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I own a 6 year old Juniper bonsai. It has been in my care since the end of March 2005. In this time it has done very strange things. I beleive it is mainly due to my experimenting and getting used to watering.Its color has varied from light green to dark lush green to almost sickly brown. I beleive it is healthy because I have definitely noticed growth.

Just recently I left on a family vacation and left my bonsai in the care of my girlfriend for two weeks. When I returned it looked in better condition than when I left. I only stayed a a few days until we left again on a mission trip with my youth group. Now, one sub-branch(?) has turned an ugly dried-sage-green and my parents informed me that it had tiny webs on it.

I read some of the posts and was worried that I might have had a phomopsis or twig blight and proceeded to cut to see if the heart wood was black or even discolored; with no avail, the inside looked healthy? Any insight? I will try to post a picture.

Thank you.[/img]

That's mites for sure; Neem oil will take care of it (but hurry) and regular misting will create a habitat they don't like...

Thank you for the diagnosis Scott. And so my search begins...

Neem oil should be available at any good garden center...

How soon should I be able to see reaction to the neem oil. I bought the oil the day it was suggested and applied that day as well. The instructions say to keep the plant on a seven or fourteen day schedule. I have applied the oil everyday and have yet to see any real improvment on the damaged branch; it is still the same dried-sage-green color, only the foliage is crunchy and brittle. Is this branch already dead?

Should have been clearer here. The branch is likely a goner, and the treatment was really to prevent further damage (when you see that color the branch is likely already gone; the trick is to catch it before that stage).

A seven to fourteen day regimen usually means treating every 7 to 14 days; are you sure you read the directions correctly? I'd check...

Scott