Juniper can be called a durable and diverse plant, the use of which is actively used in landscape design. All types of this plant love light and warmth, often used for the construction of borders and hedges. They can be both a separate decoration of any garden, and a shading element for other plantings. Therefore, more and more people are looking for ways to propagate this plant, wanting to know how to root juniper.
Selecting and obtaining cuttings
To grow healthy plants, you need to know which cuttings should be used for rooting.
Rooting cuttings are cut only from the top of an adult juniper.
There are a number of features and rules for choosing planting material:
- The branch for planting should be cut from the middle of the upper part of the crown.
- The use of semi-lignified cuttings is not allowed.
- Each branch should be cut with a “heel”, which will contribute to faster and more fruitful rooting.
Important. If you want your future juniper bush to be sprawling, then the cuttings must be cut from the ends of the side branches.
Time to breed
Depending on the time when the juniper is supposed to be planted in the ground, reproduction is carried out at different times of the year:
- To plant seedlings in the ground in spring, cuttings must be harvested in early February.
- If planting is planned in the autumn, then the cuttings are harvested at the very beginning of summer.
How to prepare cuttings
Needles on harvested cuttings should be removed. For these purposes, use a sharp clerical knife. Work should be carried out as carefully as possible so as not to damage the bark.
Before proceeding with rooting, all needles are removed from the cutting.
For successful propagation of juniper, you will also have to resort to the use of root formation stimulants. These drugs are now available in every specialized store, so finding and choosing the right remedy will not be a problem.
It is worth mentioning separately that even with the help of a root former, it will not work to root juniper in water. Being in constant moisture, the bark at the cutting begins to delaminate, and this has a detrimental effect on the survivability of the planting material.
The best option is to use a root former in the form of a paste or powder. With these tools, you can lubricate the cut of the cutting. But experienced gardeners advise not to stop there and recommend adding a liquid stimulant to the substrate in which the twig will germinate.
Substrate preparation for germinating cuttings
To root a juniper branch, you need to prepare the appropriate soil.
It must meet certain criteria:
- Breathability.
- Fluffiness and lightness.
- Moisture capacity.
All of these characteristics are available in a mixture of peat and sand. These ingredients must be taken in equal proportions, and the presence of ash or lime in the substrate is not allowed.
For cuttings, a specially prepared substrate is used.
Important. This soil will dry out quickly. This can be avoided with the help of a conventional film, which, after planting the cutting, will need to cover the container.
Planting cuttings
Planting cuttings is a fairly simple technology:
- On the surface of the substrate, you need to make holes 4-5 cm deep. A pencil is suitable for these purposes.
- Each hole (the future place for the cutting) should be located at a distance of about 5 cm.
- The cuttings are inserted into the soil carefully, trying not to damage the “heel”.
- Then the soil is slightly compacted, especially near the cuttings.
- The next step is watering. In this case, you need to water as carefully as possible so that water does not fall on the bark of the branch. Therefore, it is better to refuse the use of a sprayer.
- The final point is the shelter of the seedling with a polyethylene drained cap. In such a greenhouse, the cutting will be quite warm and humid.
Further care of seedlings
Caring for seedlings at home is not a hassle. In order for the plant to quickly give roots, the container or pot must be placed in a place with diffused light. It is not necessary to additionally water the seedlings, only if the soil begins to dry rapidly.
The optimal temperature for growing juniper is from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius.
Important. The plant in the greenhouse should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
When germinating cuttings, it is important to maintain the optimum temperature in the range of 18-23 degrees Celsius. With a sharp increase in it, the seedlings will begin to rot; at lower temperatures, rot may develop.
Disembarkation to a permanent place
Planting seedlings in a permanent place is carried out 65-70 days after planting. The procedure should be carried out with caution, it is advisable not to disturb the earthen ball, so as not to damage the thin roots of young shoots.
If the planting takes place in the fall, then it is best to dig the seedlings in the garden directly with the container. Only this option is suitable for those who rooted in separate pots. Do not forget about the careful warming of such seedlings, which can simply freeze out in winter. Therefore, many gardeners recommend planting juniper in the spring, leaving it for the winter in the house.
