Juniper - popular and decorative breed shrub. The question of how to plant a juniper is asked by many gardeners. Why has juniper gained such popularity? The answer lies in unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil and changes in climate. This shrub perfectly tolerates low temperatures, periods of drought, it is photophilous. Attractive in juniper and various forms of the bush, and the color of the needles. Juniper also has a light and pleasant aroma.

The main methods of reproduction of this bush include:

• cutting;
• propagation by seeds;
• layering;
• by dividing the bush.

How to grow juniper from seeds? The end of August - the first days of September - the most right time in order to plant juniper seeds. This happens when the berries begin to ripen, at which point you need to collect juniper seeds. In some types of shrubs, the scales from the cones should be removed. The seeds themselves germinate for a very long time, about a year, so it is not recommended to sow them directly into the soil.

A film is lined in a wooden box, in which holes are made to drain water. Soil is sprinkled on top, in which the seeds are planted. Then the box must be buried in the soil so that its top is visible above the ground. AT winter time snow will cover your seedlings and create a thermal effect. After the onset of spring, the box must be placed in a warm place so that the seeds germinate. Sprouted sprouts can be transplanted to their place of permanent residence not earlier than after 2-3 years.

Juniper propagation by cuttings (video)

Cutting method of reproduction

To keep safe varietal features shrubs, juniper is planted using the cutting method. This method takes a lot of time, but is also the most effective. Cultivation should be carried out in spring if last year's lignified shoot is used, or in summer if current year's shoot is used. It is best to choose a shoot that grows vertically and has a vertical crown shape.

The breeding technology is as follows:

1. A box with holes for drainage is filled with peat and sand in a ratio of 3: 1 and buried in the ground in shady place.
2. Then the stalk with pieces of bark is carefully torn off.
3. If there are branches on the handle, they need to be cut off. This will not allow new roots to form, and the needles will not rot. Do not worry, the places of the cliff will quickly heal due to the release of resin.
4. Aeration of the cutting is achieved by leaving the needles on the top of the branch.
5. In the prepared hole, we plant the stalk in a vertical manner.
6. Do not use film for cutting propagation method. It is poorly ventilated, which can lead to an increase in temperature and death of the cutting.
7. Monitor temperature and humidity levels. A suitable temperature is from 15 to 18°C. And after the buds have blossomed, the temperature is raised to 20 ° C. Provide cuttings with moist soil.
8. Several times a day, cuttings should be opened and sprayed with water.

Reproduction by layering

For this method, shoots are used that grow horizontally and closest to the ground. First you need to scratch the bark of the shoot a little at the base of the layering, then plant the shoot in a previously prepared shallow hole. Wet peat is used for powdering. The upper parts of the layers should be tied with pegs.

It is important to maintain a certain humidity in the place where the layers were planted.

You can lay a small piece of film and fix it. However ideal option will use moss. It is very important to trim the connection point of the layer with the mother plant throughout the rooting.

The rooting process itself takes about a year. During this time, water and spud the bush. After you notice the emergence of new shoots, they should be separated and transplanted into a permanent ridge.

How to care for juniper (video)

Reproduction by division

Only a young juniper bush can be grown by dividing. At the very beginning of May, the bush is spudded carefully. The lower part of the branches falls asleep, and adventitious roots form. Don't let the soil dry out summer time of the year.

At the end of summer, the bush is dug up. Branches that have taken root are separated from the old plant and planted in containers. Make sure there are drainage holes in these containers to drain the water. It is important to know that waterlogging of the soil leads to the death of the juniper. It is recommended to plant new branches in the ground with good solar lighting. But this is done only in winter for better transfer. low temperatures. And in the spring, transplant the plant to permanent place so that the root ball is not damaged.

There are solutions that allow roots to grow faster. Juniper twigs should be placed in such a solution for a day. For better root germination, honey is also used with the addition of water. After planting the bush, do not forget to spray it with a solution of "Zircon", which is used as a growth and flowering regulator.

