Caring for arborvitaes and junipers

You might spend more energy on your lawn than any other aspect of your yard, adjusting the fertilizer needs, watering regularly, and mowing countless times as it keeps growing green and healthy! But what about the perennial plants in your yard that grow more slowly? They might not seem as time-consuming, but they can start struggling without proper attention. Here are some quick tips for some of the most common yard perennials: arborvitaes and junipers. 

Rosenthal American arborvitae. Image attribution: James St. John via wikimedia

Irigation: Newly transplanted trees will need to be watered daily, but in general an inch of water once a week will suffice and give the soil enough time to dry out between waterings. Remember to adjust based on the weather--cut back if you're getting rain, or add supplemental irrigation during a hot and dry spell. Continuing irrigation in late fall until freezing temperatures set in can help guard against winter burn, which can dry out arborvitaes and junipers and turn them brown. Junipers are more tolerant of drought and cold, while arborvitaes are more tolerant of sogginess and partial shade, but for either type of tree a happy medium is best, with lots of sunlight. (Please note that in seriously dry environments, these evergreens can be considered a fire hazard, especially when planted near a home. If you live in a wildfire-prone area, you may want to explore alternatives for your yard. Click here for more information.)

Pests and diseases: Regular inspection of your trees can help you spot any issues while they're small enough to handle. Signs of common infections of junipers and arborvitaes include the following:

• Small brown cones/tents (cocoons made by bagworms)
• Sticky liquid on the trunk (leftovers from scale insects feeding)
• Speckled foliage, esepcially with webbing--look closely by shaking a branch over a white piece of paper to check for tiny spider mites
• Yellow tips, possibly with oozing spores (shoot/tip blight, either bacterial or fungal infection). Click here for more information about common arborvitae blights diseases.

Soil management: Arborvitaes and junipers can usually thrive on soil nutrients with little or no supplemental fertilizer amendments. If you're growing your evergreen trees in containers rather than in the ground, you'll definitely need to fertilize regularly. Arborvitaes tend to tolerate clay soils better, while junipers are more tolerant of sandy or even gravely soils. Anual soil testing is sufficient to check for any nutrient defficiencies, which will likely cause symptoms in your grass more quickly than in your trees. SoilKit is here for your nutrient testing needs, and reach out using our ASK an Expert consultation service for any additional questions!