The main rule when choosing a cutting is its size. Few people know that, due to its density, you need to choose a branch of the appropriate size - no longer than 25 cm.
In the video, the gardener shows one of the ways to root juniper cuttings.
Another point worth paying attention to is the slope of the juniper. Instances with a spreading or creeping crown are planted with a slope of 45 degrees. Upright species should be planted vertically for rooting.
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Valentina Bondar March 24, 2014 | 6746
This plant makes an excellent hedge. However, not everyone knows how to properly and quickly propagate juniper.
Seed propagation is usually used to obtain species. Seeds germinate in 1-2 years, while seedlings grow slowly. Therefore, the most effective way to propagate junipers is cuttings. Rooting depends on the species, cutting time and type of cuttings. Junipers are distinguished by high rooting ability: ordinary, horizontal, Cossack, scaly and their garden forms, as well as some others.
We prepare cuttings
cuttings should harvest from relatively young and healthy plants. The age of mother plants of most garden forms is 10-15 years. It is better to root specimens taken from the upper and middle parts of the crown. For cuttings cut off the main or side branches with all the shoots. In order to prevent them from withering and drying out during harvesting, as well as during transportation over long distances, the shoots are wrapped with a damp cloth and put in plastic bags. With this packaging, they can be stored for 2-3 days. It is better to harvest cuttings in the morning or on cloudy days.
In the presence of heated greenhouses, coniferous plants can cutting all year round. However, optimal rooting is observed in cuttings harvested in February-March, as well as in summer, during the end of growth and the beginning of secondary growth of shoots. Winter cuttings until planting are stored in plastic bags on the glacier or in refrigerators.
The cuttings must be apex point of growth, which allows them to maintain the growth pattern inherent in the cultivar. For most garden forms, coniferous cuttings are not cut off, but are torn off from the stem with a sharp downward movement (taken with a "heel"). The tip is carefully trimmed, removing only the burrs. The needles at the lower end of the cutting, immersed in the substrate, are usually cut off or cut off, but can be planted with it.
We select the substrate
Most versatile substrate for the rooting of most garden forms is a mixture of equal parts of coarse-grained (fraction 0.5-1.5 mm) sand and milled riding (sphagnum) peat. Often, low-lying peat and river sand are used to prepare the substrate, but these components are unsuitable, since when they are mixed, an acidic substrate with poor aeration is obtained. Under such conditions, cuttings of very few species are rooted. When using river sand, it must be washed through a sieve with a mesh of 0.5-1.5 mm to get rid of silt particles.
We root cuttings
Before planting, the surface of the substrate is well leveled, compacted and watered abundantly. The distance between the rows is 6-8 cm, depending on the size of the cuttings, in the rows it is 4-6 cm, the planting depth is 5-7 cm. The substrate around the planted cutting is slightly compressed and watered, preferably with a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide.
Winter cuttings are planted in May in a greenhouse when the air temperature outside reaches 17-20ºС. The optimal air temperature in the greenhouse is 20-27ºС during the day and 16-21ºС at night. The cuttings of most plants take root better when the substrate temperature is 3-6ºС higher than the air temperature. To increase the temperature of the substrate, biofuel, water or electric heating is used.
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Juniper is a bright representative of the coniferous community, it can decorate any garden with itself and therefore enjoys special respect among landscape designers. This plant has a huge variety of forms, from creeping to columnar, its needles have shades from bluish-green to golden. It grows slowly, retains its shape well, perfectly strengthens the soil, especially on the slopes, is a long-lived plant: in nature there are specimens that are up to three thousand years old! On average, the life of a juniper is 500 - 600 years. The plant is thermophilic, light-loving, drought-resistant, does not tolerate stagnant moisture.
Due to the variety of species that differ both in height, shape, and shade of color, juniper can be used as a hedge, to decorate paths, rockeries and borders, tapeworms in flower beds and lawns, large dark spots on the far background of the garden. In addition, junipers have healing, and primarily bactericidal, properties, and this allows them not only to decorate gardens and parks, but also to perform an important health-improving function.
