An amazing coniferous plant, common juniper, is distributed in nature over vast areas. Juniper is a unique conifer that bears fruit with cones that ripen among the hard, needle-like needles. This article is all about the correct agricultural techniques for growing juniper, the timing of planting the plant in open ground, proper care and variety of varieties. To get acquainted with the plant, we bring to your attention a selection of photos.

Description: varieties and varieties of common juniper

Common juniper can be considered a long-liver among coniferous crops, the plant easily reaches the age of 600 years. In nature, the habitat of juniper is delineated by areas with temperate climate on the European continent, in North America, on the northern coast of Africa.

Juniper belongs to the Cypress family. The shrub reaches a height of 3 meters, and juniper trees can grow up to 12 meters.

Among the varieties of juniper there are monoecious and dioecious plants, which differ in the shape of the crown and appearance cone berries. Evergreen varieties of juniper reproduce well by seeds; the first fruits on plants can be obtained after 5-10 years (depending on growing conditions and plant variety).

The leaves of juniper are reduced to pointed, prickly needles; the needles are located in groups on the branches; there are usually 3 in whorls. The needles live on branches for up to 4 years.

Juniper has long been used to treat a number of diseases among many peoples. It is known that North American Indians used the plant to treat tuberculosis - patients were resettled in the thickets of juniper trees, where they were healed by inhaling the smell of pine needles. In Russia, smoke from juniper branches was used to fumigate homes during epidemics.

There are more than 70 varieties of juniper

The genus of junipers has up to 70 varieties, among which the following varieties can be considered the most popular:

B 2 - the plant has a slender narrow crown, which does not exceed 30 cm in diameter. The height of the plant reaches 3 meters, which is often used landscape designers to give the garden a certain style.
Columnaris - not tall plant columnar in shape with a blunt apex.
Сompressa - the height of this variety of juniper does not exceed 1 meter. The plant does not tolerate severe frosts; the crown needs to be covered during severe cold weather.
Gold beach - low elfin tree with an outstretched crown of golden color.
Gold Cone is a tall plant, reaching 4 meters, with a narrow crown, the color of the needles is golden.

Juniper: proper planting

Plan to plant juniper in open ground It’s best in the spring, you don’t have to wait for the onset of stable heat, enough for the snow cover to begin to melt. When planting plants in autumn period there is a high risk of freezing. Young juniper seedlings planted in the garden in the fall do not have time to adapt to their new location before the first frost freezes the ground.

At correct landing culture takes root easily

A slightly different picture emerges upon landing. container plants, the root system of which is not exposed severe stress when transplanted - such seedlings take root well in a new place in spring, autumn and even summer.

To plant common juniper in open ground, you need to choose the most sunny place, although this species can tolerate some shade.

Important! The intensity of plant lighting completely influences the development and decorative qualities thorny juniper bushes. This is especially important for growing two-color varieties.

Common juniper prefers soils with an alkaline reaction, so when planting in a hole you should add slaked lime or dolomite flour. The plant cannot tolerate stagnant water at the roots, so it is very important to ensure reliable drainage, especially if the level groundwater relatively high relative to the surface.

Important! Transplanting adult junipers into open ground is possible only in winter period, if the transplanted specimen grew on outdoors. In this case, it is necessary to dig up the plant with a voluminous lump of frozen soil.

When planting young junipers, it is necessary to prepare square pits with sides of 1x1 m, the depth is provided up to 0.5 m, but the pit must have dimensions of at least three times the size of the earthen clod.

Root collar plants cannot be covered with soil, so the seedling must be carefully placed in the planting hole, pouring soil under the roots until the neck of the tree is level with the soil surface.

The first watering is carried out immediately after planting, generously soaking the soil under the seedling. The tree trunk circle must be mulched immediately after planting, so moisture will remain in the soil longer. Peat chips, conifer (pine) bark, shavings, and sawdust can be used as mulch.

Caring for common juniper

Common juniper does not require special care, the plant develops well in one place for several hundred years, the main thing when growing is sufficient sunlight.

