Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am...

I am a complete newbie to gardening. I keep it moist at the moment,
and try to wash red spider mites with my hose, as high as I can. Is
this a good idea ? I plan to buy some pesticide for red mites but
wonder how I am going to reach the top ! Could a treatment at the
bottom be sufficient ?

Is the jupinerus likely to die and will dead foliage be replaced in
the future ?

I'm in New Zealnad.
Thank you for you help.

"............and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the tree and
along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But now, I am
.........."

I have my doubts about them being Red Spider.
If they are bright red, about half the size of a pin head and moving fairly
fast then they are red mites, and are in fact a predator of the red spider.
Red spider are a dull brick red and very hard to see with the naked eye,
they are mostly found by the presence of their web.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk
***2004 catalogue now available***

"David Hill" wrote in message ...
"............and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the tree and
along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But now, I am
........."

I have my doubts about them being Red Spider.
If they are bright red, about half the size of a pin head and moving fairly
fast then they are red mites, and are in fact a predator of the red spider.
Red spider are a dull brick red and very hard to see with the naked eye,
they are mostly found by the presence of their web.

Well I have no proof they are the cause of the problem. They are
bright red and move fast. Some plants in the garden seem to be eaten
quite a lot too(photinia for example).

My tree is dying. In a park nearby, I saw a couple of similar trees
with the foliage turning yellow too, but not as much. Both older and
younger trees seem to experience the problem, and moreover at
different places.

Looks like a pest problem to me, a weather-related problem would not
cause that much damage. Can't think about any other reason with
regards to the information I gathered so far.

Any recommendation before it is too late ?

"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am...

I am a complete newbie to gardening. I keep it moist at the moment,
and try to wash red spider mites with my hose, as high as I can. Is
this a good idea ? I plan to buy some pesticide for red mites but
wonder how I am going to reach the top ! Could a treatment at the
bottom be sufficient ?

Is the jupinerus likely to die and will dead foliage be replaced in
the future ?

I'm in New Zealnad.
Thank you for you help.

Spider mites can certainly decimate a number of coniferous species in warm,
dry climates. Keeping the plants well hydrated and increasing humidity will
certainly help. You might want to inquire at a good, local garden center
what their diagnosis and recommendations may be. A systemic miticide may be
in order.

Dead foliage will not be replaced on a juniper, however new growth may
emerge from branch tips and serve to dsguise bare areas. Whether or not the
plant will die is impossible to suppose from this distance and through this
forum.

pam - gardengal

"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am...

I am a complete newbie to gardening. I keep it moist at the moment,
and try to wash red spider mites with my hose, as high as I can. Is
this a good idea ? I plan to buy some pesticide for red mites but
wonder how I am going to reach the top ! Could a treatment at the
bottom be sufficient ?

Is the jupinerus likely to die and will dead foliage be replaced in
the future ?

I'm in New Zealnad.
Thank you for you help.

Spider mites can certainly decimate a number of coniferous species in warm,
dry climates. Keeping the plants well hydrated and increasing humidity will
certainly help. You might want to inquire at a good, local garden center
what their diagnosis and recommendations may be. A systemic miticide may be
in order.

Dead foliage will not be replaced on a juniper, however new growth may
emerge from branch tips and serve to dsguise bare areas. Whether or not the
plant will die is impossible to suppose from this distance and through this
forum.

pam - gardengal

"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message news:ZK1Fb.600833$HS4.4401983@attbi_s01...
"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am...

I am a complete newbie to gardening. I keep it moist at the moment,
and try to wash red spider mites with my hose, as high as I can. Is
this a good idea ? I plan to buy some pesticide for red mites but
wonder how I am going to reach the top ! Could a treatment at the
bottom be sufficient ?

Is the jupinerus likely to die and will dead foliage be replaced in
the future ?

I'm in New Zealnad.
Thank you for you help.

