Juniper is becoming an increasingly popular plant in domestic gardens, despite the fact that it is the birthplace of the United States. Juniper is valued for its decorative appearance, rich color and thick needles and is increasingly used in garden plots for decoration alleys, flower beds and paths.
Juniper - This is a coniferous evergreen. On the forums about plants they often ask: how much does a juniper live? Under favorable conditions, the shrub can live up to 200 years, and how to plant a juniper horizontal, as well as how to properly care for this long-liver, we will talk in this article.
Juniper horizontal: description
Many gardeners, hearing about juniper, have a rather vague description of what kind of plant it is. Representatives of the juniper horizontal have the following description: a low evergreen shrub (height up to 20 cm), with a large spacing crown, the diameter of which can reach 180 cm. The branches are horizontal, slightly wrapped to the top. Needle length - 3-5 mm. Color is green or gray-green.
Did you know? For the winter juniper darkens and may acquire a dark brown shade.The flower blooms in May, bears fruit in June-July, the first fruits appear in the second year of growth. Dark blue shishkoyagod (in some varieties may be black), the size of 5-6 mm in diameter. The disadvantage of the flower is that the juniper grows very slowly and grows a maximum of 10 cm over the year.
In recent years, breeders have brought out many varieties of horizontal juniper, among which are dwarf varieties that reach a height of 10 cm, and tall varieties - up to 50 cm.Growing and caring for juniper horizontal, features of planting
Horizontal juniper does not require special subtleties when planting and care, however there are some subtleties that you need to know. About how and where to plant a juniper, so that it pleased you with its decorative effect, we will talk further.
Requirement of horizontal juniper to the soil
For normal growth of juniper, it is better to choose loamy or sandy-sandy soil that is sufficiently moist and nutritious. The consistency should be loose, with good drainage, because in heavy clay soils in which water stagnates, juniper will not grow.
The best option for the soil mix will be the following: 2 shares of humus should be mixed with 2 parts of sod land, add 2 shares of peat and 1 part of sand.
Important! Horizontal juniper not only "absorbs" useful elements from the soil, but also acts as a "doctor" of the soil, preventing soil erosion.
How to choose a location for growing juniper lighting
Before you start growing a plant, you need to know where the juniper will grow best. Best for a plant fit warm, well-lit places. Despite the fact that juniper tolerates sudden changes in temperature, it is better to choose a place protected from the wind.
How to plant a juniper horizontal, scheme
Planting juniper horizontal, like the whole process of its cultivation, is not particularly complex. The landing scheme is simple, but everything must be done gradually and carefully:
- the pit should be larger than the seedling, twice, and its diameter should exceed the diameter of the root with an earthy clod 2.5 times;
- it is necessary (!) to lay a drainage layer at the bottom of the pit;
- before planting the seedling in the ground, it must be disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate;
- when the pit is half filled with soil, it is necessary to pour a bucket of water into it and plant a seedling;
- plant in the pit need to be planted with an earthy clod;
- the distance between adult plants must be at least 1.5 meters;
- freshly planted seedlings should be mulched with sawdust or foliage (layer 5-8 cm).
Did you know? To make juniper better rooted, you can add a rotor to the water for irrigation.
Features of juniper care
Juniper - an unpretentious plant, not only in the choice of soil, but also in the care. For a comfortable existence juniper needs timely watering, high-quality feeding, as well as pruning.
How to water and care for juniper
Juniper tolerates temporary drought well and needs additional watering only in especially hot times. In order to maintain a sufficient level of humidity, it is necessary not only to water the shrub, but also to spray the plant. Then even in the hottest season, the juniper will delight you with its bright color. Water the plant with better defended soft water. Together with irrigation, it is necessary to loosen the soil, which will help the roots to be fed with oxygen.
Important! If the juniper grows in a place where the groundwater lies close to the root system of the plant, watering should be carried out carefully and moderately, because the juniper does not tolerate stagnant water.
Juniper horizontal: fertilizer and top dressing
Juniper does not need frequent and strong feeding. In the spring in the ground make nitroammofosku at the rate of 30-40 g per square meter. When planting in the soil as a fertilizer, you can add peat or pine nut shell. An alternative to nitroammofoski can be a complex fertilizer for conifers. It is necessary to use such fertilizer very carefully, strictly following the instructions. In a particularly dry season, juniper horizontal can be fed with nitrogen fertilizers.
Did you know? It is impossible to use cow or bird humus, products of such origin are quite toxic and can "burn" the root system of a plant.
Features of juniper horizontal, trimming
Before you cut the juniper horizontal, you must carefully examine it for damaged shoots. Juniper pruning is done once a year and it should be very weak. In normal prophylactic pruning, only dry and diseased branches are removed, and when pruning to form a crown, healthy shoots can be removed, but pruned up to 7 cm, since if the shoots are radically cut, the plant can get sick.
Propagation of juniper horizontal
Juniper can be propagated in two ways: seed and vegetative (grafting). Consider these two ways in more detail.
Cutting with the "heel" is carried out in early spring in cloudy weather. In an adult plant, it is necessary to cut a cutting 12 cm long, so that 2-3 cm of stem remain on it. It is necessary to remove all needles from the cutting and place them in liquid fertilizer for a day in order to form roots as soon as possible. Then the cuttings are planted in pots, immersing them by 3 cm, in a mixture of sand and peat in the ratio of 1: 1. The cuttings must be watered and covered with foil. It is necessary to keep the containers with the planted juniper at a temperature not lower than 22 ° С, removing the film from the pot every 5 hours.
The soil must always be kept wet. The first roots will appear in a month and a half, and it will be possible to transplant the plants into the pots in 2 months, and in 2-3 years to plant them in a permanent place.
Seed propagation involves not just sowing seeds, but also their stratification.
Important! Some varieties of juniper can not be propagated by seeds, they are usually labeled F1.
You can sow not only purchased seeds, but also collected from their plants. The stratification procedure is as follows: put peat in a box, sprinkle the seeds on top and cover them with the same layer. Leave the box outside for the whole winter and the first month of spring. In May, you can start planting seeds. Prior to the sowing procedure, it is necessary to keep the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate (3%) for 30 minutes, then hold for 2 hours in liquid fertilizer and sow in a prepared place according to the 50 × 80 scheme.
Resistance of juniper horizontal to diseases and pests
On forums, you can often find reviews that the juniper turns yellow, shoots dry out, fungal growths appear on the trunk, beginning gardeners do not know what to do in such cases. These signs are symptoms of diseases such as fusarium (due to excess moisture), rust (high salt concentrations in the soil around the bush), fungal disease schütte (with too much shading).
All of these diseases occur as a result of improper care of the plant. To combat disease, it is necessary to treat the shrub with fungicides and Bordeaux liquids. As a preventive measure, it is necessary to promptly remove all fallen material from under the bush, as well as to carefully trim.
From insects juniper can attack aphid, scytwick and spider mite. The control of these pests is simple: they can be collected by hand (it is necessary to act with gloves), destroy ants (they are the “forerunners” of aphids), and also treat the shrub with insecticides and soapy water.
As you can see, it is not at all difficult to grow a horizontal juniper in my area. You just need to be patient and make a little effort, and in your yard will be such an interesting element of decor.