Reproduction of juniper on the site involves several nuances. Many varieties of juniper have a wonderful healing effect. So propagate it right amazing plant and enjoy its beauty in your country house.

There are two ways to propagate juniper - seeds and cuttings. Decorative varieties it is undesirable to propagate by seeds, since in most cases they lose their maternal characteristics. So it is more preferable to propagate juniper cuttings.

Juniper propagation by cuttings can be carried out at any time of the year, but the most favorable time is summer and autumn.

It all starts with the preparation of cuttings. To do this, you need to separate cuttings 10-15 cm long from the mother plant. They simply need to be torn off along with a piece of wood, the so-called heel at the tip. Clean the stem of the cutting from the needles and a couple of centimeters from the edge and place them for a day in Kornevin's solution or any other growth stimulator.

Propagation of juniper by cuttings in a jar of water is impractical, since the tender bark of this plant can exfoliate from moisture and, as a result, the productivity of harvesting will decrease. We do not need this at all, and we will immediately root the plant in pots or boxes of sand. Be sure to cookware with drainage holes.

We need pure river sand without any additives. The only thing is that it needs to be disinfected in boiling water. The cooled sand is placed in containers and treated with a 3% manganese solution. Now we are not afraid of pests and bacteria.

We deepen our cuttings by 1 cm, squeeze, compact the sand around them. We remove the boxes in the shade and provide them with a temperature of + 17-23 ° С. During the summer-autumn period, this will not be difficult, because you do not need to build a greenhouse. It is enough just to cover the boxes with gauze.

One of the secrets, one might say, the main one in the reproduction of juniper, is the observance temperature regime and humidity. Then rooting will happen much more successfully and faster.

The first time, about 2 months, you need to spray the cuttings with water every day with a garden sprayer, while trying not to over-moisten the sand.

When the cuttings have roots, you can plant them in open ground Or in larger pots for growing.

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How to root juniper cuttings

Juniper is a plant that stays green throughout the year. It belongs to the Cypress family. Due to the variety of colors, shapes, decorativeness and originality, this plant is one of the most popular among gardeners. Accordingly, the issue of juniper reproduction is very relevant, so this article will be devoted to this topic.

Juniper is considered to be a representative perennials. This bush loves warmth and sunlight, tolerates dry periods well and does not tolerate excessive moisture. With the help of juniper, slopes are strengthened, hedges, borders are created, it is used in landscape design.

juniper reckon unique plant due to some of its features.

In nature, this bush is quite difficult to propagate with the help of seeds. We will not state in this article that propagating juniper seeds is quite simple, since this is not true. Growing this plant from seeds is quite problematic, and it takes a lot of time and effort. Even when receiving positive result guarantee the quality of the planting material is impossible. The thing is that the seedlings of the bush grow very slowly, and it will be possible to get the first fruiting only 10 years after planting.

An alternative to sowing juniper was cuttings. This work is easy to do at home with your own hands, and it will take up to three months.

Seedlings that are obtained as a result of cuttings have a stronger root system, due to which they take root faster and can give better growth.

Juniper is propagated throughout the year, it depends on what period of time the plant needs to be transferred to the ground.

1. If the plant is planted in the spring, cuttings should be prepared before mid-February.
2. If the landing is planned in the fall, then cuttings are performed in the middle of summer.

These requirements are justified by the fact that the process of rooting in juniper is quite difficult. Like other representatives of conifers (spruce, thuja, etc.), the juniper takes a long time to form root system. The first viable root is formed no earlier than on the 25th day, and full rooting occurs at best 2 months after the cutting is planted in a special substrate.

One of important nuances in reproduction is a must right size cutting. It should be more dense and voluminous, unlike other horticultural crops. For this reason, its length is about 25 cm. The correct slope must also be observed. This is due to the type of juniper. Upright bushes are planted and germinated vertically, and varieties that creep along the ground or curl - at an angle of 40-45 degrees.

How to root a juniper with cuttings is a rather complicated question, but it is also very important to properly prepare it for planting.