Spider mites can certainly decimate a number of coniferous species in warm,
dry climates. Keeping the plants well hydrated and increasing humidity will
certainly help. You might want to inquire at a good, local garden center
what their diagnosis and recommendations may be. A systemic miticide may be
in order.

Dead foliage will not be replaced on a juniper, however new growth may
emerge from branch tips and serve to dsguise bare areas. Whether or not the
plant will die is impossible to suppose from this distance and through this
forum.

pam - gardengal

Today by shaking the foliage and holding a white sheet of paper
underneath, I saw two tiny insects, really smaller than the bright red
little spider moving very fast. They did move slower, too. Darn, are
they small !

My vision being far from perfect and having no magnifying lens, as far
as I can tell those two insects - mites, probably - were dark brown
(black ?), and yellow for the second one. I did the test two or three
times, but only found two of these.

By keeping looking for information on the web, I read that they were
sucking out the plant fuild by piercing into it, leaving yellow or
brown holes on the scales of conifers.
I didn't manage to recognize those holes.

One thing that I did not understand well was what happens to yellow
foliage. One web page on the net seemed to state yellow foliage could
recover from the fuild being sucked out, would somebody be kind enough
to shed some light on this ?

"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message news:ZK1Fb.600833$HS4.4401983@attbi_s01...
"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am...

I am a complete newbie to gardening. I keep it moist at the moment,
and try to wash red spider mites with my hose, as high as I can. Is
this a good idea ? I plan to buy some pesticide for red mites but
wonder how I am going to reach the top ! Could a treatment at the
bottom be sufficient ?

Is the jupinerus likely to die and will dead foliage be replaced in
the future ?

I'm in New Zealnad.
Thank you for you help.

Spider mites can certainly decimate a number of coniferous species in warm,
dry climates. Keeping the plants well hydrated and increasing humidity will
certainly help. You might want to inquire at a good, local garden center
what their diagnosis and recommendations may be. A systemic miticide may be
in order.

Dead foliage will not be replaced on a juniper, however new growth may
emerge from branch tips and serve to dsguise bare areas. Whether or not the
plant will die is impossible to suppose from this distance and through this
forum.

pam - gardengal

Today by shaking the foliage and holding a white sheet of paper
underneath, I saw two tiny insects, really smaller than the bright red
little spider moving very fast. They did move slower, too. Darn, are
they small !

My vision being far from perfect and having no magnifying lens, as far
as I can tell those two insects - mites, probably - were dark brown
(black ?), and yellow for the second one. I did the test two or three
times, but only found two of these.

By keeping looking for information on the web, I read that they were
sucking out the plant fuild by piercing into it, leaving yellow or
brown holes on the scales of conifers.
I didn't manage to recognize those holes.

One thing that I did not understand well was what happens to yellow
foliage. One web page on the net seemed to state yellow foliage could
recover from the fuild being sucked out, would somebody be kind enough
to shed some light on this ?

John,
I envy you your 35' Juniperus specimen but not your problem. Once a
conifer's foliage starts to yellow it is usuaully too late to do much about
halting the folaige loss that has already begun. You have to correctly
identify the cause. I heartily concur with those who have written about the
red spider mites. With your size tree the problem has most likely had
upwards of a year or more to establish before showing any signs and dealing
with your tree with a anti-mite spray will be a problem in itself. A couple
of observations though:
Do beware cutting into old wood unless the circumstances are dire because
most conifers will not grow back and the result is very, very unsightly.
Red spider mite may be ONE cause but there may be others. I had your same
problem several years back, fortunately my tree was small enough to spray
liberally for several weeks. But when you spray you must significantly
increase water availability to the roots. In my case it was not until I
discovered the main roots were in an airlock underground and was able to
fill it that the plant eventually came back. But checking the roots on your
tree is not practical I'm afraid. All you can do is spray for mite as best
you can, water liberaly if it's not already near a water source and hope a
plant that size has enough natural defences to pull itself through!
Regards
Mike Gilmore
WinsfordWalledGarden, SW England,
USDA Zone9a

"John Doe" wrote in message
om...
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:ZK1Fb.600833$HS4.4401983@attbi_s01...
"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am................

