On 17 Jan 2005 at 18:42, Colin Horn wrote:

I noticed today that 2 pads of foilage on my Shimpaku juniper were brown.
Two days ago, these pads were perfectly fine, a healthy green, no signs of
weakness. As I was looking at what may have been the cause, I saw some sort
of bug on the trunk. I do not know what kind of bug it was, but it is about
1 inch long, brown, has 6 legs, a small head and it looks like it had wings.
It looks like some kind of beetle? My concern is whether or not the bug is
what caused this immediate proble, or if I should be worried that there is
something still wrong. THanks for all the help. - Colin Horn, SF Bay Area,
CA

T'warn't the "beetle."

Beetles are chewing insects; they eat things; they don't turn
them brown.

Spider mites or other sucking insects (most of them small and
hard to see, with ONE unlikely exception, see next) might turn
juniper needles brown (but not at this time of year -- ASSUMING
your juniper is outside).

The exception _might_ be one of the true bugs (stink bugs, etc.)
but I don't know any that think junipers are tasty. They'd fit
your description -- kinda.

If your tree is an "indoor tree" (and their ain't no such
animal, really) you could have any or all of the sucking bugs
(scale, aphids, mealybugs, etc.), and I'd look closely at your
tree's branches with a hand lens.

Other causes of browned needles include bad roots from
over/under watering. Spraying with something that should not
have been sprayed on a juniper (read the label!) and broken
branches.

It could also just have been that branch's time. It IS winter,
though 2 days is a bit sudden, especially since juniper needles
usually take weeks to turn brown. How do other branches look?

A little history of this tree -- water, fertilizer, where kept,
how long you've had it, etc. -- might help.

A parting thought: HOW brown? Juniper needles often turn a
_bit_ rusty looking in winter, then go back to being green in
spring.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Bonsaiests
are like genealogists: We know our roots!

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