To choose the right cutting for planting, which will be able to repeat all the characteristics as much as possible mother plant, you should follow a number of simple rules:

1. The future stalk is cut from the middle or from the top of the crown (sprouts must be alive and green).
2. If you want a sprawling bush to flaunt on your site, then the cutting should be taken from the side branches.
3. You need to cut the cutting with a part of the branch on which it is formed (this contributes to the speedy rooting).

In order for the cutting to take root, it will be necessary to hold it in a growth stimulant solution for some time. There are many such drugs, but there are some nuances. For example, rooting a cutting in a liquid with a root former is impossible due to the fact that the juniper bark exfoliates in water, which affects the productivity of the sprout. The best alternative to a liquid product is a powder or paste. The cut must be treated with any of them, and you can also add the drug to the soil in which the plant will be planted.

For planting juniper bushes, specially prepared soil is required. It should be:

To achieve all the characteristics mentioned above, it is necessary to mix peat and sand in equal proportions. Adding ash and lime is not worth it. Such soil will dry out quickly, but in order for the stalk to take root and take root, the ground is covered plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect.

The procedure for planting sprouts is quite simple. It is necessary to make small holes on the surface of the soil, the diameter of which will not exceed 1 cm, and the depth - 3 cm. The gap between them should be about 8 cm. The sprouts should be planted carefully so as not to damage the cut, as they take root rather hard.

After planting, the earth should be compacted and moistened. You do not need to use a spray bottle, as when spraying water can get on the branches of the plant.

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Propagation of juniper by cuttings at home

Juniper belongs to coniferous plants. Usually it is grown on plots in the country or in the garden, sometimes in the garden, more often on the street, if we are talking about the city, for example, but rarely the juniper is bred at home. Of course, this can be done at home if you plan to end up transplanting it somewhere. coniferous plant, because it will, albeit slowly, but still grow, which means it will take up more and more space in your house. You must be prepared for this in advance before you start propagating juniper at home. Its growth can still be restrained or kept at a specific level thanks to the planned pruning of the plant, and you can also come up with a whole composition of several juniper trees, constantly propagating them and planting them in different pots.

Preparing the soil for planting a juniper cutting at home

Juniper is unpretentious and takes root well on lean soils. But most of its species prefer light soil with good drainage. For each seedling, a hole is prepared in size approximately 2 times larger than the rhizome of the seedling, together with the earth covering it. The larger and higher the type of juniper, the greater the distance trees are planted. For small species, the distance can be slightly less than one meter, and for larger ones, 1.5 m - 2.5 m. At the bottom of the hole, a drainage layer is arranged from small stones or broken bricks covered with sand. The thickness of the drainage layer is approximately 15-20 cm. The mixture is poured over the drainage sod land, sand and peat in a ratio of approximately 2:1:1. You can add a little compost to the planting holes and add 30 gr. nitroammophoski. For juniper ordinary, Central Asian or Cossack, an alkaline reaction of the soil is necessary. In preparation

The earth mixture for these species should be reduced in the amount of sand and peat, and add a little slaked lime or 200-300 gr., dolomite flour. Juniper virginiana prefers clay soil, which is mixed with a small amount of sand.

The harvesting of cuttings is carried out in cloudy weather, because the sun's rays can have a negative result both on planting material and on adult juniper. For cuttings, the tops of semi-lignified shoots are used, as they are considered better formed for continued growth. The shoots are freed from interfering needles and twigs, approximately 3-4 cm high from the heel - it is in this place of the shoot that a new root system will form.

Sometimes you may hear recommendations to soak the cuttings before planting in a special root formation stimulator. However, this should not be done, because the bark of the juniper is very delicate and in water it can simply exfoliate, which will lead to a decrease in the overall productivity of your workpieces.

Planting juniper cuttings at home

Planting juniper should be carried out in the fall and during the winter months. However knowledgeable people recommend planting plants from mid-September to last decade 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 in warm time of the year. However, the question of optimal timing 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 landing, you should also pay attention to climatic conditions. In order for the rooting of juniper cuttings to be successful, temperature indicators air 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.