In nature, junipers reproduce very poorly by seeds, since seeds require a long (up to six months) stratification, young seedlings grow very slowly. Only in the tenth year of life they give the first fruits. Artificial breeding of juniper from seeds is unproductive, therefore, most often they resort to its reproduction by rooting cuttings. Rooted cuttings give faster growth, they can be used much earlier than seedlings in decorative gardening. Although the percentage of rooting depends on the plant variety (some take root worse), but, nevertheless, it remains quite high.
You can root juniper cuttings from early spring to late autumn, but April and May are considered the best time for this - the time of the most active growth and development of the plant. For rooting, it is best to use semi-lignified shoots from old branches from the middle part of the plant. Cuttings taken from young branches take much longer to root and have a much lower percentage of rooting. A very important point in the reproduction of juniper: cuttings taken from the ends of the side branches will continue to continue the life of the “side branch”, that is, strive to grow in breadth, and not up. If it is required to obtain planting material for columnar forms, then it is necessary to choose cuttings located closer to the central trunk, which tend to grow vertically. It is best to cut the cuttings with a sharp garden knife along with a “heel” - a small thickening at the point where the cutting is attached to the main branch. Do not be upset if you failed to cut the cutting with a "heel", such cuttings also have a good chance of giving roots. Harvested cuttings must be freed from twigs and needles to a height of 3 - 4 cm from the base - this section of the stem is just to form the future root system. Before planting, it would be good to treat the cuttings with some kind of root formation stimulator, for example, heteroauxin, root. You can hold the cuttings for a day in a weak sugar solution before planting.
The soil for rooting cuttings should be loose, breathable. You can use a mixture of peat and sand in equal parts. It is important to remember that conifers love acidic soil, so lime, ash, crushed eggshells and other soil deoxidizers should not be added to the juniper substrate. It is best to root juniper cuttings in a dry, warm greenhouse, or in a ridge covered with a film. But, if conditions do not allow, rooting can also be done in an ordinary flower pot. Using a pencil or stick, you need to make holes in the soil 3–4 cm deep at a distance of 5–8 cm from each other, then insert the prepared juniper cuttings into these holes, compact the soil around them, pour well and cover with a film. If direct sunlight falls on the greenhouse, then it is necessary to build shading. Juniper vitally needs a large amount of light, but during the period of rooting of the cuttings, the direct sun can become fatal for them. If the cuttings take root in a pot or bowl, then put a plastic bag on top of the pot, and then install the pot on a window with diffused lighting. Watering the cuttings should no longer be until they are fully rooted.
If you have the opportunity to devote a lot of time to your seedlings, then it is better to root juniper cuttings without using a covering film, since under the film the plants grow weaker and less hardened than in the open air. When rooting cuttings without a film, they need to be sprayed 5-6 times a day from a water sprayer to maintain optimal air humidity. Since the open ground will evaporate a lot of moisture, the cuttings will need small waterings as the soil dries. But, in no case should the soil be too wet, because junipers cannot tolerate excess water.
The first roots of the cuttings will appear 50-70 days after planting. seedlings immediately after rooting are not worth it, since the roots are still very tender and thin and can be easily injured during transplantation. Therefore, if possible, it is best to leave rooted cuttings in place until next year to allow the root system to grow and become stronger. If this is not possible, then the transplantation of rooted cuttings should be done very carefully, using small tools, taking out the seedlings together with a clod of earth and placing them in the prepared holes in a permanent place with it.
A few more words should be said about the rooting of creeping varieties of juniper. Here the situation is somewhat simpler: pin enough branches for rooting to the ground and cover with a small amount of soil from above, freeing the rooting site from small branches. During the growing season, the sprinkled section of the branch will give roots and, after separation of the branch from the mother plant, it will become an independent plant.
Cultivated, propagated exclusively by cuttings. Moreover, according to experienced gardeners, this technique has a number of advantages over the method of seed propagation. Plants planted by rooting cuttings have a significantly higher resistance and viability. They take root better, develop faster and more actively, are less susceptible to the adverse effects of temperature extremes, typical diseases and pests.
