Juniper care in spring. Proper care of juniper

Now it has become popular to grow evergreen trees on your backyard. They not only decorate the courtyard both in summer and in winter, but also create a kind of comfort in the backyard territory. The main point when caring for a juniper is preparing it for wintering. If some recommendations are followed, the shrub will successfully overwinter and in the spring will cast rich greens, and not a yellow-brown tint.

Features of caring for junipers in the fall and in preparation for winter - general tips and tricks

Juniper does not have a capricious disposition. But if you do not follow certain rules, then a beautiful plant can wither away, it will cease to have a decorative appearance, it will turn into a wild tree.

1. Watering- the shrub practically does not require watering. If it turned out to be a hot end of summer, smoothly turning into a velvet autumn, then irrigation with water should be carried out no more than 1 time in 2 weeks. In case of rainy and cool summers, additional watering is not required.
2. Spraying- the only moment that the juniper favors. The event is best done before the first hours of the morning or after sunset. This is necessary so that the bright rays do not burn the delicate twigs.
3. Fertilizers- dressings are applied mainly in the spring. But if the bush is lagging behind in growth or does not add young growth at all, it is necessary to apply mineral fertilizers in the form of nitroammofoska in the fall. But not more often than once every 4 weeks.
4. Pruning- if the juniper was planted specifically for decorative purposes and its crown is constantly being formed, then in the autumn period, formative pruning is required. In addition, regardless of whether the figure is formed from a bush or the juniper grows with a natural crown, the removal of excess branches is mandatory. All dry, broken or damaged branches are cut.
5. Shelter for the winter- in most cases, additional shelter is not required, the juniper tolerates even a strong decrease in temperature. The only moment so that the bush does not break off the branches, they are bent to the trunk and tied with twine.

Attention! Juniper requires little or no maintenance. The main thing is to monitor the general condition of the bush. If the plant withers and looks unhealthy, you need to look for the cause in improper care, including in preparation for winter.

Juniper pruning in autumn

The first pruning can be done only 2-3 years after planting in open ground. This period will allow the young plant to grow stronger and gain weight. After this time, it will be possible to begin to form the crown according to the intended image.

Video: pruning Cossack juniper in autumn or spring

When to prune junipers - fall or spring

Junipers can be pruned during the spring months as well as before the first winter drops in temperature. In autumn, it is recommended to remove excess juniper shoots not earlier than September-October. But you should not delay until the first frost.

Important! The minimum temperature for pruning juniper in the fall is +4 C.

Lower air degrees adversely affect the healing of fresh cuts - they do not heal and are a smart option for wintering pests and diseases.

Timing of pruning juniper in autumn and spring

Spring pruning occurs in early to mid April, and autumn juniper pruning in September until late October.

How to prune junipers in the fall

The event is only required clean, sharpened and disinfected instruments.

The bush adds no more than 10 cm per year. Therefore, it is required to cut off no more than 15-20% of the mass that has grown over the past period.

You need to prune only with protective gloves... Juniper poisonous, secretes juice on the cut, which can burn the skin of the hands.

Pruning should be done according to the rules - better less than more. If the pruning has led to the thoughtless removal of growth buds, then the shrub can stop its growth completely.

1. You need to trim so that the slope is 45 degrees per kidney.
2. If you cut it lower than required, then the wound on the tree will heal for a long time. This will provoke abnormal growth of the kidney - it can either give a small increase or completely die out (dry out).
3. If the shoot looks up, then it is cut so that the final bud is that looks away from the center of the plant (outer bud). In the case of a lowered branch, the pruning is done, on the contrary, to the inner bud.
4. When removing branches, a small stump should be left - no more than 2 cm. It will block the upper bud from dying tissues, giving it the opportunity to start growing.

Top dressing and fertilization of juniper after autumn pruning

Important! After pruning the juniper in the fall, you need to monitor its condition. It is recommended to apply special mineral fertilizers. Stimulants-adaptogens are best suited for raising immunity. They stimulate the growth of the root system and strengthen the tree as a whole.

High-quality pruning will form not only a beautiful decorative garden decoration, but also a healthy plant with high immunity and without pests.

Video: how to prune juniper topiary in autumn or spring

How to save a juniper in winter: features and methods of conservation

The juniper is frost-hardy enough, you can not cover it for the winter. But if the bush is specially formed, then under the layer of snow the formed figures can disintegrate - the branches spread out, break off under the mass of the white blanket.

Note! Youngsters up to 3 years old should also be sheltered. It is not recommended to overwrap it. It is better to pile on top of a snowdrift of spruce branches.

Some plant species may be sensitive to temperature changes during the spring. Warm weather and a sharp drop in air degrees negatively affect the color tone of the plant.

The color of juniper twigs when exposed to cold air becomes brown with a yellow tint. This indicates the dying off of the branch, which, accordingly, affects the loss of the decorative form, given over a long period.

For this purpose, the bush is covered in the last days of autumn. To shelter a juniper for the winter, the following methods are used:

1. Snow Is the best way to hide. When the snow begins to fall, the structure tied with ropes must be covered with a snowdrift. The latter should be crumbly, in no case should the branches and trunk be injured.
2. Pine needles- if the plant is miniature, it can be completely covered with heaped spruce branches. If the tree is large, then spruce branches are tied to the branches.
3. Burlap or non-woven fabric (agrofibre)- the entire crown is wrapped with material so that the bottom of the tree remains open. It is impossible to wrap up with a film - all branches will rot, the shrub can get sick.
4. Screen used- it is installed on the side where there is most of the sunlight. Reflecting from it, the rays will warm the crown.

Young cuttings are closed in exactly this way or, if possible, are brought into greenhouse conditions. In regions where the subzero temperature drops to -300 C and more, the juniper must be insulated with the densest material in two layers, first the pots, and then the upper part of the crown.

Video: preparation and shelter of a juniper in the winter

What are the features of preparing juniper for winter in different regions

In the Volga region, junipers often suffer from sunburn. They are not so afraid of frost in this region as the bright sun in the first days of spring. For this purpose, the plant should be sheltered at the end of autumn.

For wrapping, any material that can be found at hand is taken: old burlap, cotton fabric, tulle, insect net. The selected material is attached to the branches of the tree, wrapping it in a circle. Do not squeeze tightly, you need the plant to breathe. A rope should be wound from above so that the shelter does not fall off.

By the way! Large trees are somewhat more difficult to cover. But this must be done at least from the side where there is most of the sunlight. Otherwise, you can lose a separate section of the crown.

In the suburbs, as well as in Siberia and the Urals juniper winters well. Before strong subzero temperatures, you need to pull off all branches with a rope. If this is not done, you can lose some of the branches due to the strong gravity under the snow drifts.

In these regions, a large amount of snow falls, and as you know, a white overflow is the best covering material. If the shrub is small, then it can be buried under a large snowdrift by throwing a large volume onto the plant.

In the spring, the natural covering material will melt on its own, and the roots will absorb all the moisture after a long winter.

Thus, it is worth covering the juniper in winter if the seedlings are still very small. In addition, it is recommended to use the shelter in regions with little snowfall and piercing winds.

Common mistakes in caring for junipers in autumn and in preparation for winter

Important! It takes a lot of effort to grow a juniper, but even more patience and control over the condition of the plant is needed, so as not to make mistakes in care in the fall and in preparation for winter.