Some types of juniper need additional fertilizer, so for virgin juniper you can add half a bucket of compost. For Cossack juniper, it would be nice to add 0.3 kg of dolomite flour. All these procedures are carried out in advance, since after 2 weeks the earth in the hole will have time to compact and a seedling can fit there.

After planting, the root neck of the plant should be 7-10 cm above ground level, again, due to the fact that the earth is still settling. After that, the bush is watered, and when the water is completely absorbed, it is worth mulching the area around the trunk, this will protect the soil from drying out.

Juniper watering

During the period active growth it will be enough to water the plant only during extreme heat or a long absence of rain. Under one adult bush leaves 10-15 liters of water.

It will be an additional plus if daily spraying is carried out in the evening after a stuffy day. For this plant will thank the bright colors of the needles.

Pruning is carried out when there is a desire to give the juniper unusual shape. Pruning can also be done if dry branches or deformed areas appear on the plant.

If you are interested in creeping juniper species, use propagation by layering. Young branches can be cut throughout the growing season, their rooting is faster than the rooting of stiff shoots.
Layers are dug in and pinned near the old bush. On the eve of the landing, river sand and peat are brought in, it is dug up so that the soil is light and loose. The layers are lightly spudded and regularly watered, but it is impossible to fill in, excess moisture can cause root rot of the old bush and the death of the layer from soaking.

After six months or a year, when the cuttings take root, they can be transplanted to the place where you plan to grow a new bush.

Reproduction of juniper by layering is most often used in relation to creeping forms culture. It is allowed to carry out the procedure throughout the growing season.

The procedure for this is as follows:

• The soil around the mother bush is intensively loosened, peat, river sand are added and watered abundantly.
• The lower part (20-25 cm) of healthy, recently matured shoots, which are best suited for propagation, is cleared of needles.
• The bare area is pressed to the soil surface and fixed with a wire pin.
• The part of the shoot in contact with the soil is sprinkled with a peat-sand substrate.

Rooting layering will take about 6-8 months. During this time, it should be regularly watered and spud with moist soil. With the appearance of young growth on the layer, the shoot can be separated from the mother bush and planted as an independent plant.

Juniper aphid appears on young shoots. Aphids during mass reproduction can harm young plants, because, by sucking out the juice, they strongly oppress and weaken the plant, retard growth, cause curvature and twisting of damaged shoots.

On young cones and needles, you can see rounded shields of females and elongated shields of males (up to 1-1.5 mm.) of the juniper scale insect. In early June, larvae appear that stick to the needles. The needles dry up and fall off, and young plants may die. Sucking the juice from the tissues of the bark, the larvae cause damage, leading to the death of the bark, drying out and curvature of the shoots, and a decrease in annual growth. It affects juniper, thuja, yew, cypress.

Small mosquitoes, no more than 2.2 mm, fly near the plants, then their larvae appear - spindle-shaped and covered with warts, up to 4 mm long, bright yellow, orange, or red. These are gall midges on juniper. The larvae secrete specific growth substances onto the needles, under the influence of which the plant cells begin to grow rapidly and divide, turning into galls. The larvae live and winter in them.

The needles are entangled in a thin rare cobweb, covered with yellowish spots, later turning brown and crumbling. Spruce spider mite and its larvae damage young plants: juniper, biota, prickly spruce, Canadian spruce, common spruce, western thuja. During the summer, the female gives 3-4 generations. The greatest harm the tick inflicts in hot years on trees growing on dry soils. During the growing season, mites form from four to six generations, so the degree of damage increases towards the end of summer.

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 flowerbeds and lawns, large dark spots in 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.

Juniper cuttings can be rooted from early spring to late autumn, but best time for this, April and May are considered - 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. Highly 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 before planting. weak solution Sahara.

