Juniper is especially popular among coniferous ornamental trees and shrubs. He received his right to be a favorite in landscape design for his unpretentiousness to soil composition and climate change. Juniper perfectly tolerates both severe frosts and prolonged drought, loves light very much. Attracts designers and gardeners a variety of forms of the bush and the color of the needles. And the enchanting, subtle aroma complements all this splendor.
Geography of growth
Juniper is a widespread coniferous plant suitable for growing in dry areas of Mexico, as well as Asia, America and the Caucasus. High and medium juniper bushes feel great in deciduous and coniferous forests, and low ones - on rocks.
In nature, planting shrubs in groups occupy small areas. Currently, there are six dozen junipers of various types. This conifer is a long-liver. With favorableUnder growing conditions, juniper can live for five or more centuries.
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Juniper needles have a bluish-green color and triangular needles pointed at the tips. In appearance, it resembles the needles of cypress plants. Juniper, which reproduces in several ways, has buds. They almost never have scales. The leaves of the plant are replaced by needles, on which they appear with age.
Cones have a spherical, rarely elongated shape. They are very fleshy, the scales close tightly, and this prevents them from fully opening. Blue or gray cones look very impressive on green needles with a bluish tinge.
Use
Juniper is used for single planting and in large arrays. Undersized and creeping conifers cover the slopes, they build rocky gardens. They strengthen the slopes. Juniper has a drawback - it does not tolerate smoke and air pollution. Therefore, it is rarely used for landscaping urban gardens and parks.
Dwarf junipers grow indoors, but they need to be sprayed regularly. From these conifers form a bonsai in miniature. For this, seedlings are suitable, in which the needles are hard, with a shine, and the trunk is curved. If bonsai from dwarf junipers are planted on the street, they must be protected from gusts of wind. In the cold season, cover the top of the tree to protect it from freezing. Upon contact of the plant with snow, the needles mayget BURNED. Therefore, it is better to plant small trees under a canopy.
Propagation of crops by seeds
Juniper is a beautiful ornamental plant. Reproduction by seeds gives low germination. Even if they germinate together, the seedlings are easily damaged and therefore not easy to save.
But if you are a supporter of seed reproduction of this plant, then the procedure is as follows. Reproduction of juniper in the fall involves sowing seeds in boxes with fertile soil. As soon as the cold sets in, take out the boxes with landings on the street for a period of four months, so they will harden. In the spring, transplant the seeds that survived the winter into other boxes or pots and keep them outside again. Shoots will appear only next year. They need a lot of sun, they need to be watered and fed. Never let the soil dry out. Do not rush time, a bush or a tree of this conifer will surely grow from a sown seed if you take good care of it.
There are many ways to grow juniper. Propagation by seeds is usually carried out in the spring and requires some preparation. Intended for sowing, they must undergo scarification, that is, scratching the shell. So the seeds will give the first shoots much earlier.
Propagation of plants by cuttings
Propagation of juniper by cuttings is a familiar way for gardeners. However, it should be remembered that some species do not take cuttings well. It is not recommended to take shoots from wild plants. The cuttings will be stronger and take root better iftake them from a young tree or bush at the age of 8-10 years.
Propagation of juniper cuttings in autumn is not the best option for this procedure. It is better to do this immediately after the winter cold, in early spring. To do this, you need to cut off an annual shoot 10-12 cm long and place it in a growth-stimulating solution for a period of one day. After that, plant the cutting in the soil mixed with peat and sand.
Planting depth should not be more than three centimeters. Types of creeping juniper are planted taking into account a slope of 60 degrees, and columnar - strictly vertically. It is important not to confuse the bottom and top of the cutting, for which it is cut off with a small piece of bark.
Propagation of juniper by cuttings involves several stages. The next one is to cover them with foil for two months. Find a dark place. To prevent the cuttings from drying out, spray them with water every day.
When they are well rooted, transplant into other boxes and leave for two years. After this time, determine for them a permanent place of growth and plant them in the ground. Reproduction of juniper by cuttings in autumn and winter can also be carried out. The main thing is to observe all the necessary conditions for rooting seedlings.
Propagation of juniper by layering
This method of reproduction is simple. It is used from early spring to mid-summer. To do this, you need to take a young branch of a shrub located near the ground, make an incision on it along an oblique line. Insert any stick into it,strengthen in the ground and cover with soil from above.
When new roots form, cut off the seedling with secateurs and plant in a separate hole. Reproduction of juniper in autumn is not as preferable as in spring. After a few years, the plant will grow up, and it will be possible to shape its appearance.