Gardeners are constantly adding to the list of mistakes. If you try to prevent these incidents, the plant will grow healthy and strong:

1. Incorrect, excessively abundant watering of the juniper- Frequent irrigation of the plant leads to waterlogging of the soil. This process affects the health of the root system, it begins to rot, which negatively affects the entire tree.
2. Nitrogen fertilization at the end of autumn- feeding should be done no later than the end of September. This is necessary so that all the nutrients are absorbed by the root system, but do not have time to be distributed throughout the tree until the moment of retirement. Otherwise, feeding with nitrogen provokes the activation of the growth of young animals, which leads to freezing of part of the crown of the shrub.
3. Incorrect cropping leads to a halt in the growth and development of the tree.
4. Shelter of juniper for the winter with polyethylene- if a decision is made to cover it, it is better with burlap or a thick layer of paper. Oilcloth contributes to the formation of condensation inside the space, which provokes increased humidity and the acquisition of a fungal disease.
5. In no case you can not feed the juniper with chicken droppings or mullein... Such fertilization will negatively affect the plant, predetermining its death.
6. Sections should not be covered with garden pitch., the slices should tighten on their own.

To get a beautiful juniper tree, you should follow simple rules for caring for it in the fall and in preparation for winter. Otherwise, a wild-growing bush may turn out from the plant.

Having bought a juniper in the fall, many doubt whether it can be planted for the winter? Until November, you can safely plant it in open ground, provided that your seedling has a good root system. The rooting process will end in early spring. In general, it is better to plant in the spring, especially if it is a small specimen, so that it can get stronger before the onset of winter. Planting junipers in autumn is no different from planting in spring. We have already described how to plant a juniper in the article "Juniper, its planting and care." A seedling planted in the fall can winter well and die in the spring. This means that you either injured the root system, or violated the earthen lump and the roots dried up in the spring. When planting conifers in your garden, consider what they will be in 5-10 years. Conifers grow slowly, especially the first three years, but still, do not plant them very close to each other.

Autumn feeding of junipers

Winter is a dormant period. You can feed the junipers in the fall with special fertilizers for conifers. But first, the obligatory spillage of water, then add the granules, loosen and shed again. You can simply feed it with potassium, as it helps the plant to hibernate properly.

Needle burn

Needle burns occur due to the fact that the roots of plants do not yet "work" in cold soil and the plant does not receive the required amount of moisture, and the spring sun's rays, and just the spring air makes the moisture that was saved in the plants due to snow or covering material.

When a plant is freed from snow or covering material, it very quickly loses moisture and dries up. And, if you do not keep track, the plant may die, so do not remove the shading devices and it would be good to spray the plant with water. You can remove or remove protective materials, approximately, when the buds of conifers growing in free nature begin to hatch (be guided by them). Junipers respond very well to sanitization. In the spring, after internal pruning and cleaning of the needles, they begin to regenerate their needles and form twigs from awakened buds.

Shelter of junipers for the winter

Junipers in winter, as a rule, do not freeze out even at low temperatures and even in Siberia and even more so in the Moscow region. They must be prepared for winter in advance. Very often they ask such questions as to plant a juniper, when is it better to plant, whether it is necessary to cover for the winter and how to cover correctly.

As a guide to action, accept the fact that all small seedlings must be closed in the first three years. But don't wrap too tightly. It will be enough to cover it with spruce branches. An overly wrapped juniper will not winter well.

So that in early spring your conifers do not burn in the sun, as a result of which the needles turn yellow, in late autumn cover them with gauze in two layers. Spunbond accumulates heat too much, especially in late January and early February, when the earth is still frozen and the sun is already quite strong and long-lasting. Spunbond takes up a lot of heat, but gives off little. As a result, the plant suffers from overheating. Gauze is devoid of this drawback. But you don't need to cover the top so that the juniper can breathe in its shelter. Can be covered from the sun with special shade screens. If, nevertheless, the needles turned yellow, but the buds remained alive, then the young needles will gradually cover the burnt place. But if the buds have died, then the branches must be cut off to healthy wood and the cuts must be covered with garden pitch. A good result is given by spraying the needles in the spring with micronutrient fertilizers. Such species as Cossack juniper and Chinese, do not burn in the sun and are frost-resistant.

It is in the first three years of their life that frost-resistant qualities are formed in conifers. With age, the frost resistance index only increases.
In winter, the crown of a juniper can disintegrate under the weight of snow, and individual branches can even break. Therefore, do not forget to tie vertical forms (such as rocky juniper) with twine for the winter so that the winter snow does not break off the branches. You don't need to do this for horizontal views. As a rule, careful preparation for winter gives good results.

Use junipers of different varieties and shapes in your landscape design. They are incredibly decorative, and not only in summer, but also look no less attractive under a cap of snow. Planting and growing them is not at all difficult.

Planting and caring for junipers in the open field is subject to even novice gardeners. This unpretentious coniferous plant can become a real decoration of the landscape. It forms a beautiful, elongated crown and is well suited for creating hedges and shrubs of unusual shapes. In this material, we will figure out how to grow a juniper in your summer cottage and take care of it at different times of the year.

When to plant junipers outdoors

After buying the seedlings of the variety you like, you should decide when to plant junipers in open ground:

• Varieties with an open root system can only be planted in spring, after the snow has completely melted. The most successful periods for this are April and early May. It is at this time that the seedlings adapt best to weather conditions and take root in a new place.
• Junipers with a closed root system can be planted in open ground in spring or autumn, but no later than November, so that the plant does not die and has time to adapt.

Besides beauty and durability, juniper also has medicinal properties. Its essential oils rid the air of microbes and impurities, fill the garden with a pleasant pine scent.

Junipers are usually planted in spring when the climate is warm and humid enough for the seedlings to adapt properly. In the summer it is not recommended to plant it because of the bright sun and heat, in the fall - because of the proximity of cold weather.

What is needed when landing

Planting junipers in the open field does not cause great difficulties for gardeners, but it also needs to be done wisely. In order for the plant to grow actively and form a beautiful crown, it is required to plant it in suitable soil and organize proper watering.

An important step is the choice of a suitable variety and type of seedling. All garden junipers are subdivided into treelike and squat. The first species grows upward and forms a conical shape, like other conifers. The second type tends to the ground and scatters branches in breadth. It is customary to use it to decorate flower beds, garden paths and lawns.

Juniper seedlings are best purchased in a pot, since drying the roots can lead to the death of the plant. It is removed from the pot only just before the planting process.

An important point is the choice of the location and location of future plantings. Juniper seedlings are usually placed at a distance of 0.5 - 2 meters from each other.

The planting density depends on the landscape solution and the type of shrub.

You can make a coniferous hedge from juniper on the site - for this, the plants need to be planted in a row at a short distance from each other. In this case, it is worth choosing such varieties of shrubs so that they have a similar shape, diameter and growth line

Soil preparation

Junipers prefer loamy or sandy loam soil that contains sufficient moisture and minerals. In our country, few summer cottages have a suitable soil composition for conifers, therefore, for seedlings, gardeners recommend mixing the soil in the planting pit.

A good composition of the earth for planting juniper in the proportions:

• 2 pieces of garden land
• 2 parts of coniferous soil (humus of coniferous plants with needles and roots)
• 2 parts of peat soil
• 1 part sand

Before planting, you need to provide drainage for the seedlings by pouring some sand or crushed brick into the pit. Stagnant water is detrimental to conifers, therefore, special attention should be paid to its diversion during planting. You should also take care of protecting the roots from fungus and pests. For this, special antimicrobial and antifungal compounds are added to the soil.

The juniper must be planted very carefully in the ground so as not to damage the root system of the young seedling. At the same time, care should be taken to ensure that the roots do not dry out in the sun during the process.

The size of the pit for planting a juniper depends on the dimensions of the root system of an adult plant. For example, for large types of shrubs, you will need to dig a hole of at least 0.5x1 m

Fertilizer

In order for juniper seedlings to take root, it is worth using fertilizers even during planting, which will help enrich the soil with useful substances and preserve the roots of the plant. It is also advisable to add 150 g of Kemira-wagon and 300 g of nitrophoska to the mixture, as well as epin after planting under each seedling.

