If the juniper suddenly gets brown shoot tips, there can be various causes. In addition to an unsuitable location, care errors, pests and diseases can cause damage.
Brown spots can be the result of care errors or diseases
These can be causes:
- frost damage
- lack of light
- fungus
- juniper leaf miner
- root damage
- lime
frost damage
The evergreen shrubs have to maintain their metabolism in winter. When the ground is frozen and the roots cannot absorb water, drought stress occurs. The consequences will be visible next spring, when the shoots have already died. Water the plants on frost-free days.
lack of light
Potted plants often get brown shoots when they are in a dark corner on the balcony. While the pots can be easily repositioned, solving the lighting problem is more difficult with established specimens. Old trees no longer tolerate transplanting. If the shrubs are overshadowed by nearby trees, the only solution is to cut these trees back.
fungus
While shoots take years to turn brown when infested with rust fungi, they dry up within a short time if they are infected with the Phomopsis juniperivora fungus. In this disease, also known as dieback, the needles do not fall off. Affected areas should be removed and disposed of quickly.
juniper leaf miner
The larvae of this moth species bore into the shoots and eat the marrow from the inside. A clear sign of the infestation are small boreholes in the brown shoots, in which the larvae pupate and hibernate until next spring. The pest is controlled during the flight period between May and July. Spray the entire wood with a pyrethrum preparation.
root damage
Brown shoots can appear when voles or beetle larvae have damaged the roots. To spot the pests, you need to dig a small hole and inspect the roots for signs of eating or rotting. Plant protection sticks from drugstores or garden centers help against beetle larvae. Voles are deterred by odor-intensive plants such as crown imperial, cruciferous spurge or garlic.
lime
If your old columnar juniper suddenly turns brown, the cause may be too high a lime content in the soil. Avoid lime-rich fertilizers. When liming lawns, keep a distance of five meters from the juniper.