Problems with Blue Arrow Junipers - Ask Extension
We have a row of 3 Blue Arrow Junipers that started out pretty healthy. They started to get some brown tip die-back but they still continued to grow ...
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Problems with Blue Arrow Junipers #793181
Asked May 29, 2022, 10:08 AM EDT
We have a row of 3 Blue Arrow Junipers that started out pretty healthy. They started to get some brown tip die-back but they still continued to grow and the new growth was good. This year however, all 3 of them are showing significant die-back. Upon closer examination, there are some "rust-like" portions of the interior branches. I don't know if I would call them cankers, but they look like symptoms of some sort of inherent problem. I'm wondering if this variety of Juniper is prone to any fungal-type problems? We are hoping there is something we can do to increase the health of the plants and salvage them. Any thoughts / diagnosis that you have are most welcome. Thank you for your response.
Ingham County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello,
This looks like a type of rust- a fungal disease that is caused by growing in close proximity to a quince or apple tree. Usually the die-back is not so pronounced, but in quince rust it does tend to be worse. Unfortunately, it will take a lot of time and effort to get those trees back to looking attractive. If you want to try to save these plants, I would recommend sending a sample in to MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostic Services
(https://www.canr.msu.edu/pestid/).
They will be able to confirm what type of fungus is causing the die-back and suggest a fungicide that will be most effective. Follow directions for sample submission carefully for best results.
Thank you for contacting Ask Extension.
Ruth
This looks like a type of rust- a fungal disease that is caused by growing in close proximity to a quince or apple tree. Usually the die-back is not so pronounced, but in quince rust it does tend to be worse. Unfortunately, it will take a lot of time and effort to get those trees back to looking attractive. If you want to try to save these plants, I would recommend sending a sample in to MSU Plant and Pest Diagnostic Services
(https://www.canr.msu.edu/pestid/).
They will be able to confirm what type of fungus is causing the die-back and suggest a fungicide that will be most effective. Follow directions for sample submission carefully for best results.
Thank you for contacting Ask Extension.
Ruth