The plant does not require frequent watering; the conifer is sufficiently supplied with moisture from precipitation. However, young plants need watering in hot weather. summer days(2-3 times per season).

Juniper does not require frequent watering

We'll talk about fertilizing below. Sometimes juniper needs sanitary care– pruning broken and dried branches that need to be cut back to healthy tissue, and covering the wound surface with garden varnish. Formative pruning is difficult for plants to endure - the crown of the conifer slowly grows.

Care in winter time– young plants must be covered with lutrasil during very severe frosts.

Juniper: fertilizing and fertilizers

Caring for juniper includes regular fertilizing with the application of special fertilizers, including special nutrient mixtures for conifers. Young plants can be fed once a month with mineral or organic fertilizers. In spring summer period it is required to use organic compounds, closer to autumn - mineral supplements. Late autumn can be scattered over the soil surface special fertilizers for long-acting conifers.

Plant propagation: common juniper

It is possible to propagate juniper in several ways: seeds, cuttings, grafting, layering.

Juniper is easily propagated by cuttings

The most common method of reproduction common juniper – cuttings. With this method, a high survival rate of young conifers is observed. It is best to perform rooting with early spring, for which it is necessary to cut cuttings “with a heel” from healthy coniferous bushes. The cuttings are treated with root formation stimulants and planted in separate boxes. For better rooting, cuttings should be frequently sprayed with a spray bottle.

Growing young seedlings from seeds is not always possible, so it is recommended to use this method only for breeding work.

Diseases and pests of conifers: juniper

Junipers are characterized by diseases caused by fungal infections. Mostly weakened plants that are grown without following the rules of agricultural technology are affected. Signs of the onset of the disease: browning or yellowing of the needles, drying out of the tips of the shoots, rusty coating on the branches.

Especially dangerous infection conifers are considered to be infected by the Schutte fungus. The needles on juniper branches turn orange, and subsequently black areas of fungus damage appear. Such branches must be pruned and burned.

Used to protect plants from fungal infections. special drugs and provide plants with proper care.

In addition to infections, tender juniper seedlings can be attacked by pests, especially aphids, spider mites, scale insect. To get rid of pests you should use special means: “Aktellik”, “Fufanon”, “Fitoverm”.

Combination of juniper with other plants

Speaking about the combination of common juniper with other plants when creating landscape compositions, it should be noted the high decorative qualities of the plant. Juniper fits perfectly into compositions with deciduous and coniferous trees, perennial and annual flourishing crops. Especially good combination plants can be achieved by planting different varieties juniper with colored and green needles. Juniper looks great when creating high hedges, as well as when planted as a tapeworm on the lawn.

Common juniper: video

Growing juniper: photo

16.09.2017 7 107

Juniper planting and care in open ground

Beautiful juniper, planting and caring for it in open ground is not too difficult at first glance, but still requires attention from the gardener in order to please the owners with a beautiful and healthy look and you need to know how to do it all correctly, at what time, in the fall or in the spring, what to feed the plant, how to replant it in a new place, what to spray against yellowing and rust, how to prune, etc.

How to properly plant juniper in open ground

Planting in open ground is a labor-intensive process with many nuances, the observance of which will allow you to enjoy beautiful plant at the dacha or in the garden.

The best time to plant juniper is the beginning of spring, when the frosts have already ended, but the weather is not yet too warm. Great option There will be a period when the snow will melt. Of course, you can plant the plant later, but then there is a danger of the needles burning out. It should be said that in a later period it is necessary to plant young trees.

Many people are interested in the question of how to plant juniper in the fall. In this case, the plant may not have time to take root and will die as a result. It is important to note that if juniper has a closed root system, then it can be planted at any time of the year.

When choosing a site for juniper, take care of constant sun. The sun's rays should shine on the plant all day. Only on hot summer days do some juniper varieties require shading.

How much light hits the plant determines its appearance. If the area is dominated by shade, the plant will not grow well. A variegated juniper will no longer have the original color of the needles.

