Junipers are shrubs and trees that belong to the evergreen coniferous plants of the Cypress family. Today there are over 60 of their species. Juniper has soft needles with various shades, a captivating aroma and frost resistance. For these reasons, it is so popular with designers and gardeners when decorating a garden or local area.
In general, all types of juniper live long enough. The approximate age of these plants reaches 600 years. At the same time, they serve not only to decorate the garden, but also perfectly cleanse the environment from pathogenic bacteria.
However, not every gardener knows how to transplant juniper without stressing the plant. Therefore, before buying seedlings, it is necessary to collect as much information as possible about the selected plant. And so that there are no questions about how, and most importantly, whenreplant juniper - in autumn or spring - we will describe in detail in our article about all the nuances of its cultivation.
Main garden varieties
Juniper virginiana is an ornamental tree native to Canada and the USA. Sometimes it can grow up to 30 meters, but only in its homeland. In Russia, virginian juniper does not reach a height of more than 6 meters.
Common juniper is a tree-like variety that can take the form of a tall tree (up to 12 meters) or a sprawling shrub (up to 2 meters). It is the most unpretentious species, and therefore the most common.
Dahurian juniper - it is characterized by stretching and creeping shoots, 2-3 meters long. Frost resistant and maintenance free.
Cossack juniper - has the shape of a creeping shrub, with a height of 1.5-2 meters. A distinctive feature of this species is the pungent smell and toxicity of some varieties.
Horizontal juniper is an evergreen shrub that grows well near artificial ponds and reservoirs. It has a short stature - 15-30 centimeters. Perfectly acclimatizes in any region of the country.
Rocky juniper - in its natural environment it reaches 15 meters. Cultivated varieties are somewhat lower. It has a conical crown and blue-gray or dark green needles.
Rules for buying seedlings
When choosing a juniper sapling, you need to consider several nuances:
- Better give preference to the youngseedlings with a closed root system, which were grown in spacious containers. But this does not mean at all that seedlings with open roots should not be purchased, it is simply believed that they take root worse.
- Having chosen the necessary plant, you should carefully examine it. The young tree should not contain rusty or dry tips. The color of the juniper must correspond to the description of the variety, and the needles must be elastic. It is also necessary to inspect the root system. Permissible shades of roots from light brown to yellow. The presence of damp and dark roots may indicate that it has recently been moved to a container. This may adversely affect the plant transplant.
Soil preparation
Before planting juniper, you must carefully familiarize yourself with the composition of the soil. After all, different varieties require certain trace elements, which may not be enough in your area. So, seedlings of ordinary, Central Asian and Cossack juniper prefer an alkaline composition. The rest prefer to grow in an acidic environment. To create the latter, the soil is mulched with sawdust or wood chips. You can fertilize the earth with sand and peat. To provide an alkaline environment, dolomite flour or slaked lime is used.
It is best to plant juniper where the sun's rays are most of the day, as it is likely that the lack of lighting will darken the crown of the plants, and the branches will slow down growth.
When to plant
It turns out to transplantjuniper can be at any time of the year. However, according to gardeners, the best period is autumn and early spring in order to grow ornamental juniper. Transplantation in the fall has a small plus - it is high humidity, at which the earth and the crown of plants do not give up moisture.
The best timing for transplanting juniper in the fall is the end of October. It is this time that guarantees a successful process. However, there are those who believe that the autumn period is not the best time for planting juniper, arguing that its root system will not have time to get stronger, and the plant will not survive until spring. They insist that the planting should take place in April or May, depending on the climatic conditions.
Nevertheless, when transplanting, it is worth considering which seedling is purchased. If it has an open root system, then it must be immediately transplanted into open ground, regardless of weather conditions. Polarity must also be observed. That is, in a new place, the seedling should be placed in the direction in which the juniper grew before. Transplanting in autumn or spring is always stressful for the plant. Therefore, it is recommended to plant plants at a young age, when they can easily tolerate acclimatization.
Process Features
Very often, having acquired a young shoot in September, inexperienced gardeners wonder how to plant a juniper in the fall so that it takes root successfully. This amazing tree is able to decorate any garden. And it's easy to plant. Complexity is onlymay occur if an adult juniper was purchased. Planting and care in the open field does not really require special knowledge. There is a certain technique, after learning which transplanting in the fall will not cause trouble.
To begin with, the earthy ball should be moistened well. This will help to easily remove the juniper from the container. Transplantation in the fall consists of several stages:
- Dig a hole in a suitable place, about 60 cm deep. And in width it should be three times more than an earthen coma.
- Fertilize the planting hole. The vitamin mixture is prepared in proportions 2:2:2:1 (humus, peat, turf and sand, respectively). You can also add an all-purpose food specially formulated for certain varieties of juniper.
- The young shoot is carefully placed in the hole, while the roots should be placed horizontally, then sprinkle the root system.
- Pour the juniper hole with two buckets of water.
- Add a layer of mulch soil to the settled earth.
As you can see from the above, there is nothing difficult in planting an ornamental juniper. A transplant in the fall will provide the root system of the shrub with a sufficient amount of moisture, which is so necessary in the first months after transplantation.
Spring Care
Adhering to simple rules, you can grow a he althy and beautiful juniper. Planting and care in the open field will not take much time, but for this you need to know a few tricks for caring for the plant.
Spring is considered to be a very dangerous time for junipers. Active spring sun rays can cause severe burns to a coniferous plant. To prevent this, cover it with burlap or other shading material.
After the snow melts, it is necessary to clear the near-trunk area from fallen leaves and debris. Remove a layer of mulch, dig up the soil around the bush. After the earth has dried, pour a new layer.
Winter Care
In preparation for winter, young juniper is wrapped with lutrasil. A tall and sprawling adult juniper is tied up. Periodically shake the branches of the tree from the attacking snow, this will prevent them from breaking.
Feeding and watering
Juniper is an unpretentious plant that does not require constant watering. In dry summers, it is watered 2-3 times a month. And also spray the branches with water using a spray bottle. This can be done in the evening or early morning, once every two weeks.
You can fertilize juniper in spring with nitroammophos (about 45 grams per 1 m²). In summer, mineral or organic fertilizers can be used for fertilizer once a month.
You can grow a great juniper. Transplanting in the fall and competently caring for it will help make your garden beautiful and the air in the area clean.