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 is vital a large number of light, but during the period of rooting cuttings, the direct sun can be 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 on outdoors. When rooting cuttings without a film, they need to be sprayed 5-6 times a day from a water sprayer to maintain optimal humidity air. 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 better to leave the rooted cuttings in place until next year to allow the root system to grow and grow stronger. If this is not possible, then the transplantation of rooted cuttings should be done very carefully, using small tools, taking out seedlings together with a clod of earth and placing them in 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.

Juniper - beautiful ornamental plant. This evergreen conifer is unpretentious in terms of growing conditions, unpretentious in care and quite easy to propagate. It can be propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. To obtain a new plant, division of the bush is also used, performing such a procedure in spring and summer. And all these methods are quite accessible even to novice gardeners, and if one of them is not fully understood, you can always look step by step photos preparation of planting material.

Breeding methods

This decorative conifer has become last years very popular with gardeners. All more owners of suburban real estate use it for landscaping their plots. Juniper does not require much attention, and you can propagate it yourself, so as not to buy expensive seedlings in the nursery.

Getting a new plant is not difficult, only it will take some time. Gardeners successfully use different methods:

• cuttings;
• layering;
• seeds;
• dividing the bush.

Not all of these methods work equally well for all varieties of juniper. When choosing one of them for yourself, you need to consider the type of plant. And for especially valuable varieties, grafting on ordinary juniper is also used.

cuttings

Propagation by cuttings is one of the most effective and simple ways. It does not cause great difficulties even for beginners and allows you to fully preserve all the varietal properties of the plant. This method can be used throughout the year, but for better survival, it is advisable to cut the cuttings in the spring so that the plant has a sufficient root system by autumn.

Advice. It is best to cut the cuttings in cloudy weather so that the sun does not damage them and the branches of the mother plant. It is advisable not to delay with their further disembarkation. If there is no opportunity to immediately plant the cuttings, you need to put them in water or at least wrap them with a damp cloth.

Cuttings up to 25 cm in size from a vertically growing juniper are cut from the top or from the middle of the bush, and for creeping varieties - from the lower branches. For propagation, branches that have just begun to lignify are used. Successful cuttings require:

• spring cut sharp knife a suitable branch, be sure to capture part of the bark at the base;
• clean the stalk of needles 2-3 cm from the cut point and place it in a planting container vertically 1.5 cm deep in a moist substrate of peat, sand and humus;

• boxes with planting material place in a lit place, but not under direct sun, and water occasionally, only without strong waterlogging of the soil;
• by autumn, when the root system has formed at the cutting, transplant it into the ground, where it will winter. For the winter young plant can be slightly covered with spruce branches;
• after one or two years, the plant can already be transplanted to a permanent place.

Attention! An adult juniper does not tolerate a transplant well. Therefore, it is advisable to transplant it at the age of three years.

Reproduction by layering

This method is quite simple, but is more often used for creeping species. For reproduction, you must first loosen the ground near the mother plant, you can additionally add peat and sand to the soil. Then they take the lower branch of the bush, bending it to the ground and pinning it. In order for it to take root faster, scratches are made on the bark of the branch at the point of contact with the ground. The ends of the layers are tied to pegs.

Layers fixed on the ground are watered and spud from time to time. They should take root within a year. They are then carefully separated from the mother bush and, together with a clod of earth, are planted where they will be permanently.

seed method

Seed propagation is used to produce new plants. However this method it is not used too often, since juniper germinates for a very long time, and the germination of its seeds is quite low. But for an ordinary juniper, this method of reproduction is quite suitable.

For sowing, seeds are taken only from ripe berries. Sowing material is planted at the end of the summer period or in autumn in boxes with drainage and prepared soil. With a cold snap landing tanks they take them outside, where they stand in any weather for several months. Overwintered seeds are transplanted in spring into separate pots, then again placed in the air. Shoots will not appear soon, in about a year. And in order to somewhat speed up this process, the shell of the seeds before planting in the ground can be slightly damaged mechanically or by placing them in a weak acid solution.

