Juniper seeming a little white

star_gazer2020 · Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:26 am

My Juniper is starting to look a little white or at least a lighter color of green. It is on a small table next to the window sill, about 1.5 ft from the window. It recieves sunlight from 10-6. I have been judging the moisture level with a toothpick to see if the soil sticks to it. On average, I have to water it every other day. Is the moisture or the sunlight causing this lightness?

The Helpful Gardener · Fri Oct 21, 2005 8:29 am

If thgis is the new growth coming in a lighter color, this is not a problem, just the nature of the plant. If the existing foliage is going a whitish silvery cast, acloser look might show it to be the scars of lots of small sucking injuries, a sure sign of mites (one of the reasons to keep plants outdoors as much as posible; the dry conditions in our homes are tailor made for mites).

As usual our best recommendation is neem oil; it is a great miticide as well as a pesticide (no, they are not usually interchangeable) and a fungicide to boot. Make sure to spray to sturation getting under the foliage as well. Wait two weeks and repeat (to get the next generation).

Seems a likely culprit, but without images I am flying blind (literally!). An image would be really helpful for better diagnosis...

HG

star_gazer2020 · Fri Oct 21, 2005 7:35 pm

My bonsai looks worse today

It is more of a silvish white color all over existing foliage, and foliage feels dry and prickly. I have saturated it with neem oil. I'm sorry that I do not have a digital camera for pics. Is my tree dying

I will try to find a digital camera so that I could post a pic.

star_gazer2020 · Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:11 am

I'm sorry I stand corrected. I have been unable to find neem oil. I thought that my roomate had located neem oil, but he did not. So, today I put my bonsai in a flower pot with insulation. I then put it outside in this pot. The temps tonight are roughly 50 degrees. I will keep it outside over night. I have not been able ot find neem oil or wiltproof. Can I find these at a nursery? I really want to save my tree. I will check on it in the morning. Are these nutrients of neem oil, and wiltproof necessary for the trees survival? Or will simply placing it outside with cooler temps. solve th problem. Please respond soon. I really do not want to lose my tree. Will it be salvagable without neem oil and wiltproff

star_gazer2020 · Sat Oct 22, 2005 1:23 pm

Today I was able to locate and purchase neem oil and wiltproof from a local nursery.

I have saturated the plant with both, and have been keeping it outside. I examined it closely at mid-morning. It is still deep green close to the branches but becomes more white as it goes to the tips of the foliage. I am going to leave it outside for the next 8 wks to allow for a domant period. Will all of these steps save my tree

star_gazer2020 · Sat Oct 22, 2005 11:05 pm

Along with the whiteness in the foliage, it is also feeling very dry and prickly. I have not had a good record with plants in the past which explains my paranoia.

I really want this one to last for years. I have followed all steps that I know of including leaving it outside at all times. The daytime temps here are around 70 with lows around 50. It is in the sun from 10-sunset. I have in the only place outside that I have to put it.

star_gazer2020 · Sun Oct 23, 2005 10:33 am

My bonsai is still showing no improvement. I checked on it today and there is still a white silverish color through most of the outside foliage. I've also noticed that some of the leaves/needles are turning brown at the tips. I've done everything I know to do. I still haven't received a reply to any of my previous posts. I am hoping to receive one soon. I have always had a black thumb and I want to keep this one alive. HELP

star_gazer2020 · Sun Oct 23, 2005 12:40 pm

I checked on my tree this afternoon. There are a few stems that are turning a yellowish brown. They are coming from the main branches. The foliage on them is still green, but a few stems are turning brown from the branch moving out to the tip. There are only a few stems that look like this. PLEASE HELP

star_gazer2020 · Sun Oct 23, 2005 2:39 pm

star_gazer2020 wrote: today I put my bonsai in a flower pot with insulation. I then put it outside in this pot.

To clarify an earlier statement I did not actually repot my bonsai, I simply placed the existing bonsai pot inside a larger pot so that I could provide insulation around it.

The Helpful Gardener · Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:04 pm

Howdy

All good first steps so far. If it is mites (as I suspect) then you've done the right things and it's a wait and see game. Don't expect new foliage or anything like that this year; the real test will be seeing how next spring treats the tree. Juniper twig blight is another possibility here; browning twigs are a symptom, but the sivery color thing ain't, so I'm back to mites...

Mist the foliage as welland stuff the void between the pots with paper or another insulator. If we haven't seen some result in a week we can talk about systemic fungicide for the Phomopsis (twig blight)...

Scott

star_gazer2020 · Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:48 pm

The stems are turning brown from the branches out towards the tips. The foliage is still green, but most of the stems are brown or turning brown. It is starting from the branch and ending at the tips. I hope that helps with the diagnosis. It has been happening rapidly in the past 3-4 days.

The Helpful Gardener · Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:50 pm

Hmmm. The foliage is still green and pliable, or is it green and crunchy, powdery?

These stems will get lignous (woody). They will turn brown when they do that...

star_gazer2020 · Thu Oct 27, 2005 1:56 pm

Mi Li is looking better.

Her foliage is looking better. A day or two ago the foliage was very stiff, but it is starting to soften up a bit. She is looking better. The foliage is losing the silverish color, and looking greener. I am hopeful that all will be well. I will keep you updated on her condition. Thank you for all your help.

importjunjun · Sun Jan 01, 2006 10:53 pm

Junipers, by the way, need to be outdoors.

importjunjun · Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:44 pm

OH. Sorry - didn't realize this topic was REALLY old...

and I'm new here, and a beginner at bonsai =P The only thing I've learned is that junipers are best kept outdoors :roll: Which isn't much at all.

Sorry again.

The Helpful Gardener · Wed Jan 04, 2006 6:14 pm

Mostly right, import. You can get away with brief periods indoors with them; even a winter if it's in a cool area, but outdoors is better for junipers...

S