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Orange Juniper Tree #767583

Asked August 16, 2021, 12:57 PM EDT

One of my Spartan Juniper Trees has turned orange. It started a few weeks ago where the needles on a bottom section turned bright orange and now the whole tree is an orange color and appears to be dead. There are two other Junipers right next to it that appear to be fine for now. I planted the trees maybe 5-6 years ago. So I was wondering if you would be able to tell me - How I can tell for sure if the juniper tree is dead - Do you have any theories on what might cause the tree to do that? Originally I had suspected underwatering but now I think maybe it was a fungus or disease since it went so fast. In person the tree looks a bit more orange than it does in the photo. - If it is some kind of disease, do I need to be worried about the other two junipers Thank you!!

Ramsey County Minnesota

Expert Response

Your juniper is most likely dead.  You could wait until spring to see if any new green needles appear but I doubt if they will.  Comparing the size of that tree with the other two, it is apparent that it never thrived.  The other two are taller and fuller.  It would guess there is a problem either with the ground in that area, next to a building, or with the roots.  Quite often there is buried building material close to buildings which taint the soil.  Or it was not planted properly.  Your landscape will not suffer from taking that tree out.  As the other two grow, it would be too crowded for three trees.

Barbara, Anoka County MG, TCA Replied August 17, 2021, 12:53 PM EDT

These are very good points. Thank you so much for the response!

The Question Asker Replied August 17, 2021, 5:00 PM EDT

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