Moreover, according to statistics, the number of successfully rooted cuttings is almost twice the number of surviving seedlings. Therefore, according to gardeners and landscape designers, this method of propagating juniper under artificial conditions is the most effective. A plant planted in the ground by cuttings is better acclimatized and adapted to new conditions, without requiring special care and attention. However, to achieve the most favorable results, you must follow some rules.
Estimate a favorable time for disembarkation
Should be done in autumn and winter months. However, knowledgeable people recommend planting plants from mid-September to the last decade of November. During this period, the stomata of plants close due to the increased degree of air humidity, as a result, water evaporation practically does not occur, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the tree and the reproduction process.
In the spring and summer, planting a juniper plant is categorically not recommended. This is due to damage to the root system, which is caused by increased evaporation and physiological drought observed in conifers during the warm season. However, the question of the optimal timing of planting juniper trees is quite controversial. Many gardeners argue that the time from the first days of April to the end of May is ideal for organizing the propagation of juniper by cuttings, since just in the fall, this period is the peak of its growth and development.
When deciding on the timing of planting, one should also pay attention to climatic conditions. In order for the rooting of juniper cuttings to be successful, the air temperature should be from +5 to +25 degrees. Higher or lower heat levels can adversely affect the reproduction process of the plant and lead to its death.
Preparation of soil and cuttings
To grow a beautiful and healthy juniper tree, you should responsibly approach the fence of planting material. For plant propagation, cuttings taken from mature trees that are 8–10 years old are best suited. As for the choice of variety, it is best to give preference to undersized or ordinary juniper, their rooting rate is about 90%. Please note that in plants with a vertical crown shape, shoots for propagation are cut vertically. In junipers with a bushy crown shape, cuttings located on the sides go to the cut. As for the length of the shoot, it is advisable to observe 10–15 cm.
It is recommended to cut the cuttings no later than three hours before planting in the ground. Then their lower part should be cleaned of coniferous needles, which can rot when they enter the soil. In addition, it increases the efficiency of growth and development of the root system. However, on the top of the branches, the needles must be left in order to aerate the cutting. Before planting, the shoots are placed in a container filled with water, or they can be wrapped with a damp cloth. To speed up the growth process of the future juniper tree, the cutting can be placed in a glass with a special stimulating solution for a day. Kornevin or a sugar solution in a ratio of 1: 2 is well suited for these purposes.
Next, you can proceed to preparing the soil for growing juniper. Planting soil should be a mixture of earth with peat and sand (in a ratio of 1: 3). Juniper, like other conifers, does not do well in overly acidic soils. You can reduce acidity, as well as disinfect it, by moistening the earth with a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate. When the planting soil is ready, dig a hole, fill it with mortar, and place a layer of sand about 30–35 mm thick on top.
How to plant a young shoot?
After completing the preparatory stages, you can proceed to the direct planting of juniper. To do this, planting material should be placed in the soil no deeper than 20-25 mm. At the same time, pay attention to the fact that the columnar varieties of juniper are planted in an upright position, without turning the cutting over, and the creeping varieties of this plant take root best in the presence of a slight slope. The distance between the cuttings should be about 70 m. After that, you should slightly compress and moisten the soil. In conclusion, the earth is mulched with a mixture of ash and pine bark, and the cuttings themselves are covered with plastic wrap, this is important to create a greenhouse effect. In order for a tree to take root and acclimatize as quickly as possible, it needs to create optimal conditions for this.
Care consists in regular moisturizing, necessary to strengthen the plant. It is necessary to water the cuttings as the soil dries out, on average twice a week. Care must be taken to protect the plant from sunlight. Despite the fact that the juniper is considered a light-loving plant, during the development of its root system and general adaptation, direct sun can have an extremely adverse effect on it.. Rooting juniper lasts about 2-3 months. At the same time, it is recommended not to rush to transplant the plant into open ground in order to give it the opportunity to finally get stronger.
