It often happens that the juniper shows signs of damage such as brown shoot tips and dried up branches. A suboptimal location, incorrect care measures or various fungi can be the cause.
Shoots affected by shoot death must be generously removed
These fungal diseases can occur:
- pear grating
- dieback
- root rot
pear grating
If a juniper is affected, elongated outgrowths can be seen on the inner branches. The spores, which are spread by the wind in spring, develop in these fruiting bodies. They can travel more than 500 meters and infect other trees and shrubs in the area. They prefer to settle on the leaves of pear trees.
Treatment and prevention:
- Spraying plant strengtheners: decoction of horsetail and nettle
- cut off club-like thickenings
- remove affected branches
- Clear heavily infested trees
- plant resistant varieties
Hardy varieties
The native juniper (Juniperus communis) is not attacked by pear rust and should therefore be planted preferentially. Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) and scale juniper (Juniperus squamata) are also considered to be resistant to pear rust.
dieback
If the shoot tips on the juniper suddenly turn brown, a harmful fungus may be responsible. But other causes can also lead to this symptom. You can recognize a fungal attack by black dots on the shoots. As a preventive measure against fungal infestation, you should ensure that there is an adequate supply of nutrients to strengthen the plants and make them more resistant. Strengtheners from collected herbs improve the vitality of plants.
Regularly remove damaged shoots and dispose of them with household waste. Cut back the shoots at least three centimeters. There may be times when you need to cut back into the old wood. This is important so that no fungal threads remain and the pathogen is completely removed. In addition, you should treat the plants with a fungicide.
root rot
Root rot can occur under the wrong site conditions and care measures. The reason for this is a substrate that is too wet and insufficient ventilation of the roots. They die and start to rot. Various fungal spores settle on the rotting parts of the plant and additionally accelerate the decay processes. Therefore, make sure you have well-drained soil with a high proportion of sand and avoid waterlogging. Too much moisture in the root area is often a problem with potted plants or bonsai.