Ready-made juniper fertilizers can be purchased at garden stores.

Their compositions are specially selected for growing coniferous plantations at their summer cottage. They have the necessary supply of trace elements and minerals.

To grow a shrub with a dense and beautiful crown, it is recommended to fertilize the soil with minerals even during planting. It is definitely worth adding antifungal compounds and pest control agents to the soil.

Watering

After planting seedlings, they must be watered abundantly. In this case, the soil may settle a little, since during the watering process it will fill the voids between the roots of the shrub.

Watering abundantly after planting will also help the seedlings absorb moisture and adapt more quickly to new conditions.

Abundant watering after planting seedlings promotes better soil shrinkage and allows you to correct the plant if it is crooked. Watering is carried out using a hose or a regular watering can

Juniper care

Correct and timely care of a juniper is a guarantee of its beauty and good growth. It consists of a few simple activities that can become part of a suburban routine. Let's figure out how to care for young and adult plants at different times of the year.

Caring for conifers includes watering, pruning, feeding and sheltering them during the winter. Only with complex care will the juniper grow properly and maintain its beauty for many years.

How to keep a plant in winter

Before the beginning of winter, the juniper should be prepared for snow and frost in order to keep the plant looking good and protect it from damage. Under the weight of the snow, the formed crown of a juniper can twist or break. Therefore, in the fall, the plant must be tied in such a way that the branches fit snugly against each other.

Juniper strapping is needed in order to maintain the shape of the plant during the cold season, when its branches can disintegrate under the mass of snow. Thus, you need to tie all coniferous shrubs for the winter.

Some types of junipers are susceptible to temperature extremes and sunlight. From the direct sun, their branches turn yellow and the plant takes on an untidy appearance. These varieties are best planted in the shade or sheltered for winter and spring.

Young plants should be covered for the winter. This can be done using ordinary spruce branches, tying it together with juniper branches. The following materials are also suitable for sheltering a plant:

• sackcloth;
• kraft paper or regular newspapers;
• nonwovens (spunbond, lutrasil, agrospan and others).

Covering material must be breathable and well ventilated during winter. If the shelter does not allow air to pass through, the crown and roots can rot or become a "wintering place" for garden pests.

Plant shelter material can be purchased at garden stores. Such "cases" for conifers are selected according to the size of the plant and are very easy to attach to the bush.

Pruning

Most varieties of juniper form a beautiful natural crown on their own, while only ugly or damaged branches are pruned. Constant pruning of shoots is required only if you want to create an even hedge from the juniper or give it an unusual shape.

To create various topiary and hedges from juniper plantings, local rather than exotic varieties of this plant are best suited. They will most easily tolerate acclimatization and regular pruning of protruding branches.

Many juniper varieties tolerate pruning well regardless of the season. In the process, care must be taken not to damage the young shoots and not leave bare branches after pruning.

Pruning should be done twice a year in order to give the plant a neat look and rid it of the mass of dried branches. With proper care, some types of juniper may not be trimmed for a long time.

To give an unusual shape to the bushes, you can purchase a special frame for the topiary, which is put on the seedling and forms the crown during the growth of the juniper. However, this method is suitable for growing only a few varieties of shrubs.

Fertilizer

Timely and correct feeding of conifers has a positive effect on the growth of new shoots and helps maintain a healthy crown color. You need to fertilize the juniper in the first few years after planting, and then reduce the number of dressings to one or two per year. Usually feeding is done in the spring, after the snow melts.

The plant can be fed with mineral fertilizers, superphosphate, nitroammophos. For full nutrition of the juniper, it is better to purchase a special fertilizer for conifers. It contains and balances all the useful elements and minerals for a young plant. When choosing a fertilizer, it is worth making sure that it does not contain a lot of nitrogen - this substance provokes the rapid growth of the plant, but can lead to premature drying of young branches and decay of the roots.

Juniper is good for foliar feeding with micronutrient fertilizers. In dry seasons, as well as in the fall, before the onset of frost, it is necessary to water abundantly, but rarely, an adult plant. This will allow it to accumulate moisture and make it easier to survive bad weather conditions.

Watering

Adult junipers do not require abundant watering and are more likely to suffer from an excess of moisture than from a lack of it. On average, the shrub is watered abundantly 1-2 times a month. This amount of moisture is quite enough for the normal growth and development of the juniper, accustomed to the hot subtropical climate.

It is necessary to spray the plant in the morning or in the evening so that direct sunlight does not damage the wet branches, being reflected in the water droplets. Thanks to regular spraying, the juniper will not need moisture and frequent watering.

To maintain a comfortable environment for your juniper, you can install a sprinkler system nearby. You need to turn it on once a week for a short time.

Possible diseases and treatments

Junipers are susceptible to fungal diseases that damage the crown and can lead to the death of the plant.

Most often, the plant gets sick with improper care in the spring and winter, if the soil is waterlogged or the plant suffers from exposure to the bright sun.

Also, a dense planting and improper arrangement of shrubs can become the cause of the appearance of diseases.

The most common fungal diseases of juniper are:

• Fusarium - the fungus develops in the trunk of a juniper and affects first the internal parts, and then all the needles. At the first signs of the disease, it is treated with phytosporin-M, alirin-B, gamair.
• "Rust" - the appearance of local spots of a bright red bloom on the trunk or branches of a bush. It is treated with antifungal drugs.
• Shütte - in the spring the needles turn yellow and are first covered with gray and then black-brown bloom. It is treated by spraying the plant with a 1% Bordeaux mixture.

As a prophylaxis of fungal infection, before planting, the root system of plants should be treated with one of the following fungicidal preparations: "Vitaros", "Baktofit", "Fitosporin-M" or "Maxim"

If diseases appear, the damaged plant branches should be removed and the cut sites should be disinfected with copper sulfate. The soil under the plants is spilled with a solution of the drug "Alirin-B" or "Gamair", and the plant itself can be sprayed with a solution of "Fundazol".

Juniper rust is one of the most noticeable and dangerous diseases for the coniferous plant. Often, infection occurs from nearby fruit trees and shrubs. To cure the plant from rust, spraying with Arcerid solution is used.

Pests: methods of struggle

Conifers suffer greatly from insect pests, after their "invasion" the juniper loses its beauty and takes a long time to recover. The main pests of the plant are:

• Sawfly
• Juniper Scale
• Needle tick

To completely cure a plant from pests, you must first of all determine the type of insects. For each of them, there are special insecticides that effectively attack pests and do not spoil the plant.

Sawflies are the real enemy of conifers. Caterpillars of this insect multiply very quickly on the crown of a juniper and grind its needles into dust. When they appear, you need to act quickly and immediately treat the shrub with insecticides

• Do not neglect the preventive treatment of plant roots before planting - this will help get rid of diseases and pests in the future;
• In advance, choose a well-lit and spacious place for planting junipers;
• When choosing seedlings, consider the size and shape of an adult plant of this variety;
• In order not to forget about watering and pruning the plant - record the dates in a calendar or notebook.

Beautiful and healthy junipers can become a real decoration of the garden, if you regularly monitor their condition and do not forget to take care of the plant at any time of the year.

Juniper is one of the most unpretentious and useful garden shrubs. It is able to give the landscape a luxurious look, make the air cleaner, and make your stay in the country more comfortable. Relying on our advice, you can easily grow this plant on your site.

Now it has become popular to grow evergreen trees on your backyard. They not only decorate the courtyard in summer and winter, but also create a kind of coziness in the backyard area. The main point when caring for a juniper is preparing it for wintering. If some recommendations are followed, the shrub will successfully overwinter and in the spring will cast rich greens, and not a yellow-brown tint.

