I planted 4 blue pacific junipers last fall. One is doing well the other three are marginal. This is the first time I have planted these types of trees and I don't know much about their culture. The three that are not doing well had brown leaves and have thinned out considerably. I dug a wider area around the base (about 1 foot in diameter, 6 inches deep) and added a combination of manure and potting soil to improve their culture. The one that is doing best has the most sun and other three are in semi-sun. About two weeks ago I also added some fertilizer spikes for conifers (I'm a newbie to nurturing trees). There appears to be new growth and they are looking a bit better. Here are my questions: 1) how much do I water them? 2) is there a best reference I can read to learn more about the best care? 3) will they do OK in semi-sun - I hope so - if not is there anything I can do to help them grow better. Thanks for any responses and insights you might offer. I live in Rochester, NY.
'Blue Pacific' is a creeping shrub, a cultivar of shore juniper. The wild type is native to beaches. Rich soil not required. Planting hole backfill should never be amended anyway, it may have adverse effects on how water enters and exists the amended zone. Fertilizer spikes concentrate the product into columns where you instead want it spread out through the rooting area. It also costs more to have the fertilizer formed into spikes. Water often enough to keep moist there under your conditions. Frequency will vary with weather.
