How to feed juniper

Juniper is a fairly unpretentious crop that does not require much effort to care for it. It does not need constant feeding and can grow successfully in rather unfavorable conditions. However, when growing a juniper in the garden, it does not hurt to feed it occasionally to ensure even development and a consistently healthy and attractive appearance of this evergreen plant. It is enough to apply fertilizers twice during the season so that the coniferous shrub receives all the nutrients necessary for its growth. This article will discuss how to feed a juniper and how to do it correctly.

How to feed a juniper in summer, autumn and spring: what elements does it need

how to feed the juniper

In the process of its growth and development, at different stages and at different periods of the annual cycle, the juniper is in need of various useful elements.

1. IN spring time juniper bushes are especially sensitive to a lack of nitrogen and need to be added to the soil. By the end of winter, the plants are usually depleted. Their internal processes are inhibited, the movement of juices and the growth of new shoots are suspended. For awakening and active growth, energy is needed, which is provided by fertilizing containing nitrogen.
2. IN summer period it is important for a plant to receive in full such substances as zinc, iron, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, copper. All of them contribute to the preservation of the attractive appearance of juniper bushes, due to giving the needles of the bush a rich green hue. In addition, the listed elements strengthen the plant and help it withstand adverse environmental conditions.
3. The purpose autumn dressings is the saturation of the juniper with nutrients that should help him survive the winter. It is important to exclude from complex fertilizers
   nitrogen, as it promotes the formation and growth of young shoots. For the time remaining before the arrival of frost, they will not have time to get stronger and woody, therefore, with a high probability they will freeze and die in winter. Magnesium must be contained in autumn dressings. This element will help keep the top of the bush green and prevent it from turning yellow.

How to feed a juniper for growth. Types of dressings

how to feed the juniper

Fertilizers suitable for feeding junipers can be divided into 3 groups: organic, mineral and complex fertilizing. Below will be described in more detail about each type of fertilizer.

Organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizing can be applied already at the stage of planting seedlings in open ground. The nutrient mixture is applied to the planting hole before the young juniper is placed there.

The soil mixture for the successful adaptation of the seedling should consist of equal parts of humus, peat and turf. A mixture of a similar composition can be fed to a juniper throughout the growing season.

From the list of organic fertilizers suitable for feeding juniper, bird droppings and mullein infusion should be excluded. These substances negatively affect the root system of coniferous shrubs, causing them burns, which in the future can lead to the death of the plant.

It is recommended to apply various fertilizing based on manure only in the spring.Since the nitrogen contained in them in excess contributes to the growth of powerful green mass, which is practically useless for conifers.

But vermicompost is one of those fertilizers that junipers love and react to the presence of which in the soil. Aqueous solutions based on this substance have a beneficial effect on the process of photosynthesis in plants. Which strengthens the root system of the juniper and stimulates its growth.

In general, organic fertilizing is best applied in the form of aqueous solutions. In liquid form, they are quickly absorbed by the roots of juniper bushes. If fertilizing
dry, this effect cannot be achieved. Since the sun's rays and high temperatures have a destructive effect on the nutrients contained in organic matter.

Mineral fertilizers

Minerals also play an important role in the development of junipers. The first fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is recommended in the spring, when planting a seedling in open ground.

About 0.2-0.3 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, also called nitroammophos, should be added to each planting hole. The obtained volume of mineral elements for a young juniper bush should be enough for a whole year.

Spring feeding of adult plants requires a smaller amount of mineral fertilizers - only 40 g for each bush.

Regular feeding is required for those juniper bushes that grow on poor soils. In this case, the frequency and volume of mineral fertilization is regulated by the state of the juniper, which determines its need for nutrients.

In autumn, the yellowing of the apical part of the juniper bushes is a frequent occurrence. This is how plants respond to magnesium deficiency. The situation can be corrected by introducing dressings with a high content of this element. This procedure will provide the juniper with a supply of nutrients necessary for wintering.

Complex fertilizers

In search of an answer to the question of how to feed the juniper, many come to the decision to use complex fertilizers.

The advantage of ready-made complex preparations lies in their preventive and protective function. The introduction of such dressings not only nourishes the juniper bushes, but also contributes to their resistance to fungal diseases and attacks of harmful insects. Below is a list of the most effective compound fertilizers.