When it comes to choosing soil, the type you choose plays a big role. Thus, for Cossack, ordinary and Central Asian varieties of juniper, soil containing dolomite flour or slaked lime is required.

Siberian juniper loves sandy or sandy loam soil; for Virginia juniper, clay soil with compost is suitable.

The remaining species take root well if peat, sand, protective layer with peat and wood shavings to create an acidic reaction.

The plant is sold in various containers. The most suitable for planting are plants in containers with a volume of 5 liter pots with a closed root system. If you buy a seedling with an open root system, be sure to check the roots, they have White color and quite strong. Do not buy juniper if you notice damage to it.

When do you plan to plant plants? big size, then here you will need certain skills or the help of a specialist. These plants are pre-grown in the ground and must be dug up to sell them.

True, experts do not recommend planting mature plants. This is due to the fact that during growth the roots go far into the ground; when digging, the main root is often damaged, which leads to the juniper dying after transplantation. Therefore, adult juniper should be planted in winter with a frozen soil ball. Landing at such a time allows you to increase the chances of good survival and healthy development in the future.

Remember, before planting, you must thoroughly moisten the lump with water, about 2 hours before planting.

Prepare the place in advance. Dig a hole in it, the size of which directly depends on the size of the plant. For example, for young plant A hole measuring 1m×1m and 50 cm deep is suitable. Experts recommend making a hole 2 times larger than the soil clod.

At the very bottom of the hole where the plant is planned to be planted, drainage is added in a layer of about 20 cm (it is better to use broken bricks, large pebbles and sand). Free place filled with cultivated soil. This soil is suitable for any type.

When placing, be very careful not to damage root system And earthen lump. Make sure that in young plants the root collar is located at the surface of the ground, and in adult specimens it rises by about 10 cm.

Then pour plenty of water. The area near the trunk is covered with a protective layer (mulch), which can be peat, pine bark, wood chips, sawdust, crushed cones or pine nut shells. The mulch thickness should be 10 cm.

Transplanting juniper from the forest is not very difficult, the main thing is to follow the rules:

Only young and small plants are suitable for transplantation, because... they have not yet developed a large root system
After you choose a plant, be sure to mark it sunny side(to avoid confusion before digging), and plant with exactly the same side
You should dig up the plant together with a lump of earth, place it in film or burlap, wrap it and tie it
Plant in exactly the same way as with a plant purchased from a nursery.

Juniper, care in the garden and country house

Summer residents value juniper for its beauty and ease of care. By following some rules of care, you can grow a healthy and beautiful plant.

Juniper for a long time does without water, but in summer it should be watered at least once every 30 days. As practice shows, this happens much more often; especially in hot, sultry weather, you need to water the plants every day.

Sometimes you should spray with plain water from a spray bottle. It is better to spray weekly in the morning or evening so as not to burn the green part of the bush.

In spring, the soil is fertilized with nitroammophoska in a proportion of 45 grams per 1 sq.m. In summer you can also use mineral ones if the plant requires it. Fertilize the soil if the juniper is not growing well.

As for transplantation, juniper takes root very poorly, so it is carried out only if necessary. To do this, be sure to prepare the soil - mix sand, coniferous soil and peat in equal proportions. After transplanting, water well.

Juniper does not require pruning; you only need to remove dry branches. If you want to create a beautiful crown, you can’t cut too much, otherwise the plant will get sick.

In winter, young juniper is covered with lutrastil, mature plant They simply tie them up so that the branches do not break off under the weight of the snow. If there is a lot of snow, shake off the plant sometimes.

The onset of spring is a dangerous period; the sun can burn the needles. To avoid this, shade the juniper with fabric or burlap. When the snow has completely melted, the burlap can be removed. Clear trunk circle, remove the protective layer to prevent root rot. Dig and loosen the soil. After the soil has dried, you can add a new protective layer.

Now you know, dear readers, that juniper, which is not difficult to plant and care for, can bring you joy beautiful view long years.