Juniper: propagation by grafting
In order to preserve the valuable qualities of a rare species of juniper, reproduction is carried out by grafting a shoot onto a plant that is similar in appearance. With this reproduction, the best qualities of the mother plant are accurately transmitted. You should know that grafted bushes grow slowly. But this method allows breeding on 3-5-year-old seedlings and obtaining new varieties of juniper.
Vaccination is carried out at a time when the plant woke up from winter and sap flow began. The grafting material is young shoots from the upper tiers of the bush, which are grafted onto any kind of juniper.
Juniper, which is propagated by grafting, needs to be sheltered from the sun. If after a month and a half the buds bloom on the shoots, the process was successful.
Cossack juniper
This type of conifer is the most widespread among other representatives of the cypress genus. This is a very branched creeping shrub, the height of which reaches 1.5 meters, and the width is 20 meters or more. For unpretentiousness and chic appearance, the Cossack juniper is very much loved by landscape designers. It perfectly tolerates frost, is resistant to winds and drought. And histhe ability to kill microbes has developed resistance to various diseases in the ephedra.
The Cossack juniper bush does not lose its decorative effect throughout the year. It looks great on soil, snow and rocks. It is used in single plantings and in groups, it is used to create a hedge. Cossack juniper has an unpleasant odor when rubbed with needles.
Juniper is undemanding to growth. Care and reproduction are carried out in nutrient-poor soil. But still, it will grow better if you add a little dolomite flour or lime to it. Oily black earth soil can harm the plant. Growing on it, it is susceptible to fungal diseases.
Reproduction of Cossack juniper seeds
This method of reproduction can be done using stratification. Before the onset of frost, sow the seeds in prepared boxes and bury them under the snow. There they will remain throughout the winter period. Stratification is necessary in order to accelerate seed germination.
In the spring, sow them in the ground and wait for seedlings. And if this procedure is not carried out, then the seeds will sprout only next year. In this way, the conifer mainly breeds in nature.
Cutting
Cossack juniper, which is propagated by cuttings, takes root well. It should be carried out in the spring, until the movement of juices begins, or in the fall. You need to plant cuttings on a cloudy day.weather, so as not to harm the seedlings and mature trees from which they were taken. Cuttings will be better if you cut off the tops of the shoots. They shouldn't stay dry for long. Therefore, immediately wrap them in a well-dampened cloth or place them in a bag of water.
Cut cuttings with a piece of bark, otherwise they will not take root. Treat them with conifer growth solution and plant them in the designated planting area.
As a rule, further growth of seedlings is carried out in the nursery for 1-3 years. The root system of large cuttings develops faster, which means that the time to grow them in the nursery will be reduced.
Reproduction of Cossack juniper by layering
During the entire vegetative period, the Cossack juniper, which is propagated by layering, requires appropriate care. Branches bent and pinned to the ground must be watered periodically, and the earth around the plant should be spud.
To better take root shoots of the Cossack juniper, you need to add coconut shells, a little sand and peat to the soil. Cut off the needles at the end of the shoot, the stem should be bare. After six months or a year, rooting of layering and the appearance of vertical shoots will occur. Separate them and transplant them into the ground.
If juniper has a special varietal value, reproduction is carried out by grafting. However, it should be remembered that the survival rate of shoots with such reproduction is low.
Juniper Varieties
- Chinese - it can also be higha twenty-meter tree, and a dwarf shrub.
- Common juniper is a tree-like cone-shaped plant up to ten meters high. If growing as a shrub, it is very slow and egg-shaped.
- Horizontal - creeping or creeping shrub up to half a meter high.
- Cossack - it can be a four-meter tree and a creeping shrub.
- Scaly - shrub with dense branches and bright green needles. It is frost and drought resistant.
Care
These plants love the light, in the shade their decorative effect is lost. Many varieties are frost tolerant. Only young plants and heat-loving species need shelter for the winter. Pruning conifer tolerates well. It must be done to form a certain shape of the bush or to limit the growth of creeping junipers. Although dead branches can be removed as soon as they appear.
Juniper needs regular care. Planting and care, reproduction are carried out with abundant watering, which is especially necessary for the conifer in a drought. During this period, water the plant several times per season, 10-30 liters of water under one tree. And in the evening, when the sun does not bake so much, sprinkle it.
The land around the trunk of young trees or shrubs should be regularly weeded from weeds and loosened after each watering or rain. Each time after these procedures, apply fresh mulch. With proper and regular care, juniper will always delight with its appearance.