Juniper characteristic

Juniper is a coniferous evergreen plant in the form of a tree or shrub, belonging to the gymnosperm family, Cypress. The height of a juniper, depending on the species and growing conditions, can reach 15 meters. The root system is deep, mostly pivotal, not branched. Depending on the type of juniper - bushy or in the form of a tree, its crown can be: flat; conical; creeping; pyramidal; spherical. The male juniper blooms in the form of earrings, consisting of 3-4 stamens, and the female one - in the form of oval green earrings. The appearance of flowers occurs in late May-June, and the appearance of fruits in August. Juniper fruits are small-sized cones, most often blue-gray in color and possessing a number of medicinal properties. The needles of this plant are predominantly blue in color, long with pointed ends, directed to one side, or scaly.

Why cover your juniper for the winter

Almost all coniferous plantations, from trees to low-growing shrubs, are unpretentious and frost-resistant. Both thuja and spruce attract the attention of gardeners not only with their beautiful appearance, but also with resistance to diseases, pests, and also exude a wonderful coniferous aroma. In addition, they are excellent antiseptics.

For the love of the decorative type of plant, it is planted along alleys, near administrative buildings, as well as in parks and gardens. But, despite such positive characteristics, conifers need shelter for the winter. Namely, young seedlings that are not yet 3-4 years old are considered weak and need protection. There are two aspects that are detrimental to evergreen crops:

• strong frosty wind;
• spring sunbeams reflecting from snow.

Why exactly wind and sunlight? The fact is that the winter wind causes severe dryness of the branches, and from the lack of moisture they freeze, break off and die off. If you watched a beautiful spruce tree with a withered outgrowth and yellowed needles, then you should know that this was due to the cold and strong wind. If the needles of trees are able to withstand severe frost, then it does not like the wind.

Everyone knows that the thaw at the end of February and March is characterized by a bright sun, the rays of which are reflected on the white snow. At this time, sap flow has not yet begun, and the bushes are still weak and vulnerable. Then pine needles and green thuja legs under bright light can get sunburn.

Watering and spraying juniper in autumn

Watering - the shrub requires little or no watering. If it turned out to be a hot end of summer, smoothly turning into a velvet autumn, then irrigation with water should be carried out no more than 1 time in 2 weeks. In case of rainy and cool summers, additional watering is not required.

Spraying is the only moment that juniper favors. The event is best done before the first hours of the morning or after sunset. This is necessary so that the bright rays do not burn the delicate twigs.

Juniper pruning in autumn

The plant tolerates the pruning process very well. It is necessary to cut carefully, since the period of recovery and growth takes a long time. From shrubs, you can form a crown of any kind, a ball, a cone, a pyramid, and when growing a tree, you just need to cut off damaged, dried branches.

Juniper protection from diseases and pests

Rust brings junipers the most trouble. The disease is signaled by the appearance of swellings with yellowish gelatinous or mucous secretions of fungi. Sick branches are removed, and the bush is sprayed with a solution of the drug Abiga-peak (50 g per 10 l of water), 4 times with an interval of 10 days.

Of the pests, various types of aphids are especially annoying. Fitoverm is used against it (20 g per 10 l of water): double treatment with an interval of 10-14 days. Against the juniper miner moth effectively double, after 10-14 days, spraying with decis pro (0.5 g per 10 l of water). They fight spider mites using the drug fufanon (15 ml per 10 liters of water). They also treat a bush that has been badly damaged by the sawfly. You can find out about the appearance of this pest by discovering that the branches have become fragile, and inside are hollow.

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Juniper shelter for the winter

• Tying branches. The crown must not be pulled tightly with a rope to prevent the branches from breaking off and freezing.

• Shelter organization. For a winter shelter, you can use burlap, a shading net or polypropylene sheets. In this case, you should not strive to wrap the plant completely, the only task is to protect it as much as possible from sunburn. But polyethylene and other "non-breathing" materials should not be used for this - fungi will actively multiply under them, which can lead to the death of the plant.

It is necessary to remove the shelter carefully so as not to damage the fragile, after hibernation, juniper. This is best done at the end of April, when the ground has already warmed up slightly and the root system begins to receive nutrition. A cloudy, windless day is chosen so that the plant gradually adapts to changing conditions.

Why does the juniper die

Sometimes a planted plant, after a successful wintering, suddenly dies in the spring. There can be several reasons for this phenomenon:

• the seedling was too old. Such plants do not tolerate transplantation very well, since the roots are inevitably injured, the restoration of which takes a very long time. Most often, the juniper fails to restore the root system and it dies. This is especially characteristic of the common juniper, while the creeping species are less capricious in this respect;
• lack of moisture. In winter, the stomata of the tree are closed, thereby reducing moisture evaporation. When spring comes and the air temperature rises, the stomata open, moisture evaporates more actively and the plant begins to miss it. The juniper cannot get water from the ground in sufficient quantities, since during the winter the soil was frozen, and therefore the plant dies. To avoid this problem, it is recommended to preserve the original earthen lump of the plant as much as possible when planting in open ground;
• Cold winter. Despite the fact that the juniper is a fairly frost-resistant plant, young seedlings in the first few years are very sensitive to the cold and need serious shelter for the winter period. The crown is tied and covered with a suitable material, and the soil must be mulched.

The indisputable advantage of the juniper is its excellent decorative properties and absolute undemandingness to growing conditions. However, despite the vitality and unpretentiousness of this shrub, some stages of caring for it should not be ignored. So, even before planting a plant on a site, you must definitely familiarize yourself with the technology of its fertilization.

The normal growth and development of a coniferous shrub is ensured by a sufficient content in the soil of the following micro- and macroelements:

• magnesium;
• potassium;
• iron;
• copper;
• manganese;
• zinc;
• phosphorus.

The listed components of the juniper's diet are necessary for him to maintain the rich color of the needles, ensure resistance to various diseases and pests, and increase the defenses of the plant. Magnesium is especially important for shrubs: it is on it that the quality of photosynthesis processes in the ground part of the plant depends, and without potassium, phosphorus and boron, junipers find it difficult to survive the cold.

Fertilizers and feeding

Young juniper bushes are fed annually, starting from 2 years after planting them in open ground. Adult plants require less feeding - once every 2-3 years. Additional nutrition for shrubs is provided by the introduction of various types of fertilizers.

Organic

Organic matter for junipers begins to be applied even before the seedlings are planted in a permanent place. When preparing the planting pit for better rooting of plants, peat, turf and humus are added to the substrate in equal proportions. This nutrient mixture will help feed the bushes throughout the growing season. If the land on the site is heavy (clayey), loose coniferous soil collected in the forest under pines or spruces is added to the soil mixture.

You can not feed the juniper with infusions of mullein or bird droppings: these compositions, even if used as carefully as possible, burn the root system, which subsequently leads to the death of the bushes.

Natural organic matter (manure of all types) is something that you can use to fertilize juniper only in spring and only in exceptional cases. This type of dressing is not particularly useful for conifers, as it is an excellent source of nitrogen, the need for which is minimal in evergreen shrubs. An organic mixture suitable for conifers is biohumus. Junipers respond well to such feeding, since the use of biological compounds activates photosynthesis and stimulates the processes of growing the root system.

Top dressing of the plants in question is carried out by irrigation with aqueous solutions of humus, prepared according to the instructions. It is not recommended to add such formulations in dry form, since most of their beneficial properties are lost under the influence of sunlight.

Mineral fertilizers

As a mineral supplement for the growth and development of juniper, nitroammofoska is used. It is laid in planting pits (at the rate of 200-300 g per 1 plant), and then young bushes are fertilized with this drug annually (40 g of the drug per planting unit). A single application of nitroammophoska to a juniper will be enough for good nutrition throughout the season. However, if the shrub is planted in soil depleted in nutrients, it is recommended to feed it during the entire growing season. In this case, fertilizers are applied monthly.

