I have received many calls recently from individuals worried about their juniper trees. The trees appear to be turning brown at the tips of the branches, sometimes throughout the tree. This gives the tree an unhealthy look, and people are concerned about the overall health of their evergreens. The trees that I have looked at have all had the same disease in common, which is Kabatina tip blight.
Kabatina tip blight is a fungal disease that infects the trees in the autumn, mainly in windbreaks or ornamental plantings. Visible symptoms are not apparent until late winter or early spring. The terminal 2 to 6 inches of the diseased branches first turn dull green, then red or yellow. The tips fall off the tree in late May or early June. Blighting is restricted to the branch tips and is often associated with small wounds on branch tips caused by insect feeding or mechanical damage.
There are no fungicides labeled for control of the fungus, but the good news is that rarely will the disease kill the tree. However, there are some cultural practices that you can implement to help reduce the severity of Kabitina tip blight. Proper spacing of plants to help with airflow is important when planting new trees. Avoid wounding plants in the spring or fall will also help reduce infection. It is also recommended to practice good watering techniques such as watering in the early morning so that the foliage will dry quickly, reducing the time the fungus can spread.
Overall, Kabatina tip blight is more of an aesthetic issue, and should not harm your tree. Keep them well watered and practice a few good techniques to lessen the spread, and your tree will be fine

Alicia Boor is the agriculture and natural resources agent for K-State Research and Extension, Cottonwood District. Contact her by email at aboor@ksu.edu or call 620-793-1910.