• "Khvoinka" includes a large amount of nitrogen (about 13% of the total) and therefore is ideal for spring feeding at the stage of rapid growth of young shoots. Used in liquid form for watering juniper plantings. To prepare the solution, it is enough to dilute 20 g of the mixture in 20 liters of water.
• Composition of complex fertilizer "Kemira»Includes all essential nutrients in equal proportions. The use of this top dressing has a beneficial effect on the quality of the soil. Therefore, it is recommended to apply it when planting seedlings, as well as in the phase of active vegetation. 40 g of the mixture is introduced into the planting pit. During subsequent procedures, the consumption of Kemira per 1 bush is on average 60 g.
• Fertilizer "Fertile" rich in nitrogen and therefore promotes the active growth of new shoots. In spring, it should be introduced into the planting hole before placing the seedling in it at the rate of 0.1-0.2 kg per 1 hole. At the stage of active growth, fertilizer is applied by irrigation, for which 30 g of fertilizer must be dissolved in 10 liters of water.
• Special feeding for conifers "Green Needle" includes a large proportion of sulfur and magnesium. These substances help to preserve the color of the needles and give it a rich shade. When the apical part of the juniper bushes turns yellow, the application of the "Green Needle" is shown at the rate of 50 g of fertilizer in granules per 1 juniper bush.

How to feed juniper - folk remedies

The people know exactly how to feed the juniper, if there is no desire to use the drugs. You can feed junipers not only with ready-made mixtures, but also with what is at hand. It is enough to know a few recipes for making home dressings for coniferous shrubs.

Mulching

One of the ways to improve the quality of the soil in the juniper trunk circle is to mulch it. The mulch layer performs several functions at once:

• provides the necessary acid-base level in the soil;
• contributes to the preservation of useful substances in the soil, preventing their leaching and weathering;
• creates favorable conditions in the soil for the development and reproduction of beneficial microflora;
• prevents the germination of weeds that take away moisture and nutrients from the root system of the juniper.

Preparing a mulching mixture is very simple. As a rule, it contains humus, as well as chopped straw and hay. The thickness of the mulch layer in the trunk circle is on average 10 cm. It is replaced every time after the procedure of weeding and loosening of the area with juniper bushes.

It is recommended to move the winter layer of mulch away from the juniper trunk so as not to create a favorable environment for the development of fungal diseases and putrefactive processes.

Compost fertilizer

A good fertilizer is obtained from thoroughly rotted compost. It is traditionally based on dried grass and food waste. Fertilizer
is laid in the trunk circle of a juniper bush, the layer thickness is about 10 cm.

How to fertilize correctly

The first introduction of nutrients coincides with the moment of planting a juniper bush seedling in open ground. Fertilizers are applied to the planting hole and they are enough for a rather long period.

The next fertilization procedure can be carried out only in the second year of life after planting the seedling. Mature plants do not need frequent fertilization. It is enough to feed them once every three years.

Of course, if a juniper shows signs of a lack of one or another element, it is necessary to make up for its deficiency by introducing an appropriate top dressing. Signs of malnutrition are slow growth rates of bushes, dull color of needles, noticeable weakness of new shoots. In this case, the introduction of nutrient mixtures is shown according to the following scheme:

1. The ideal time to fertilize is the interval between the first signs of bud swelling and full bud opening. As a rule, this period falls on the end of April-beginning of June.
2. Fertilizers should be applied to the area of ​​the trunk circle of a juniper bush, at a distance of 15 cm from the trunk.
3. The depth of the nutrient mixtures is about 10 cm.
4. The interval between top dressing procedures is 4 to 5 weeks.
5. This procedure requires strict adherence to the instructions.
6. Before applying top dressing and immediately after that, the soil around the juniper should be abundantly moistened.

How to Avoid Common Feeding Mistakes

When choosing fertilizers for feeding a juniper, it is necessary to take into account a number of important points that can lead to serious mistakes in the care of coniferous shrubs:

• Useful substances must be selected based on the composition of the soil, as well as on the requirements of a particular culture. The wrong choice of top dressing is fraught with a change in the level of acidity of the soil, which will certainly affect the condition of the plants.
• Compliance with the recommended dosages when applying fertilizers is vital, since an excessive concentration of active substances can lead to root burns.
  plant systems.
• It is important to follow a certain sequence of fertilization procedures, as well as the necessary intervals between them. Otherwise, the soil forms
  an excess of one or another element, which negatively affects the quality of the soil and the condition of the plants.