Spartan Juniper Diseases

The dense foliage of Spartan juniper can be a privacy screen.

The dense foliage of Spartan juniper can be a privacy screen.

Spartan juniper (Juniperus chinensis "Spartan"), also commonly known as Spartan Chinese juniper, grows as an evergreen tree with a pyramidal or columnar form. It is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5b through 10. A handful of diseases can affect a Spartan juniper, although the tree rarely experience problems if properly positioned and cared for well.


Crown rot or root rot caused by a Phytophthora fungus generally results in a slow decline of the entire juniper plant. Foliage becomes sparse, and the branches may die one at a time. The center of affected roots become reddish brown, and the outer layer of roots can be peeled easily. Once the symptoms of Phytophthora are noticed, treatments are ineffective. Avoid overwatering the tree. Planting the juniper in soil that offers good drainage is very important. Do not plant it or other Phytophthora-susceptible plants where Phytophthora created problems in the past.

Blights and Cankers

Multiple fungal pathogens can cause twig blights, tip blights or cankers on a Spartan juniper. These diseases force foliage to turn yellow, brown or red and wilt. Shoots die back or are bushy or stunted. Cankers, which are areas of dead tissue, may appear on the juniper's stems. The fungal pathogens infect a juniper through wounds when the foliage is wet. Remove blight- and canker-affected portions of a Spartan juniper, making each cut to remove a diseased area several inches below cankers and into healthy tissue when conditions are dry. Avoid wetting the tree's foliage with sprinkler irrigation or other splashing water, and do not overfertilize the juniper. Proper spacing at planting to ensure good air circulation around a Spartan juniper also is helpful.


Multiple rust pathogens, including the fungal pathogen responsible for cedar-apple rust, use junipers as hosts. On a juniper, these rust diseases typically appear as galls, or swellings, on twigs. Distorted clusters of growth called "witches' brooms" may develop above galls. Bright-orange masses or spots responsible for producing spores develop on the galls. Remove and dispose of infected portions of a Spartan juniper before the orange, spore-producing masses develop, and promptly rake up and dispose of fallen debris.

Wood Decay

Multiple fungi can cause wood decay in a juniper, typically affecting only an old, dying or wounded tree. Wood decay fungi typically are recognized and distinguished by their fruiting bodies, conks or brackets that appear near a juniper's root crown or around wounds or branch scars. Avoid problems with wood decay fungi by providing your juniper with good cultural care and by properly removing dead or diseased branches promptly. Consider completely removing and replacing an old, declining Spartan juniper because it will continue to decline and become weaker structurally as wood decay or other diseases progress.

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