Many gardeners who strive to create on their site green hedge or, on the contrary, to decorate the landscape with beautiful lonely growing coniferous shrubs, the question arises about when is the best time to plant juniper. Some advise doing this in the spring, but it has been noticed that the most efficient landing juniper - in autumn.

This is easily explained by the characteristics of this plant. Firstly, juniper adapts well to almost any conditions and secondly, this shrub tolerates frost well. Therefore, planting juniper in the fall gives good results, the survival rate of seedlings is very good. This makes the plant even more popular. Of course, we must not forget about the special beauty of this coniferous shrub. The hard leaves - needles - give it a certain exoticism. Their upper side is covered with a coating of different colors. Therefore, it seems that the needles are multi-colored. In autumn, fruits appear on the branches - cones, they are used in folk medicine and as aromatic spices.

So, it is preferable because this coniferous shrub will be a decoration not only for summer, but also for winter garden. This plant is perfect for landscaping. Juniper has a number of advantages that make it stand out from the rest. First of all, it is the diversity of its species. They differ from each other in the shape of the crown, the height and color of the needles. Most often used as pyramidal shapes. They can be combined with deciduous shrubs. Well, if you need to decorate, for example, alpine slide, then dwarf ones are simply irreplaceable

One more important feature This plant is characterized by its unpretentiousness and frost resistance. It is thanks to these qualities that planting juniper in the fall becomes much more effective than in the spring. As for caring for seedlings, here too special problems will not arise. There is no need to feed the shrub immediately after planting; the fertilizers that were applied in advance during the preparation of the hole will be sufficient for it. But in the spring, after the snow has melted and the ground has warmed up a little, be sure to add 30-40 grams of nitroammophoska to the soil. After planting, juniper must be watered. Approximately 15 liters of water are poured into one hole. During the dry period, the plant requires additional moisture. Water the bush once a week, in the morning or evening. Young plants are also sprayed.

Juniper - evergreen tree or shrub, belongs to the Cypress family. Depending on the type, its height can be from 50 cm to 20 meters. Recently, it has become fashionable to decorate areas with juniper; it not only attracts with its nobility, but also exudes the aroma of forest pine. Many gardeners, when purchasing a seedling, think about when to plant juniper and how to do it correctly. And also what you should pay attention to when growing this amazing tree.

How to plant juniper correctly?

When buying a seedling, you need to collect as many more information about the variety you like. The gardener should be interested in such aspects as winter hardiness, height of an adult specimen, care features, shape and color of the crown. When purchasing, it is advisable to give preference to seedlings with a closed root system; it is better if they were grown immediately in a shipping container rather than dug out of the ground. The color of the crown should be rich and uniform, and the bark of the trunk should be without cracks.

When to plant juniper and how to choose a suitable place?

Gardeners often have doubts about when to plant juniper, in spring or autumn? If the seedling was purchased in the fall and has a well-developed root system, then it can be planted in open ground in October. This is especially true for specimens with an open root system, which should be planted as quickly as possible. If the seedling is in a spacious container, then planting can be postponed until spring. It is believed that at this time the juniper takes root better and has time to get stronger before the onset of winter. Most favorable time For spring planting- from the beginning of April to the end of May, depending on climatic features region. Professionals recommend carrying out the procedure as soon as the snow begins to melt.

Particular attention should be paid to the place on the site, juniper to preserve its decorative beauty will need a lot of sunlight. Therefore, it is best to plant it in open meadows, flower beds or along an area with south side, forming hedge. A tree growing in the shade will become dull in color and its branches will grow very slowly.

Soil composition requirements

Before planting juniper, you should carefully study the composition of the soil on the site. Some species (common juniper, Cossack and Central Asian) prefer alkaline soil composition. For others, an acidic reaction is more acceptable. To create an acidic environment, peat with sand is added to the ground or mulched using wood shavings and sawdust. If, on the contrary, an alkaline environment is required, slaked lime or dolomite flour is used. Juniper needs to ensure good aeration of the root system, so landing hole be sure to add drainage: crushed bricks, river pebbles or large expanded clay.