The division of the bush

This method is used only for plants at a young age. The bush, which was decided to be divided, is heavily spudded in early May so that its lower branches are covered with earth. During the summer, it is watered, keeping the soil in which it grows moist, but without excess moisture, otherwise the roots may rot. In August, the bush is dug up, then the branches that have given roots are carefully separated from the mother plant. The young juniper is planted separately, making it an easy shelter for the winter. next spring it, together with a clod of earth, can be landed at the planned place.

Juniper can be easily propagated independently, without buying seedlings in the nursery each time. To do this, you just need to decide on the method of reproduction that is most convenient for yourself and suitable for a particular variety of juniper.

Juniper cultivation: video

How to grow juniper - one of the representatives coniferous shrubs or trees of the Cypress family. This original ornamental plant with an abundance of colors and unpretentiousness in its care has made many gardeners and summer residents fall in love with itself, so the question of its cultivation and reproduction has become very relevant.

Let's talk in more detail about how, in what ways it can be propagated and how to properly care for it.

Juniper is an evergreen coniferous plant that has the shape of a bush or a small tree. It has a straight but branched stem that is dark gray or brown in color.

On sprawling branches, needle-like leaves are densely located, which are called conifers. They are located in whorls of several pieces and can stay on the branch for up to four years.

Juniper is a monoecious or, more often, dioecious plant.

Its male cones - microstrobiles or pollinators have an elongated oval shape and yellow color, they are located in the leaf axils.

Female cones or, as they are also called, cone berries are oval or rounded. Their color is light green, but when mature they become blue with an ashy coating.

They contain about 6 scales on short legs, in which there are three or two triangular grains - these are the seeds, and they ripen only in the second or third autumn.

Juniper is considered long-lived because it lives up to 600 years. Most often it can be found in the Urals and Siberia, it prefers sandy fertile soil. By the way, plants make very tasty and fragrant jam from cone berries.

Juniper propagation methods

How does juniper reproduce at home? How to plant and breed juniper? In order to learn how to grow a plant, it is first important to know how it reproduces.

AT wild nature juniper propagates by seeds. cultivated plants can be propagated in several ways, which we will give below.

Reproduction by cuttings

Cuttings are a very common, quick and easy way. When creating optimal conditions, juniper cuttings can be used throughout the year.

But the priority is still the spring breeding of juniper cuttings at home. So until the end of summer, the plant will have roots, until late autumn they will get stronger, and the young juniper will already be able to winter in the open field.

How to plant juniper cuttings? For cuttings, choose the tops of strong shoots correctly. The variety of juniper, of course, affects the choice of planting material.

In pyramidal and columnar varieties, only vertical shoots are cut off. But from bushy or spherical, especially creeping ones, you can take any strengthened branches, except for vertical ones.

Shoots are cut off only with a sharp knife and always grabbing the “heel” (formation from the bark at the place of attachment to the old branch). The already separated shoot is freed from branches and needles 4 cm from the cut - the roots will be located here.

It is best to immediately plant the cutting in a freshly prepared substrate, then you can water it. effective means to accelerate root formation, such as heteroauxin or sodium humate.

The prepared substrate should consist of peat and coarse river sand in equal proportions.

It should be borne in mind that juniper loves acidic soils and deoxidizing agents like ash or eggshell no need to add.

For convenience, cuttings are best planted in wooden boxes with drainage holes, correctly filled with the substrate, plunging them 3 cm into the soil at an angle.

After planting, the boxes are conveniently transferred to the greenhouse, where they will be created optimal conditions for a plant: air temperature from 17 to 19 degrees (and after the appearance of the buds, all 20-25), good humidity, diffused light. Direct exposure to the sun has a detrimental effect on the cuttings, and this is unacceptable even on a greenhouse, so it’s better to shade it a little.

Care of cuttings will consist in watering - regular, but not excessive, and spraying at least 5 times a day.

Already after 50 days from the moment of planting, roots will appear on the cuttings. But there is no need to rush to transplant them. After all, very thin and not yet strong roots can be damaged during transplantation.