By the fall, juniper bushes deplete magnesium reserves in the soil, if you do not apply fertilizers containing this chemical element under them. The attractive appearance of the crown will be spoiled by yellowing of the needles at the tops of the shoots.

Complex means

Balanced nutrition of young plants is provided with complex organo-mineral fertilizers. They are brought in in April-May and do it 1 time for the entire growing season. In caring for conifers, the following preparations have proven themselves well:

1. Needle is a complex top dressing, suitable for spring or summer application, as it contains a large amount of nitrogen - 13%. The composition for irrigation is prepared by diluting 20 g of the preparation in 20 liters of water. The resulting solution is plentifully watered shrubs during the active growing season.
2. Kemira-M is a universal fertilizing agent with a balanced composition that includes all important micro and macro elements. Suitable for application to the soil before planting junipers (30-40 g of the drug for each bush) and for fertilization during the growing season (60 g of the drug is applied to the soil for each plant).
3. Fertile universal fertilizer for spring feeding of conifers. Promotes active crown growth. It can be used at the planting stage - 100-200 g of the drug is added to the pits for shrubs for each plant. The planted juniper bushes are fed with a solution of 30 g of the product in 10 liters of water.
4. Green Needle is a fertilizer containing high percentages of magnesium and sulfur. Provides a rich color to the needles. Its use is especially effective if the needles of the juniper begin to turn yellow. The application is carried out by distributing the granules in the soil under the plantings at the rate of 50 g of the preparation per 1 bush.

Most shrubs are fed with complex preparations, introducing them into the soil in a dry form or watering the plants with prepared aqueous solutions of fertilizers. For junipers, another method of feeding is relevant - spraying the ground part of the bush with complex preparations dissolved in water. For this procedure, the same Kemira-M or other similar means are suitable.

Homemade dressing

The enrichment of the soil under the juniper bushes with nutrients is facilitated by such a measure as mulching the tree trunks. Mulch is prepared from hay, straw, humus, grinding all of the above to a free-flowing fraction. The resulting material is laid out under the bushes in a layer 5-10 cm thick. The mulch is changed after each loosening and weeding of weeds.

Benefits of mulching:

• mulch, when properly prepared, maintains an optimal level of soil acidity;
• important micro- and macroelements are washed out and eroded more slowly from the mulched substrate;
• mulch promotes the development of a special microflora in the soil, which helps plants to get more nutrients from water and soil;
• mulching helps control weeds that take food away from shrubs.

With the onset of spring, the mulch is moved away from the trunks so that the high humidity under it does not provoke rotting of the bark and other diseases.

During the growing season, junipers can also be fed with rotted compost made from grass or kitchen waste. The agent is sprinkled on the previously loosened soil under the bushes so that a 10-centimeter layer of the nutrient mixture forms in the near-trunk circle. The soil and fertilizer can be slightly mixed so that the nutrients quickly penetrate to the roots.

Rules for the use of fertilizers for juniper

The main nuances that should be taken into account when fertilizing procedures:

1. The first feeding with the nutrient mixture is carried out during the swelling of the buds on the bushes (depending on weather conditions - from late April to early June). The need for follow-up is judged by the rate of development of the juniper. If they notice that the bush has begun to grow slowly, weak shoots have appeared on it, the color of the needles has faded - the feeding is repeated. During the summer, fertilizers can be applied repeatedly, it is only important to observe the frequency - no more than 1 time in 4-5 weeks.
2. When choosing a fertilizer, preference is given to those preparations that contain a minimum amount of nitrogen, especially if they are used for autumn feeding of bushes. Nitrogen can burn the roots of the plant, as well as provoke increased growth of shoots, which easily freeze out in winter, since they do not have time to turn numb before the onset of cold weather.
3. Any fertilizer should be used strictly following the instructions for its use. Deviations from the recommended dosages and timing of application can adversely affect the further growth and development of the juniper.
4. The preparations introduced into the soil in the form of granules are evenly distributed in the near-stem circle under each bush, retreating from the trunks at least 10 cm.Do not deepen the fertilizer too much into the soil or, conversely, leave it near the surface, otherwise the juniper root system will not be able to reach to the nutrition she needs.
5. Top dressing will be most effective if accompanied by abundant watering of the shrubs. Water-soluble nutrients penetrate the roots faster and are better absorbed by plants.

Common fertilization errors

Juniper does not require much attention, expressed in frequent and complex feeding, however, it is quite easy to make a mistake when organizing food for this shrub.

The very first mistake many gardeners make even at the stage of selecting planting material, paying attention only to the decorative characteristics of a particular variety of juniper and not taking into account the key requirements for the conditions of its cultivation. Most types of juniper prefer acidic soils, but there are also varieties that grow well and develop in soil with an alkaline reaction (these include common, Central Asian and Cossack junipers).

Cossack juniper is a poisonous plant, it is better to refuse to grow it if there are children or pets on the site.

To create an acidic environment for the shrubs, peat is added to the soil before the junipers are planted with the addition of sand, and the ground under the planted plant is mulched with sawdust or wood shavings. To increase the alkalinity of the soil, the planting pits are filled with earth with the addition of slaked lime or dolomite flour.

Another common mistake is non-compliance with the recommended dosages and timing of fertilization. "Overfeeding" is especially dangerous for plants. Junipers generally need very little additional nutrition. There are several reasons for this:

• the culture does not shed its leaves for the winter, therefore, does not need "building material" for the annual restoration of the crown;
• the bush does not produce a crop, which means it does not spend a large amount of nutrients on its formation;
• Coniferous plants are able to independently obtain the necessary nitrogen from the air.

To avoid problems caused by improper feeding, you should strictly and carefully observe the dosage of drugs indicated in the instructions, as well as their compatibility and application schedules.

Competent care of the juniper allows not only to maintain the natural attractiveness of this unpretentious shrub, but also prolongs the life of the plant for many years. An obligatory component of this approach is the timely provision of the necessary nutrition to juniper bushes: correctly applied fertilizers strengthen the immune and root systems, preserving the health of the plants.

And today, let's look at the topic of caring for this shrub, which has a lot of useful properties.

This evergreen plant has many varieties, ranging from shrubs creeping on the ground 20 cm high and ending with tall trees up to 15-20 m in height.

Regardless of their type, they have one thing in common: they are all fairly unpretentious plants and do not require much time to care. Only the planting process, as well as caring for a young plant, is laborious. If you have purchased a plant that is more than 3 years old, care is minimized. You just need to choose the right place and transplant it correctly.

Pick-up location

Junipers grow well in bright sun, but they can grow quite quickly in the shade. Some varieties are even better planted in the shade - these are those that can lose their bright green color in the sun and turn light green or, in some cases, yellowish. Therefore, before buying, first consult with the nursery staff, where you are going to purchase your plant, if this type of juniper is shade-loving.

Depending on the species or variety, it is necessary to allocate an appropriate area for it, and for creeping species, arrange the shoots more than 2-3 m from each other. Since the shrub grows very slowly - 10-15 cm per year, for tens of years, annual flowers and plants can be planted between them so that your flower bed does not look empty. Large stones at the base look great next to the juniper.

Watering

It is a very hardy plant and, depending on the variety, can withstand both extreme frosts and very hot weather. They survive well even in dry climates without frequent rainfall.

On cold days, adult plants do not need to be watered often - 2-3 times per summer is enough. But junipers are very fond of spraying, and you can do it even every day, but preferably in the evening. Water rinses the needles and cleans the stomata - the breathing holes, and after this spraying, the plant begins to emit its smell more strongly.

As we mentioned, ephedra grows very slowly, however, the growth rate can be regulated by better watering and feeding conditions. If you want to grow a young plant faster, water it abundantly on hot days at least once a week. In general, after planting in the first year, do not allow the soil under the sprout to dry out in any weather. By the way, the first years also require shelter for the winter.