John, I work part time for a friend who owns 3 junipers that were about 6 ft
tall. The first one was yellow when I started working for him, and with a
little pushing around was able to pull it out of the ground. I get a
College Extension Agent to come over and look at all the trees on the
property. He said that once they are brown they are dead. He showed me
some holes in one that was remaining, but turning yellow. He indicated that
some kind of borer may have been the problem. The second one has since died
and will need to be taken out next spring.

Spraying might have helped before the problem started, and he suggested
getting something that you spray or sprinkle on the ground that will
eventually come back up through the roots and into the trees. Too late now
for the yellow ones, but may help with any you have left.

Dwayne



"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am...

I am a complete newbie to gardening. I keep it moist at the moment,
and try to wash red spider mites with my hose, as high as I can. Is
this a good idea ? I plan to buy some pesticide for red mites but
wonder how I am going to reach the top ! Could a treatment at the
bottom be sufficient ?

Is the jupinerus likely to die and will dead foliage be replaced in
the future ?

I'm in New Zealnad.
Thank you for you help.

Hi Mike, and thanks all of you for the replies.

The tree is in fact a monterey cypress. From what I could hear, there
is apparently no real evidence that mites damaged it, at least that
badly.

The drought we had during spring could therefore be the cause of the
problem. Sounds weird to me since the monterey is said to be drought
tolerant, according once again to the info I got off the web. I
imagine you guys in the US know what a real drought is !

I think what I can do now is to water it every day, which leads me to
two additional questions.

Is it sufficient to water the tree just below the end of the branches
(encouraging the tree to extend further its root network I've been
told) or is it necessary to water the whole covered area ?

Watering such a tree uses heaps of water, I thought maybe you guys
might have a piece of advice or two to make my efforts efficient.

Also, is it possible to give too much water for a tree that big ?


"Mike Gilmore" wrote in message ...
John,
I envy you your 35' Juniperus specimen but not your problem. Once a
conifer's foliage starts to yellow it is usuaully too late to do much about
halting the folaige loss that has already begun. You have to correctly
identify the cause. I heartily concur with those who have written about the
red spider mites. With your size tree the problem has most likely had
upwards of a year or more to establish before showing any signs and dealing
with your tree with a anti-mite spray will be a problem in itself. A couple
of observations though:
Do beware cutting into old wood unless the circumstances are dire because
most conifers will not grow back and the result is very, very unsightly.
Red spider mite may be ONE cause but there may be others. I had your same
problem several years back, fortunately my tree was small enough to spray
liberally for several weeks. But when you spray you must significantly
increase water availability to the roots. In my case it was not until I
discovered the main roots were in an airlock underground and was able to
fill it that the plant eventually came back. But checking the roots on your
tree is not practical I'm afraid. All you can do is spray for mite as best
you can, water liberaly if it's not already near a water source and hope a
plant that size has enough natural defences to pull itself through!
Regards
Mike Gilmore
WinsfordWalledGarden, SW England,
USDA Zone9a

"John Doe" wrote in message
om...
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:ZK1Fb.600833$HS4.4401983@attbi_s01...
"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am................

Is it sufficient to water the tree just below the end of the branches
(encouraging the tree to extend further its root network
Yes.
A short-term (2-3months) drought will be no problem.
Seems because of size/costs involved you should give nature more time to
recover her equilibrium.
Regards
Mike Gilmore
WinsfordWalledGarden, SW England,
USDA Zone9a
"John Doe" wrote in message
om...
Hi Mike, and thanks all of you for the replies.

The tree is in fact a monterey cypress. From what I could hear, there
is apparently no real evidence that mites damaged it, at least that
badly.

The drought we had during spring could therefore be the cause of the
problem. Sounds weird to me since the monterey is said to be drought
tolerant, according once again to the info I got off the web. I
imagine you guys in the US know what a real drought is !