Planting juniper

Juniper - planting and caring for it will require certain skills, in addition, the younger the seedling, the better it will tolerate this procedure. It is not recommended for an amateur to purchase adult specimens older than 3 years. Before removing the seedling from the container, you need to generously moisten the lump of earth and let it stand for about two hours.

Planting is carried out in several stages:

It is necessary to dig a planting hole measuring 100x100x60 cm, where 60 cm is the depth. The hole should be two to three times larger than the lump of soil from the shipping container. Place a drainage layer on the bottom.
For better rooting, it is necessary to prepare a nutrient substrate and plant the tree in it. The mixture is prepared depending on the requirements of a particular type of juniper. A universal composition suitable for most types: turf, humus, peat and river sand in a ratio of 2:2:2:1. It is recommended to add to the planting hole universal fertilizer- nitroammophoska in the amount of 200–250 grams.
The seedling is carefully placed in the hole, trying not to injure the root system. Very young specimens are deepened into the ground to the same level at which they grew in the container. Older seedlings are planted in such a way that the root collar rises 8–10 cm above top layer land.
Caring for juniper after planting involves abundant watering and mulching the soil. Peat, wood shavings or sawdust, and small wood chips are used as mulch.

When planting a group of junipers, it is important to maintain a distance between them. For low growing bushes 0.5 m is enough, for tall trees with a spreading crown - from 1.5 m to 2.5 m.

Features of caring for juniper

The tree will not require much attention, but by following certain rules, you can preserve its beauty for many years.

Watering juniper

The tree doesn't need frequent watering, if the summer was rainy, then additional soil moisture will not be needed. During periods of drought, it is recommended to water the juniper, but not more than once every 2-3 weeks.

Weekly spraying of the crown will have a good effect on the appearance of the juniper. It is better to carry out the procedure early in the morning or after 17.00 so that the branches with drops of water are not damaged by the scorching sun.

Fertilizer application

After planting the juniper, caring for it should include regular fertilizing. However, if fertilizer was added to the planting hole, then this is not necessary this season. Every spring it is recommended to apply nitroammophoska (45 g of substance per 1 sq.m.). If it has been noticed that the tree is growing slowly, then several more feedings can be done during the summer. mineral fertilizer, but not more than once a month.

Juniper, like others conifers trees should not be fertilized with mullein infusion or bird droppings. Even careful application of such compounds will cause burns to the roots and, possibly, death of the plant.

Juniper pruning

If shrubs are used to decorate a hedge, then the crown needs to be formed every spring and, if necessary, adjusted throughout summer season. The same applies to junipers, which the gardener decided to give a special shape - a cone, ball, pyramid, etc. If the crown has natural look, then you can limit yourself to removing old and dried branches.

Preparing for winter

Most junipers have good frost resistance; they can withstand even harsh winters. To prevent branches from breaking under the weight of snow, they are bent to the trunk and carefully tied with twine. The twine is secured to the bottom of the trunk and then tied in a spiral around the entire crown to the very top. The earth around thermophilic species for winter it is recommended to cover with a layer of peat at least 10 cm thick.

Some gardeners, when deciding when to plant juniper, give preference autumn planting. In this case, the fragile seedling will need shelter. To do this, you can purchase a special insulating material or use spruce branches.

Juniper care in spring

After cloudy days winter days needles are very sensitive to sunlight. Starting in February, the sun is especially active, so the gardener should take care of covering the shrubs. During this period, it is recommended to shade the plant with a thin cloth, burlap or other suitable material. As soon as the snow melts, the shelter and last year's layer of mulch are removed, and the soil is carefully dug up. When the weather becomes consistently warm and the soil dries out, the circle around the trunk is covered with a fresh layer of mulch.

Video on how to care for juniper

Juniper is often used as an element of landscape design. This crop has an attractive appearance that lasts throughout all seasons. Among other things, the plant has medicinal properties and can be used in traditional medicine recipes.