Juniper care

Weeding and mulching. Like any plant, this ephedra requires weeding, otherwise grasses and weeds will ruin the appearance of your bush. In order not to waste time pulling the weeds, mulch around the bush: pour pine bark or sawdust from pine cones and needles 5-8 cm thick around it. If the soil is loose enough, you can fill in gravel or pebbles.

Top dressing. Every spring, for better growth, the plant is fertilized once with a nitroammophos. This is quite enough for feeding.

Wintering. Almost all species are frost-resistant, so there is no need to cover them for the winter. Vertical spreading trees are tied so that the branches do not break from the snow. But if the winters are not snowy, this is not necessary.

Junipers completely cover for the winter not from frost, but from the bright winter sun, which has a bad effect on the needles. The period from mid-January to February is especially dangerous. Under the bright sun in winter, the needles begin to turn brown and dry, which can lead to the death of a whole plant. Therefore, if you do not want to lose the bright color of your pet, wrap the whole juniper in breathable material. Do not use plastic films.

The situation is different with young, freshly planted plants. The first two years after transplantation into open ground, young growth is simply necessary to cover. For safety net in areas with severe winters, it is necessary to cover the plant for the winter up to four years after transplantation.

For the fortress, you need to tie a young sprout with a ribbon, additionally build a frame over it from sticks and stretch the burlap in two layers.

It is necessary to carefully remove the winter cover from adult plants and young animals. Wait until the ground thaws to the depth of the shovel and remove the material not immediately, but within 3-4 days, so as not to "blind" the needles with a sharp change in illumination, making it possible to move away from the sleep mode.

With proper planting and caring for junipers, you will receive strong and fast-growing shrubs and trees in gratitude. In addition, almost all species have useful properties, which you can read about in our other.

Juniper- a perennial plant with soft beautiful needles, which is valued not only for its decorative appearance, but also for its medicinal qualities.

Variety of species allows you to choose the most suitable for each gardener. Unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention adds advantages to the desire to grow one of the oldest plants of the cypress family.

To obtain beautiful healthy plant, it must be planted by choosing the right place, soil and planting time.

Landing in open ground

Planting a juniper in open ground requires observance of all the nuances - the correct choice of time and place of planting, soil and planting material.

Boarding time

The most best disembarkation time juniper in open ground - early spring.

Moreover, you do not need to wait for warm weather, the plant can be planted immediately after the snow thaws.

In a later spring period, young growth can also be planted, but there is a danger burning needles.

When planting a juniper in the autumn, there is a possibility that the plant will not have time to take root and acclimatize.

A plant purchased with a closed root system can be planted Anytime even in the hot summer months. True, shading is required from the rays of the sun in the daytime.

Seat selection

Juniper grows well only in open, sunny places. Sunlight access it should be during the whole day. Some shading is allowed only when growing common juniper, but also to a small extent.

From lighting intensity the decorativeness of plants, the density of branches and needles depends. In a juniper growing in the shade, the branches will grow little, they will be randomly, forming a shapeless loose mass. The variegated needles will lose their original color scheme.

Soil for planting

Soil reaction depends on the type of plant. Alkaline is necessary for ordinary, Central Asian and Cossack junipers. To obtain such a reaction, dolomite flour or slaked lime is introduced into the soil.

The rest of the species prefer sour reaction... This is achieved by introducing peat and sand into the soil, mulching using wood chips and peat.

Siberian juniper requires sandy and sandy loam soil, Virginia - clay soil, into which it is desirable to add compost.

Into the landing hole you need to add drainage from broken bricks, pebbles and sand. The thickness of the drainage layer is about 15-25 cm.

Planting material

The best thing plant young plants growing in containers up to 5 liters. They are easier to plant and take root. Especially if the root system is closed(i.e. the plant is placed in the ground together with a clod of earth).

For planting large plants some experience and skill is needed. Such seedlings are grown in the ground, before being sold, they are dug up, wrapped in burlap or placed in special containers and plastic bags.

Adult plants to plant Not recommended at all. This is due to the peculiarity of the root system, which is pivotal and goes deep into the soil. It is almost impossible to dig up a specimen without damaging the main root. This will lead to the almost inevitable death of the plant.

Try to plant an adult juniper is possible only in winter, with a frozen soil coma. It is noticed that the closer to spring the planting is carried out, the more likely the plant will survive.

Before planting specimens in the pit, they are prepared, abundantly wetting a clod of earth 2 hours before landing.

How to plant a juniper correctly?

For planting you need to dig a hole. Its size depends on the size of the seedling. For young junipers, the pit is made square meter by meter. They dig deep about half a meter. In any case, the pit is made in 2-3 times larger than a soil coma.

The bottom of the pit is lined with a drainage layer. The rest of the space is filled with cultivated soil suitable for each type of juniper. The plant is placed in a pit, taking care not to damage the soil ball and roots. In young seedlings, the root collar should be located at the very surface of the soil, in adult plants it should rise by 6-12 cm.

After planting, the plant is watered with plenty of water. The trunk circle is mulched various materials - peat, pine bark, wood chips, sawdust, crushed cones, pine nut shells. The layer thickness should be 5-10 cm.

If several specimens are planted at once, the correct distance between them should be observed. In small species, it should be at least half a meter. High and spreading - from 1.5 to 2.5 m.

Planting juniper from the forest

Subject to the rules, such a landing is quite possible. In some cases even more reliable, since you choose planting material.

You need to transplant small young plants that still have a small root system. When you find such a tree, mark the sunny side before digging it up. Plant the same side at home.

The seedling is dug together with a lump of soil, immediately placed in a polyethylene film or burlap, tightly wrapped and tied.

Plant in the garden as well as purchased material.

Planting bush species

You can plant such a juniper before it grows in breadth and depth. The root system of mature shrubs is strongly intertwined and grows downward, deep underground. So planted only young specimens that have not reached the age of two.

Growing juniper from seed

Not all types and varieties of plants can be grow from seed... Ornamental hybrid plants propagate only by cuttings. Pollination occurs with the wind, therefore, very few full-fledged seeds, from which it is possible to grow a juniper, ripen.

You can collect planting material from two-year-old plants, during the darkening period of berries but before the completion of this process. Seeds from completely dark fruits "go" to rest and go into "hibernation", so they sprout for a very long time.

After collecting the seeds you need stratify... For this, a box is taken and filled with a moist substrate of peat, sand, moss, in which the seeds are placed. Cover the top with another layer of filler.

For the winter, these boxes are taken out into the street and remain under the snow for the entire cold season for a period up to 150 days... Thus, cold stratification is carried out in a natural way. It is needed to accelerate germination. Seeds that have not undergone this procedure will be able to sprout only a year later after sowing into the ground.

In May, the stratified planting material is removed from the substrate and planted in prepared beds. Further care is no different from other plants. Watering, timely weeding, loosening of row spacings. Ready-made seedlings are planted in permanent places.

Propagation by cuttings

In this manner can be propagated absolutely all types of plants. Undersized and common junipers take root most easily.

Cut off young annual branches from the tree you like in the spring, always with a piece of the main plant. The length of the handle is about a decimeter. Material clear needles and place for a day in a solution that stimulates root formation. After the expiration date, the cuttings are placed in a light substrate (sand, peat or their mixture). It is moistened, covered with foil or cut plastic bottles, and left to root in a shaded area.

Periodically, the "greenhouse" must be opened for ventilation and make sure that the substrate does not dry out. In a favorable scenario in 30-50 days roots appear.

After successful root formation, the cuttings are planted in open ground, having previously prepared the beds. To prevent young plants from freezing, they are covered with spruce or pine branches for the winter.

They are transplanted to a permanent place after 2-3 g.