It would be better to leave them in the greenhouse for another year. Well, if you still decide to transplant them, then you need to do this very carefully, moving them along with a lump of soil in which they grow to a permanent place of growth.

Reproduction by layering

How to grow juniper from a twig? This method is very good for the propagation of creeping juniper and, moreover, in any growing season. How to propagate creeping juniper? To do this, you need to use mature, but young branches, they will be able to take root faster.

The process should begin with the preparation of the soil around the entire plant: it must be carefully dug up or loosened, diluted river sand with peat (1:1) and moisten well. On the branches selected for propagation, you need to clear the needles about 20 cm from the base, press the cleaned part to the soil and carefully, without pinching, attach with a wire pin. Pressed shoots will need to be hilled and watered, so they will take root in 6 months.

Over time, new shoots form from them, they can be detached and transplanted to another place.

Reproduction by grafting

By this method, mainly elite varieties of juniper are propagated. The desired variety is grafted onto the common juniper. This method is not very common among gardeners, since the percentage of engraftment of the cutting is small. This method is carried out by pressing the scion (cut shoot) to the rootstock (main branch), after which the junction is tightly tied with a transparent film.

All methods of reproduction of juniper are somehow effective. And subject to all the rules of cuttings, layering and grafting, you can propagate the plant yourself, while saving money and enjoying your own fruitful work.

How to grow juniper - plant care rules

As mentioned above, juniper bushes do not require special care, it is only important to choose the right place where they will grow, as well as ensure proper watering.

Juniper is considered a southern plant, so it grows well in warm and sunny places. In the shade, the bushes can lose their shape and, accordingly, lose their decorative function.

In the first winter after planting, it is advisable to cover the bushes, despite their frost resistance. This is done because the plant has not yet had enough time to acclimatize.

Juniper should not be watered often - with an excess of moisture in the root system, it will begin to rot, and the plant may die. But spraying needles is quite acceptable, but not more than once every 10 days and only during those hours when the sun does not burn (morning and evening). Juniper watering is carried out only if the summer turned out to be dry and rain moisture is clearly not enough. But you need to do this only 2-3 times per season.

You don't need a special one. Only in spring and autumn, dried and broken branches that spoil the appearance of the plant should be removed. If you want to give the bushes a certain decorative form, feel free to cut the branches - they will grow back rather slowly.

An abundance of fertilizers will not bring benefits to juniper. In this you need to observe the measure. If you still want to feed the plant, pour nitroammophoska into the soil in the spring, but not more than 50 grams per 1 square meter. This will be quite enough, and you will not harm the plant.

As you can see, juniper is a very unpretentious plant and practically does not require special attention.

Types and varieties of juniper

Juniper has many varieties, from. It can grow as a tree, shaped like a column or pyramid, or as a shrub with spreading branches. Still, it can even spread with a fluffy coniferous carpet. Let's look at a few of the most common types of this plant.

Juniper virginian or virginian, it is also called a pencil tree (a long time ago pencils were cut from it), its homeland is considered North America. It tolerates cold well, is resistant to diseases, pests and drought. Does not get sick after pruning.

The juniper tree has the shape of a cone, in autumn it is strewn with bluish berries.
The plant has many decorative forms:

• Pyramidiformis - looks like a 10-meter column, the needles are green in summer and pastel purple in winter.
• Shotty is also a tall tree, the needles are light green.
• Polymorpha has a bluish needle-shaped needles from below, and at the top - green scaly.
• Philifera has a wider bluish crown.
• Cherberlayni is a voluminous lush pyramid with a gray-green color.
• Albospicata is a five-meter tree with whitish needles at the tips of the branches.
• Cynerescens is a greenish-ash tree.
• Aureovariegata is an exquisite golden tree.

The above list is only a part of the species of virgin juniper. These varieties are in great demand, they decorate gardens, parks, alleys and private plots.