The juniper genus is represented by more than 70 species, the growing area of which is very wide. Juniper trees and shrubs can be found both in tropical areas and in the polar zone. Low-growing crops most often choose mountains and rocks for living; tall trees prefer forests, mainly in Central Asia, America and the Mediterranean.

Juniper belongs to the cypress family, which is noticeable in its appearance. This plant has existed on our planet for about 50 million years, and the lifespan of its individual specimens ranges from 600 to 3000 thousand years.

The culture is famous for its bactericidal properties, and its essential oils help effectively fight diseases of the respiratory system.

Juniper species

There are many varieties and species of juniper. Let's look at the most popular varieties of this plant:

Chinese juniper grows mainly on rocky and dry soils. This shrub has a bluish-gray color, is unpretentious in care, landscape design often used to create rock gardens and rockeries. Its most popular varieties are: Gold coast, Plumosa, Old Gold and Blue Alps.
Common juniper is considered the most common type of crop. It is represented by a wide variety of varieties, among which you can find both tall trees and creeping shrubs. Its main advantages can be considered unpretentiousness, drought resistance, and undemandingness. This plant can tolerate almost any conditions. From popular varieties One can distinguish the tall juniper Hibernica, the shorter variety Compressa, as well as the creeping shrub Green Carpet.
Another type of crop is Cossack juniper, which is a low-growing creeping plant. As a rule, only young representatives of this shrub require care. Care consists of abundant watering and loosening the soil, as well as periodic fertilizing with complex fertilizers.
Scaly juniper is a plant that tolerates any climatic conditions. It grows well in heat and cold, is unpretentious to the soil, and only young specimens of this crop need fertilizing. Its peculiarity is sensitivity to sunlight, which is especially pronounced in the spring. At this time, it is recommended to cover the bushes from the sun.

Rules for planting juniper

Choosing time and place, preparing the soil

It is customary to plant juniper in open ground in the first weeks of spring, and it is not at all necessary to wait until warm weather finally sets in. As soon as the snow begins to melt, the plant can be planted in open ground. Sometimes the crop is planted at a later, warm time, but then the young needles may suffer from sunlight.

It is not recommended to dig in seedlings in the fall, since the bush may not have time to take root in the ground before winter. If you bought a specimen with a closed root system, then such a tree can be planted at any time, the main thing is to provide the plant with good care and during the daytime, hide it from direct sun.

Juniper loves open spaces, where enough rays fall during the day. In most cases, the illumination of the place where the crop grows directly affects its decorative qualities, the splendor and density of the crown.

The soil for growing juniper should be prepared based on which variety you are going to plant. For example, common juniper prefers alkaline soil; the same soil is suitable for Cossack and Central Asian species. If the soil on your site is acidic, it needs to be mixed with slaked lime or dolomite flour. Almost all other types of juniper love just acidic soils which can be created by adding peat, wood shavings and sand.

Siberian juniper prefers light sandy or sandy loam soil; Virginia juniper is more suitable for clay soil with the addition of compost. Whatever type of crop you plant, be sure to provide it with good drainage. It can be made from pebbles, stones, broken bricks, sand. The layer thickness should be 20-25 cm.

Selection of planting material

The best option for planting in open ground are plants purchased in containers with a capacity of up to 5 liters. Such specimens are easier to replant, and they take root faster in a new place. It is desirable that the roots of the bush are closed, that is, located inside the earthen clod.

Instead of young seedlings, you can use more mature plants, which, before sale, are dug out of the ground along with a lump and wrapped in burlap or film. It is better not to replant adult juniper specimens at all, since they have a very powerful and long taproot, which is almost impossible to dig out without damage. Juniper does not tolerate transplantation well, and injury to its root system often leads to the death of the tree. Before planting, the earthen ball must be moistened for 2 hours.