Care rules

Unpretentious and capricious juniper does not require much attention. However, following some rules, you will save the beautiful appearance of the plant and ensure long life.

Watering and feeding

Plant able to withstand without watering for a long period. However, in hot dry summers it is recommended to water it at least once a month.

Also periodically arrange a shower using a spray bottle or other sprayers. The procedure is performed every week in the early morning or evening, when the sun is not as active as during the day.

In the spring, they introduce into the soil under the plant nitroammophos at the rate of 45 g per square meter. During the summer, you can fertilize the juniper with organic or mineral fertilizers no more than once a month. Such feeding is carried out if the tree is growing slower than it should be.

Transfer

It is carried out only if absolutely necessary, because there is no guarantee that the juniper will take root in a new place.

Transplant juniper strongly dislikes!

If you still decide - prepare optimal soil... It is best to mix coniferous soil, peat, sand in equal parts. Water the tree abundantly after placement.

Pruning and grooming in winter

The plant itself is perfect does not require pruning... All that is needed is to remove dry branches at any time. However, when forming a beautiful crown, you can cut off excess branches using a sharpened tool.

You can't cut many branches at once - tree may get sick.

Young plants harbor in the first couple of years lutrasil or other similar material. Older plants with a spreading crown are tied with rope or twine to prevent branches from breaking due to snow. You can also periodically shake off the attacking snow from the tree.

Juniper care in spring

When the sun becomes active and the snow slowly melts, a very dangerous period begins for all types of junipers. They may die unless you take action.

The sun is capable of literally burn the needles previously under the snow or simply unaccustomed to the burning rays. To prevent this, it is necessary to shade the plants with burlap, thin cloth or other covering material.

After the snow melts, remove the covering material, clean the trunk circle of fallen leaves and other organic debris. The layer of mulch is removed, as it can lead to decay of the roots. The soil is dug up or loosened. When the soil dries up, the threat of rotting will go away, a fresh layer of mulch is poured.

Diseases

Juniper diseases:

• Rust... The needles become dirty orange in color, then dries up. The reason is that a lot of salts are concentrated in the soil. This can happen if the tree is chosen as a toilet by animals.
• If the needles turn yellow first, then dies off, which means the plant suffers from excess moisture. This is due to heavy rains or floods, waterlogging due to natural reasons, and an increase in the level of groundwater. Lack of moisture in the ground and air shows the same symptoms.
• Red growths on the trunk and branches... In dry weather, they are no more than 0.5 cm, after rain they increase 3 times. Rust fungi attacked the tree. To get rid of the misfortune, it is recommended to remove the affected branches and shoots in a timely manner. Increase the resilience of juniper with immunostimulants and micronutrients.
• Attack of the mushroom Schütte... At the beginning of the season, last year's needles turn orange or brown, but do not crumble. Subsequently, small black round growths appear on it. The fungus attacks weakened plants in the shade. He especially loves humidity, is not afraid of cold weather. Damaged branches must be cut off and burned immediately, and the juniper must be sprayed with sulfur and copper preparations.
• Drying of branches and bark cause various fungi. Because of them, growths on the tree in the form of red warts and longitudinal ulcers of the wood are formed. To prevent diseases, copper preparations are used, which are used to treat plants in spring and autumn. All open scratches and cuts are disinfected with copper sulfate.

Pests

Juniper is affected by such pests:

Growing trees in the country does not present any particular difficulties, with the exception of lack of space in small areas. Still, a juniper requires a fairly large area - up to 2 m in diameter.

Cossack juniper - a poisonous tree, therefore, it is undesirable for a summer cottage.

Caring for juniper in the garden

Caring for it does not differ from the growing conditions in other places, but the plant benefits from a rather big one. By releasing a large amount of phytoncides, it protects the surrounding trees from the invasion of pests and diseases.

Many people notice an improvement in fruit quality after planting juniper trees.

Juniper - home care

At home you can grow tree-style junipers. The most suitable are the following types:

• Daursky;
• Virginia;
• Cossack;
• Recumbent;
• Scaly;
• Solid.

For the care of a home tree, the same recommendations apply as for an outdoor one. The place should be sunny, watering - moderate, periodically spraying required from a spray bottle.

Planting tank bottom filled with a drainage layer, then filled with soil suitable for your type of juniper. In the warm season, it is advisable to take the plant out into fresh air.

For wintering house trees need to clean up in an unheated room with a temperature not exceeding 10º. Keep in the light. In cold conditions, watering is extremely rare.

The transplant is carried out only when needed in spring or November. At the same time, excess branches are cut off. To form a bonsai, the branches are wrapped in the correct direction from October to April. Pinching can be done in summer - from May to August.

For professional tips on caring for juniper, watch the video:

Are you planning to build your own alpine slide or decorate the garden in an original way? Create comfortable conditions for the juniper, giving its owner not only a good mood, but also healing phytoncides, strengthening the nerves and helping to overcome the everyday worries of our hectic time.

Juniper, a fragrant evergreen long-liver (500-2500 years) of the Cypress family, has recently become an adornment of household plots, a bright element of landscape decor. There are more than 70 species of this unpretentious winter-hardy plant with a powerful root system, a height of up to 10 m and an area of ​​growth from northern latitudes to the tropics. Juniper leaves, depending on the type, are scaly or needle-shaped, and their color is blue, gray, yellowish and all shades of green, which allows you to create picturesque, multi-level, multi-colored compositions on the site.

Here are some types of juniper that have a "fashionable" exterior:

• Red cedar (pencil tree)- a slender, upright shrub / small tree 7-12 m high and 4-6 m wide. The first years the plant is compact and conical, then it becomes wide, asymmetrical and delicate. The branches are bent upward. Scaly needles, acicular in the shade, dark or gray-green, dark red in winter. It grows only in the sun, tolerates large temperature changes, winter-hardy and wind-resistant. Suitable for topiary haircuts.
• Juniper horizontal (outstretched ) is an open dwarf shrub 0.2-0.3 m in height and 1.5-2 m in width with creeping shoots. Scaly needles, color - from green to metallic blue, in winter it acquires a crimson or dark red hue. It grows in the sun and in partial shade, tolerates large temperature fluctuations, winter-hardy and wind-resistant.
• Juniper medium - upright, asymmetric shrub 2-5 m in height and 3-6 m in width. The branches form layers, the lateral shoots are often raised. The needles are scaly, color - from dull gray to blue-green, in the shade or after trimming the needles become needle-like. It grows rapidly in the sun and in partial shade, tolerates large temperature changes, is wind-resistant, winter-hardy. It tolerates a simple and topiary haircut.
• Juniper solid - Columnar tree native to Japan up to 8 m tall with hard, sharp, yellow-green needles. Very photophilous, undemanding to soil fertility. The males are especially beautiful as a tapeworm.
• Juniper chinese - large shrub / tree. The branches have both scaly and needle-like needles of green, bluish or gray color, becoming needle-shaped in the shade or with strong pruning. It grows only in the sun, even in a light shade it thins. It is frost-resistant, takes root well, but does not tolerate dry air. In Central Russia, it replaces cypresses.
• Juniper daurian - a creeping shrub with ascending branches. The needles are acicular, sharp, in good light - scaly, after frost it becomes brownish. Photophilous, tolerates light shading, drought-resistant. Suitable for slopes, slopes and rock gardens.

Juniper varieties most commonly used for gardening and home decor are:

"Anna Maria", "Bruns", "Depressa Aurea", "Horstmann", "Hibernica", "Compressa", "Green Carpet", "Old Gold", "Gold Star", "Mint Julep", "Skyrocket", Andorra compacta, blue star, blue arrow, blue chip.

