Junipers Dying Planted in Same Spot

Q. We have a problem with our Japanese Junipers. We have planted them twice now and not very successfully. They all get the same amount of water, sun exposure, etc., however the 2 of them closest to our front door seem to die back and the other 2 stay green. We are not sure what the problem is and wondering if you can give any advice.  We love these and they are spreading like crazy since we put them in, until about 2 months ago, when the 2 started dying. Enclosed are pictures of our junipers.

A. A couple of things. First, I am not sure what a Japanese juniper is. Thre is a Jap garden juniper. There are Chinese junipers, and then we have probably dozens of others as well. From your description it sounds like a juniper that is a small shrub that mounds as it grows. That should be enough to get going.

            There are also junipers that are upright like a small tree. Next there were no pictures attached. But I will take a stab at it any way. I usually try to stay with the most common problems if it seems it fits.

            The usual reason junipers give up the ghost quickly like overnight is watering too often, the soil not draining well enough and the roots becoming diseased from too much water. Usually junipers that are in this category seem to die overnight.

            Another common problem is spider mites on junipers. These small spider-like creatures usually become a problem in the heat of the summer, not in the cooler months. Often these pests are problems a couple of weeks after we spray an insecticide like Sevin to control some other pest.

            If this sounds familiar to you then we might have a root rot problem going on with your junipers. The problem now is that this root rot disease will stick around in this soil and if you replant in the same hole there is enough disease potential built up the next junipers die as well from the same disease problem.

            Two things you can do. First, dig up the soil and add a lot of organic matter like compost so the soil does not hold water easily but drains after and watering. This is frequently a problem in soils close to a foundation where the contractors dump debris, leftovers and compact the soil. In this case if the soil is not draining well you might have to dig up this soil and put in some better soil and replace it.

            Secondly you might want to put a different plant in there, one that is not quite susceptible to root rot problems and stay away from junipers there.