Dahurian juniper is a creeping shrub that prefers to live on the slopes of mountains and on steep river banks. Widespread variety in Eastern Siberia and on Far East. It is resistant to winter and drought, photophilous, unpretentious to the soil. It grows only up to half a meter high and up to three meters wide. Due to the originality of the form, this variety is in great demand.

Chinese juniper grows mainly on stony calcareous soils, it can be observed in the mountains of Japan, China and Manchuria. The strong roots of the plant penetrate into the crevices of the rocks and hold it even on a vertical surface.

because of unique property slopes are strengthened with Chinese juniper, rocky areas and even walls are decorated with it. In winter, this variety does not need shelter.

It has varieties such as:

• Hetzi is a wide bush up to 5 m in height and up to 8 m in width, has gray-blue needles.
• Pfitzeriana is a bush up to 4 m high, the branches are horizontally directed, covered with light green needles.
• Japonica is a sprawling three-meter bush.
• with golden yellow branches.

These varieties are no less popular and are not inferior in their beauty to other types of juniper.

Cossack juniper is most common in the Crimea and Central Asia, it can be found in the Caucasus, as well as in Mongolia and China. The variety is drought-resistant, not picky about the soil.

Cossack juniper grows as a low shrub (up to 1.5 m). Its needles are very rich essential oils, the smell of which, by the way, perfectly protects against moths.

The plant is very beautiful in appearance, but, unfortunately, it is considered poisonous and does not sit on private plots.

There are many more popular varieties of juniper, such as:

• common juniper (it has the shape of a candle);
• Siberian juniper (it has variegated needles);
• juniper rocky (located on the rocks);
• prostrate, drooping, recumbent juniper (creeping varieties).

Possible diseases and pests - how to grow a healthy juniper

How to grow a juniper healthy and beautiful? To study the diseases and pests that can affect such a plant, take measures for prevention.

A common fungal disease that affects conifers is Fusarium. In case of damage, the root system begins to rot at the bush. At the same time, the roots acquire a brown or brown hue, fungal spores penetrate inside, preventing the plant from absorbing nutrients.

At the same time, the needles begin to dry, turn yellow, fall off. The appearance of the disease is due to excess moisture, cold, heavy soils. As a preventive measure, you need to keep the beds clean, remove plant debris. If the first signs appear, you need to treat the bushes with Skor, Fundazol or Horus.

Drying of the branches is also provoked by a fungal infection. On the needles you can see brown or dark fruit bodies of the fungus. To avoid infection, it is important to initially use healthy material for planting. Affected areas are removed to healthy tissue, and then treated blue vitriol.

Cracking, drying of the bark, large ulcers, the appearance of rounded wounds fruit bodies caused by cancer. It is necessary to carefully remove the growths along with the branches, burn them and process the cut sections, as well as the entire bush with copper sulphate.

Schutte is another disease of conifers, which is characterized by yellowing of the crown, the appearance of mycelium. At first she has gray shade, and then blackens or acquires Brown color. Then the needles dry up, crumble.

All affected areas of the plant must be removed. Next, treat the infected bushes and all nearby conifers with copper sulphate or fungicide that has a wide range of activities. It is important to spray not only the juniper, but also the soil near the bush.

Thickening, dying off of shoots are signs of rust. Still, the bark may swell, ulcers will appear. For treatment, the same means are suitable as for drying out. Still, it is important to carry out prevention in the spring, as well as in the autumn.

Alternariosis is characterized by browning of the crown, the formation of a dark bloom. Then the affected parts dry up and die. The reason for the appearance is dense plantings, the presence of weeds. Such an infection often multiplies in the litter. For treatment, strong broad-spectrum fungicides are suitable.

Of the pests, scale insects are often found. On the shoots and needles, you can see tubercles 2-3 mm in size. Another unpleasant phenomenon is moths. Of the caterpillars can seriously harm the needles.

To protect the juniper from these pests, it is necessary to carry out prophylaxis in the spring with Actellik or Decis. worth spending reprocessing in the second half of summer, as well as in preparation for winter.