I think what I can do now is to water it every day, which leads me to
two additional questions.

Is it sufficient to water the tree just below the end of the branches
(encouraging the tree to extend further its root network I've been
told) or is it necessary to water the whole covered area ?

Watering such a tree uses heaps of water, I thought maybe you guys
might have a piece of advice or two to make my efforts efficient.

Also, is it possible to give too much water for a tree that big ?


"Mike Gilmore" wrote
in message ...
John,
I envy you your 35' Juniperus specimen but not your problem. Once a
conifer's foliage starts to yellow it is usuaully too late to do much
about
halting the folaige loss that has already begun. You have to correctly
identify the cause. I heartily concur with those who have written about
the
red spider mites. With your size tree the problem has most likely had
upwards of a year or more to establish before showing any signs and
dealing
with your tree with a anti-mite spray will be a problem in itself. A
couple
of observations though:
Do beware cutting into old wood unless the circumstances are dire
because
most conifers will not grow back and the result is very, very unsightly.
Red spider mite may be ONE cause but there may be others. I had your
same
problem several years back, fortunately my tree was small enough to
spray
liberally for several weeks. But when you spray you must significantly
increase water availability to the roots. In my case it was not until I
discovered the main roots were in an airlock underground and was able to
fill it that the plant eventually came back. But checking the roots on
your
tree is not practical I'm afraid. All you can do is spray for mite as
best
you can, water liberaly if it's not already near a water source and hope
a
plant that size has enough natural defences to pull itself through!
Regards
Mike Gilmore
WinsfordWalledGarden, SW England,
USDA Zone9a

"John Doe" wrote in message
om...
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:ZK1Fb.600833$HS4.4401983@attbi_s01...
"John Doe" wrote in message
m...
Hi there,

We have a beautiful 35 ft juniperus in our garden, probably a red
cedar, that dangerously becomes yellow. Spring has been moderately
warm but very dry, and I have noticed a lot of red spider mites
one
month ago in the garden. I have not seen a big quantity around the
tree and along the trunk (two or three), so I was not worried. But
now, I am................

In article ,
(John Doe) writes:

The tree is in fact a monterey cypress. From what I could hear, there
is apparently no real evidence that mites damaged it, at least that
badly.

The drought we had during spring could therefore be the cause of the
problem. Sounds weird to me since the monterey is said to be drought
tolerant, according once again to the info I got off the web. I
imagine you guys in the US know what a real drought is !

I think what I can do now is to water it every day, which leads me to
two additional questions.

Is it sufficient to water the tree just below the end of the branches
(encouraging the tree to extend further its root network I've been
told) or is it necessary to water the whole covered area ?

Watering such a tree uses heaps of water, I thought maybe you guys
might have a piece of advice or two to make my efforts efficient.

Also, is it possible to give too much water for a tree that big ?


Monterey cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) is susceptible to a
fungual disease when it is grown away from cool, coastal conditions:
coryneum canker fungus. Symptoms are yellowing foliage,
which turns dark reddish brown, and then slowly falls off.
There is no cure. ( from Sunset Western Garden Book)

I would not water this tree every day (adding root rot to its problems)
deep watering no more than once a week would be better.
MC is native to the rocky Calif coast, where the soil would be
very well-drained.
But better yet, I would consult an arborist very soon.

Good luck
Emilie
NorCal

"John Doe" wrote in message
om...
"Pam -
Today by shaking the foliage and holding a white sheet of paper
underneath, I saw two tiny insects, really smaller than the
bright red
little spider moving very fast. They did move slower, too.
Darn, are
they small !


TWO? On a full sized tree? Don't fret. Something else is the
problem.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only to the
white man was nature a wilderness -- Luther Standing Bear
(Ogallala Sioux Chief)

Also, is it possible to give too much water for a tree that big
?


Sure. But I have no idea how much is too much. .

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Only to the
white man was nature a wilderness -- Luther Standing Bear
(Ogallala Sioux Chief)