the lower and inner branches with turn brown and eventually die.

Since it is the inner foliage dying back, this is my best suggestion.

[djlen]

Yes, I agree with Rosaelyn's post. It needs good light and it will respond to it with better and more even growth.
Also, I had good success with using extra Mg when dosing. If fact I use Mg liberally when feeding (which I do.....weakly...with each watering) as it aids all plants with the uptake of nutrients, particularly the Micros.
I did have some of what you're experiencing in the fall with the lowering of the sun in the sky and it's intensity.
Hinoki's, IME do not back-bud readily and so I hated to see the internal browning. In the spring I found that I could get back some of the resulting bare areas by selective and determined pruning.
You have a very nice and probably relatively old plant there. They take a while to develop as yours appears to be.

[Mike_w]

The trouble is its winter here in England so not a lot of sun, I keep it at the front of our house which is south facing so it does get what little sun there is. Should I remove brown bits, and what feed would you recomend.

[djlen]

Yes, I'd remove the browned off stuff. It will probably require only touching it with your fingers and it will fall off.
Unless the tree is dying, it will probably not lose much more of it's growth, and come back strong in the spring.
I would not feed it anything now. Heel it in under a mulch pile and let it ride out the winter on the south side of the house, out of the wind if possible.