Sapling selection

It is best to buy a seedling in a nursery, where you can choose the variety and specimen you like, as well as get advice on caring for the juniper and its neighbors. When buying a juniper, pay attention that its root system is developed and occupies the entire volume of the planting container (it is advisable that the seedling is in a hard "dish", and not in bags where the root system is easily damaged). Ask the seller to take the plant out of the pot and show you its roots - they should be white, fresh and smell good. The needles of a healthy candidate for planting are lush, without yellowness, rich green color, the twigs are not dry, and the optimal age is 3-4 years.

Place

Juniper is a light-loving plant that loves space, so it is desirable that its crown be in the sun for most of the day, otherwise the plant will lose its splendor. Loose breathing soil for juniper (pH = 4.5-7) can be "constructed" by yourself by mixing turf and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Or you don't have to bother and buy ready-made PETER PEAT soil "Garden earth" of the HOBBY line, which will reduce the number of weeds and the percentage of possible plant diseases.

Choose a location for planting junipers with low groundwater levels to avoid root rot.

Planting juniper seedlings

Horizontal juniper is planted from April to the second decade of May (if autumn is dry, then at the end of August - beginning of September) and includes a number of simple rules:

• The depth of the planting hole should be twice the height of the seedling and be at least 70-80 cm, and its width should be 2.5 times the root ball of the seedling earth. At the bottom of the pit, 10 cm of a drainage layer of crushed stone, gravel or coarse expanded clay PETER PEAT of the VITA line is laid. Then there is a sand layer 20 cm thick, and from above to ground level - a soil mixture of turf, sand and soil PETER PEAT "Garden earth" of the HOBBY line (1: 1: 2). If the soil in your area is heavy, lime it with dolomite flour at the rate of 500-600 g / m2.
• Before planting, to prevent diseases, immerse the root part of the seedling for 2 hours in a 3% aqueous solution of potassium permanganate.
• When the planting hole is half full of the required "ingredients", pour a bucket of water into it; after planting a seedling / adult plant, spill two more, this will insure you against the risk of underwatering and drying out of the roots.
• Plant the plant along with a lump of earth, after spilling the pot well with water. Try not to damage the roots and root ball of earth. When planting, the root collar of young seedlings is flush with the ground, young seedlings - 2-3 cm, and in adult junipers - 10 cm above ground level.
• Between adjacent young junipers there should be a distance of 0.6-1 m, between large-sized ones - 1.5-2.5 m. It is necessary to calculate so that the distance between already adult individuals is 1.5-4 m, taking into account the overgrown crowns.
• Mulch your plantings with a 5-8 cm layer of sawdust, dead foliage, PETER PEAT pine bark of the DECO line or special artificial material.

Juniper transplant

This is an extremely undesirable and painful procedure for a juniper, so it is better not to be mistaken with the place of its initial planting. But since you have already decided, take care of the improvement of the "correct pit" (see. Planting) and the guidance of a comfortable soil, mixing coniferous soil, peat, sand in equal proportions with Snitroammofoskoy (30-40 g / m2). Water the half-filled hole with a bucket of water and re-spill with 2 more buckets after the juniper is finally settled in the new location. 2 days after transplanting, feed the plant with PETER PEAT liquid humic fertilizer "Vitality: Stress Resistance".

Transplanting a juniper from the forest

You can dig a juniper tree in a coniferous forest, guided by the parameters: the height is not more than 50 cm, the trunk is straight, all the needles are green, there are no dry twigs. Dig in the ground 0.5 m around the trunk and pull out the plant along with the lump, carefully cutting off the roots and trying to keep them as long as possible. Place the seedling in a bag and, in no case destroying the clod, take it to the site, to the prepared hole. It is necessary to plant a juniper, clearly repeating its forest orientation to the cardinal points: for this, while still in the forest, mark the "notched" side of the earthen coma with a stick or simply tie a thread.

Juniper feeding

In April, feed your juniper with PETER PEAT "NPK 15-15-15" mineral fertilizer of the MINERAL line. In the future, water it monthly with PETER PEAT liquid humic fertilizer "Living Power: For Coniferous Crops", combining fertilization with irrigation and preliminarily loosening the trunk circle slightly. But if the plant is already growing well, do the top dressing in a month. Alternative fertilizers:

• nitroammofoska (30 - 40 g per 1 m²);
• "Kemira Universal" (20 g per 10 liters of water).

Reproduction of juniper

Seeds. Not all juniper varieties can be grown from seed - hybrid varieties (labeled f1) do not produce offspring in this way. Pollination of the plant naturally provides too little planting material, and it can be collected from two-year-old and older junipers strictly during the darkening of the berries, but not later. Next, prostrate the collected seeds: put a layer of sand and moss in a box 20x30x30 cm; on it with a thin layer of juniper seeds; on top a layer similar to the first. The box should be outside all winter and the first half of spring. This will speed up the germination of seeds, because seeds that have not undergone such a procedure will be able to germinate only after a year. In May, hold the juniper seeds for 30 minutes in a 3% solution of potassium permanganate, then for 2 hours in PETER PEAT liquid humic fertilizer and plant them in prepared beds (see the Planting section) according to a 50x80 cm pattern, followed by watering, weeding, loosening the row spacing.

Cutting with a "heel". In early spring, early in the morning in cloudy weather, cut twigs 12 cm long from an adult juniper so that they have "heels" - 2-3-centimeter pieces of the trunk. Remove the needles from them and place them in a solution of liquid humic fertilizer PETER PEAT "Living Power: for soaking seeds" for a day, which stimulates root formation. Next, immerse the juniper cuttings 3 cm in diameter in 15 cm pots with a substrate of sand, garden soil and peat (1: 1: 1), water and cover with foil. Rooting temperature + 22-28 ° С, humidity of the upper part of cuttings 90%. Place the pots on the windowsill, towards the light. Remember, the soil should always be moist, but overflow is fraught with root rot. Remove the film every 5 hours so that the cuttings breathe and check the moisture content of the substrate. After 30-50 days, the plantings will have roots, after another 2 months they can be transplanted into pots, and to a permanent place - after 2-3 years.

In the greenhouse. Prepare a hole 25 cm deep on the garden bed, lay a 5 cm thick expanded clay or fine gravel drainage on the bottom, and a soil mixture of sand and peat on top (1: 1). Set arcs 25-30 cm high over the resulting bed and cover them with a thick film. Spill water thoroughly and deepen the cuttings 3 cm in increments of 40-50 cm. Do not forget to ventilate every 5 hours, and in sunny weather - remove the film.

Juniper care

In the first year after planting, the soil under the juniper must be loosened carefully so as not to damage its root system. A little peat or PETER PEAT DECO line peat shells can be added to the soil. From above, the trunk circle can be mulched with sawdust or dry leaves.

Watering the juniper

A juniper can go without water for a long time, but you still need to water it once a month: one plant should have 15-25 liters of water. In hot summer, he loves a weekly water shower from a watering can or a spray bottle - this procedure is best done in the early morning or evening. If the summer is rainy, a shower is enough once every 3 weeks. Water the young seedlings along the edge of the hole once a week.

Pruning. Juniper "in life" does not need pruning, you just need to remove the appeared dry branches. But during the formation of the crown, you can cut off "unnecessary" healthy branches, just a little, because the plant can get sick.

Shelter. To protect the juniper from fractures due to heavy snowfall, drag the twine over its branches and periodically shake off the snow from them. It is useful to cover juveniles with spruce branches or aspartan. Be sure to mulch the tree-trunk circles of plants with peat or sawdust to a thickness of 8-10 cm before winter.

In spring, the sun mercilessly burns out the juniper needles, so do not remove the covering material "forever" at once - let the juniper gradually get used to the light, increasing its daily exposure time by 15-20 minutes. As soon as the snow melts from the trunk circle, remove the old layer of mulch, dig up the soil 5-8 cm, level and make a new layer of mulch.

Diseases and pests

Stylish juniper plantations for you!