How to plant juniper: sequence of actions

First, in the selected area, dig a hole in the ground, the dimensions of which must correspond to the size of the seedling. For young specimens, it is customary to dig a hole 1x1 m and 50 cm deep. The dimensions of the recess should be approximately 2-3 times larger than the earthen ball with juniper roots.
At the bottom of the pit, a drainage layer of sand, pebbles or crushed bricks is arranged. The height of such a pillow should be 20-25 cm.
The remaining space is covered with garden soil, the composition of which is selected depending on the specific crop variety.
The root of the plant is placed in a hole and carefully straightened, trying not to injure it. The root collar is installed at the level of the soil surface, if we are talking about young seedling. In grown bushes, the neck should rise 7-12 cm above the ground.
Having sprinkled the roots and compacted the soil, water the plant well big amount water.
The space around the trunk is sprinkled with mulch, for which peat, sawdust, pieces pine bark, cones, etc. Mulch is poured in a layer up to 10 cm thick.

The distance between small juniper bushes should be about 50 cm, between tall trees intervals of 1.5 to 2 m should be observed.

Juniper care

Most varieties of juniper are drought-resistant and can go without water for a long time, but in very hot and dry summers the plant still needs watering, which should be done at least once a month. Juniper bushes also respond well to periodic irrigation from a spray bottle, which should be done once a week in the early morning.

In spring, the crop is fed with nitroammophoska. 45 g of substance are added per 1 m² of area. During the summer, the plant can also be fed with mineral or organic compounds, but it is not recommended to do this more than once a month.

Juniper does not tolerate transplantation well, so this procedure should be resorted to only in cases of extreme necessity. Mature plants very rarely take root in a new place and often die. If you nevertheless decide to replant the tree, choose the most favorable area for it and prepare the soil by mixing sand, peat and coniferous soil. After repotting, be sure to water the plant generously with plenty of water.

Juniper is one of those crops that do not need pruning. However, old juniper should be periodically renewed by removing dry branches, broken and diseased shoots. With the help of pruning, the bush can be given beautiful shape, but you can’t cut too many branches at one time, otherwise the plant will get sick.

Young seedlings are covered for the winter so that they are not damaged by frost. Mature bushes and trees are not hidden under film, but their branches are tied up so that they do not break under the weight of snow.

In spring, most types of juniper suffer from aggressive sun. This period is considered the most dangerous time for such a crop, since the spring Sun rays literally burning the crown of plants. Sometimes this is fraught not only with the loss of decorativeness, but also with the death of individual specimens. But even if the juniper does not die, its needles may turn yellow or brownish-brown. In February-March, it is customary to hide bushes under burlap or any other opaque material. When the snow melts, the shelter is removed, the soil around the trunk is cleared of debris and old mulch, loosened, slightly dried and mulched again.

Juniper propagation methods

Growing a crop from seeds

Almost all hybrid and decorative varieties propagated exclusively by cuttings, but some types of juniper can be planted by seed method. Seed material is collected from bushes that are more than 2 years old. Optimal time Harvesting is considered when the berries begin to darken, but do not completely change color. When this happens, the seeds go dormant and take a very long time to germinate.

The collected grains are stratified. They are placed in a box filled with a mixture of wet peat, sand and moss. This container is taken outside in the fall and left for the entire cold period of the year. This procedure will harden the seeds and promote their speedy germination. Around May, the grains are removed from the substrate and transplanted onto permanent place growth in open ground.

Propagation of juniper by cuttings

Cuttings are considered simpler and effective way propagation of this culture. To implement it in the spring, choose suitable plant and cut off a young one-year-old shoot along with a fragment mother bush. The length of the cutting should be about 10 cm. This shoot is freed from needles and placed in a substance that stimulates root formation for 24 hours. Then the cuttings are immersed in a mixture of sand and peat, watered, covered with film and placed in partial shade. From time to time the film is removed so that the plant can be saturated with oxygen. The soil moisture is constantly monitored, preventing it from drying out. After about 1-2 months, the cutting will send out roots, after which it can be transferred to a permanent place of growth.

Juniper, photo: