Evergreen shrubs, not without human intervention, gradually moved to gardens and parks, where they found their place in the performance of design functions. In order for the living elements of the decor to meet their purpose, it is necessary to find the ideal place for them and plant the plants correctly. In the article we will analyze in detail the rules of agricultural technology for the care of common juniper, we will talk about its beneficial properties.
Habitat
Undergrowth of old pine forests, mixed groves, spruce forests, dry hills, limestones and sandy soils are a favorite habitat for conifers. This plant is common in the mountainous areas of Central Asia, where it is called juniper. In Russia, common juniper is found in the Urals, the Caucasus, Siberia and the European part of the country. A tree with an original cone-shaped crown not only attracts the eye of a person, but also serves as a kind of measuring instrument.the level of environmental indicators. It will never grow in regions with polluted air.
Houseside territories, squares and other public places have become a habitual habitat for coniferous culture. It is often used by designers in the design of the landscape. The evergreen plant has high decorative qualities. This will become clear from the description of the common juniper below.
Botanical Features
In total, there are more than 60 species of the perennial we are discussing. Individual specimens can live over 600 years. What does common juniper look like? A long-lived plant exists in nature both in the form of a tree and in the form of a shrub (dioecious or monoecious). Tall species grow in forests, creeping species prefer open rocky terrain. Trees stretch over 12 m high, bush junipers grow from 1 to 3 m.
Those who are well acquainted with the world of fauna will not hesitate to answer what genus this plant belongs to. As can be clearly seen in the photo, the common juniper is a member of the cypress family. The leaves are needle-shaped, short, of medium hardness, in whorls they are grouped by 3 needles. The configuration of the crown is formed by pressed, upward-growing branches or diverging shoots along the sides. The trunk is covered with gray-brown bark with numerous cracks and peeling characteristic of it. Young twigs are shiny, have a yellow-red tint.
The female plant is distinguished by soft, green bumpsoval, male - on oblong yellow earrings. This is the main distinguishing feature of the genus. Accordingly, the formation of cones can be expected only in female species. The fruits themselves are the size of a cherry seed, dark blue and covered with a bluish bloom. Their full maturation occurs only after two years.
Views
There are plenty of types and varieties of common juniper in the arsenal of designers. Combine it with foreign representatives of cypress. Let's take a look at the most popular cultures:
- Chinese. A shrub with a bluish color of needles is one of the most unpretentious plants. Dry and rocky soil serves as a nutrient medium for it. With his participation, you can create a wonderful rockery or alpine slide. Here are the most common varieties: Blue Alps, Plumosa, Gold Coast.
- Scaly. In landscape design, it is used to decorate the shady corners of the house adjoining space. Despite the fact that the plant itself is hardy, it is too sensitive to ultraviolet light. With the advent of the first sunlight, the bushes must be covered. By the end of spring, when they have adapted to the light, no cover material is needed.
- Common juniper. The advantages of perennial include drought resistance, unpretentiousness and excellent aesthetic qualities. An unpretentious plant has a wide variety of species. From tall trees, the Hibernica variety is isolated, from shrubs - Green Carpet.
- Cossack. Another view fromgenus of cypresses, characterized by unpretentiousness and beautiful appearance. This is a creeping shrub that does not require close attention to care. Meanwhile, it responds well to complex fertilizing and watering.
Evergreens are an adornment for any site, as they always remain alive and are able to change the color of the needles throughout the year. Photos of common juniper with its use as an element of landscape design are posted in our article.
Useful properties
It turns out that the plant in question is planted not only for aesthetic purposes. It has absorbed many valuable properties that are beneficial to human he alth. In this regard, it is worth considering the question of in what areas the berries of coniferous shrubs are used.
I would like to immediately note that in cooking and traditional medicine only the fruits of the common juniper are used. Useful properties of a plant are determined by the concentration of valuable substances in its composition. Ephedra berries contain the following chemical components: essential oil, pectin, wax, resins, sugar. As well as acids: malic, formic and acetic. For the preparation of folk remedies, immature cones and bark of young shoots are sometimes used.
Due to the high content of essential oil, medicines containing ephedra have an antibacterial and diuretic effect. They have a beneficial effect on the digestive tract and metabolic processes. Berries have a positive effect andon the nervous system, well help with vascular diseases and relieve swelling. Juices, tinctures and decoctions are prepared from them.
The culinary properties of common juniper were also revealed. The specific aroma and taste allows it to be used as a seasoning that goes well with meat dishes.
Selection of seedlings
The cypress family does not tolerate transplants well. It follows from this that the further development of the young plant will depend on the choice of the seedling. Proper planting of the common juniper and care in the first days of its existence increase the chances of its survival. Seedlings must be checked for damage - the sick are poorly accepted and may die. It is better that they are young and grown in special containers. The ideal age for a seedling is 2-4 years. Let's see what you need to pay special attention to when choosing a plant:
- The earth ball should fit snugly against the roots and not fall apart. It will be safer if it is in a container and wrapped in burlap.
- Growth is a sign of a he althy plant. Young roots and shoots need to be visible.
- You should carefully examine the trunk - if there are cracks, then it is undesirable to buy such a plant.
- Brown or brown spots on the needles indicate a seedling disease.
- Young twigs should be flexible.
Site selection and ground requirements
Junipers are quite photophilous plants. Certain varieties require only slight shading, in particular the common type of conifer. It is important to consider that a lot will depend on the amount of incoming light: the density of the crown, the uniform color of the needles, the aesthetic appearance of the perennial as a whole.
The composition of the soil does not have a special effect on the plant, but it needs to be breathable. Clay soil prevents the normal survival of common juniper. Loose soil, on the contrary, contributes to the rapid development of a young seedling. Immediately before planting, river sand, garden soil, peat and coniferous soil are introduced into the hole. Such a substrate is prepared from equal proportions of all components, with the exception of sand. They put half as much.
Landing
Spring is the best time to plant the common juniper. It is also planted in the fall, but the plant does not always have time to adapt to a new place and take root.
To avoid burning needles, planting is carried out with the onset of the first thaw. In the summer, planting well-packed seedlings (meaning a closed root system) is allowed. At the same time, do not forget to cover young conifers from direct sunlight.
The planting hole should be spacious and determined by the size of the roots of the seedling. They need to be immersed in the ground very carefully. It is impossible to allow the root processes to be bent in any way, they must be evenly distributed over the entire valueholes.
Cypresses do not tolerate close groundwater and any stagnant moisture. They need good drainage. For these purposes, broken bricks, sand and expanded clay are used.
There are no rules regarding the distance between seedlings. This is a matter of the chosen design style. The only thing is that you need to take into account varietal characteristics, that is, the degree of growth of a particular species. To create hedges, plants are planted close to each other.
Additional fertilizers can be added to the planting pit, such as nitrophoska or Kemiru-universal preparation. To reduce the risk of plant death, it must be watered with Epin immediately after planting.
Mandatory is abundant watering and covering the crown. When it becomes clear that the juniper has taken root, these techniques are stopped. The soil around the plant should be mulched with pine bark.
Care
Well-rooted plants don't require much attention. Common juniper care includes a few simple tricks:
- Cypress crops are drought-resistant, so they do not need frequent watering. Humidification is carried out if the weather is hot, dry for a long time. It will be enough to pour one bucket of water on one bush. Some varieties gratefully respond to spraying. Such procedures are usually carried out in the evening hours.
- Due attention should be paid to the near-trunk area. It is good that the soil around the trunk is loose and not clogged.
- The use of fertilizers is mandatory for some species only. For example, Cossack juniper is fertilized with dolomite flour, at the rate of 300 g per plant. The virgin variety responds well to organic fertilizers. It would be a good idea to periodically add some compost around the root circle.
- Varieties with colored needles are tied with a green mesh or spunbond during the appearance of the first spring rays.
- Pruning is carried out as necessary to give a peculiar shape to plants or to clear dry shoots. In this case, one should take into account the fact that the conifer grows slowly, so it is not necessary to cut it much.
- And finally, the most important stage is the pre-winter care of the perennial. It is important that the seedling is kept alive and intact until the next season. It is sprayed with a Bordeaux mixture for prevention purposes. It is necessary to make sanitary pruning, in which deformed shoots are cut off and dry wood is removed. Then the bushes are wrapped. Old plants do not need shelter.
Reproduction
Common juniper is propagated in three main ways: by seeds, layering and cuttings.
- Layers. It is convenient to propagate creeping cypress species. The shoots are simply sprinkled with earth, and the next year they themselves sprout roots. In the spring, the newly formed bushes are separated from the parent and planted in the allotted area.
- Seeds. To improve the future germination of seeds, stratification is carried out. They are pre-soaked and kept at a moderately low temperature. Boxes withsown seeds are taken out into the street for the entire winter season and dug into the ground. In May, they are transplanted to the chosen place, where the culture will grow constantly.
- Cuttings. In mid-April, one-year-old branches are cut from old plants. On the one hand, they are freed from needles by about 5 cm. The cuttings are immersed for 24 hours in a growth stimulator, and then planted in a sandy-peat substrate. After 3 months, they will have roots. It is not recommended to transfer them to open ground, it is better to keep them in a greenhouse until next year.
Pest and disease control
Juniper can be affected by infections caused by fungi. This is expressed in browning of the needles, rust on the branches and drying out of the shoots. A solution of arceride helps well against rusty plaque (500 mg per bucket of water). It is important to monitor the condition of the plants and, if necessary, apply mechanical methods of protection: immediately remove the affected branches and completely dig out diseased plants. With such problems, it is better not to use the fruits of the common juniper.
Of the pests, the conifer is visited by aphids, spider mites and scale insects. To combat them, insecticide treatment is carried out - "Fitoverma" and "Aktellika".
Reviews
If we talk about people's impressions about the appearance of the plant, everything is clear here. Undoubtedly, many summer residents like how it harmonizes with perennial flowers and other types of shrubs. You can learn a lot of useful information about the common juniper in the reviews of gardeners. Of these, the following can be distinguished:
- Forgrowing seedlings for sale, sphagnum moss must be added to the substrate. It was noticed that the soil with its presence becomes very light and retains moisture longer, it has hygroscopicity and disinfectant properties.
- If the greenhouse is assembled under new polycarbonate, it would be good to do shading with lutrasil. It is not recommended to create a shadow by partially whitewashing the greenhouse, because the film begins to fall apart.
- It is better not to plant too old seedlings in open ground. In most cases, they do not take root and die. When planting in autumn, care must be taken to ensure that the earthen ball remains moist before wintering.
Conclusion
If you want to feel the coniferous aroma that purifies the air in your garden, choose several types of magnificent perennials and decorate the site with them. Thanks to the variety of types, finding a suitable solution for yourself is not so difficult. From the description of the common juniper, which you had the opportunity to consider, it is clear that the plant is unpretentious. Give it a little time at the initial stage of development, and it will please the eye for many years.
