Munglow Juniper

Today we will tell you about such a rocky juniper variety as moonglow \ Munglaw. This is a very beautiful evergreen shrub that can become a real decoration of any personal plot. In addition, the Virginia Munglou juniper has healing properties, it grows intensively, the needles are also very beautiful, in appearance they resemble scales. The shape of the crown of the bush is pyramidal. Under natural conditions, this juniper usually grows in rocky terrain, on mountain slopes overlooking the sea. In this article, we will introduce you to the description of the variety, the rules of agricultural technology, the features of reproduction, and you will already decide whether to plant this long-liver in your area or not.

Rocky juniper Munglow: description of the variety

Rock Munglow juniper: photo of the variety

This variety is quite high, so rocky juniper bushes sometimes stretch up to almost 20 meters in height. Under natural conditions, Munglaw's crown can reach 2 meters in girth. Of course, on personal plots, this rocky juniper will not grow so intensively, it will be lower and thinner. The crown begins to form from the base, in the process it becomes more round. Shoots are light blue or green. The needles are very beautiful, blue-gray, dark green or bluish-green. It resembles scales in shape. The leaves fit tightly to each other, so the needles always have a neat appearance.

After the Virginia Munglou juniper has faded, cones appear on the plant, dark blue, round. But in these very fruits, seeds of a red-brown color ripen. Every year, 20 cm of young shoots grow on the Munglou juniper, so the plant develops more than intensively. This variety has a very beautiful crown, so this plant is often used to decorate personal plots, park areas and recreation areas.

It can be planted as a single plant or used in group compositions. With the help of a juniper, you can create a real green hedge, these bushes look great next to flowering plants, rest assured, a juniper can decorate any summer garden. Remember that this plant has a regular and crisp crown, so if you like the Scandinavian style, then this juniper is perfect. With this plant, you can make up any composition.

Virginia Munglow juniper: planting and care

Munglow juniper grows, both in personal plots and in city parks. It perfectly tolerates drought, so it is not necessary to water the plant abundantly, however, the juniper does not like waterlogging of the soil. It is advisable to water the bushes no more than 3 times per season, however, the soil near young plants should be moistened more often. It's a good idea to do this late at night, when the sun hides behind the horizon. Do not fertilize the soil with organic matter, as it negatively affects plant growth.

This variety is also considered frost-hardy, so it is not necessary to cover mature bushes in late autumn. This juniper is usually planted in open ground in early spring, and it is best to use 3 or 4-year-old seedlings for this. You can buy them in a specialized store or in a nursery, it is best to choose trusted producers.

The seedling must be strong and healthy, free from various defects and damage.Before planting, it is advisable to soak the roots in a growth stimulator for several hours in order for the plants to develop faster after planting. The site is also being prepared for the planting of juniper in advance. For this, the soil is dug up, all weeds are removed. Planting holes for Munglow Juniper will also need to be dug about two weeks before the expected planting date. Remember that the holes must be larger than the root system of the Munglow Juniper. Broken brick or large pebbles should be placed at the bottom of the planting pit in order for moisture to better move away from the roots.

Then the hole should be filled with nutritious soil, the juniper will need to be planted carefully so as not to damage the root system. Before planting, if your seedling is growing in a container, you need to moisten the soil abundantly so that the plants can easily endure the planting process. Moreover, remember that the volume of this very container should be at least 5 liters, such seedlings take root better after transplantation. This should be done in early spring, the place for planting the juniper must be well lit, and the groundwater should not lie too close to the surface of the earth. It is recommended to plant junipers on fertile soil, and acidity also affects the further development of plants. Munglou juniper loves alkali more, so the soil should be calcified if necessary.

The planting hole should be large, if you plant several bushes at once, then maintain a distance, the distance between the plants should be about one and a half to two meters. As you remember, it is advisable to lay a drainage layer at the bottom of the hole. But the seedling should be covered with fertile soil, with the addition of peat, humus and sand. Once you plant the juniper, you will need to compact the soil well and water the soil abundantly. If you are planting plants from a container, then you can do this both in the spring and in the summer. If the seedling has an open root system, then it is best to do this only in the spring. Juniper does not need too much water, it can do without moisture for a long time.

Remember that this variety is called rocky. But at first, it is still necessary to moisten the soil. It is advisable to water adult bushes no more than 3 times during the whole season. Munglou juniper adapts well to drought, so you do not need to actively moisten the soil. If we talk about feeding, then it should be noted: only young bushes need it. Fertilizer is applied to the soil in early spring, and for this, complex fertilizing is most often used. Do not forget that adult bushes do not need this. In order for the rocky juniper to please you with its appearance, you need to provide quality care.

Remove weeds from the site in time, as they create shadow, interfere with the growth of the bush, and also simply spoil the appearance of the site. And weeds also take nutrients from the ground that are so necessary for plants to develop. In order for the root system of the juniper to breathe well, do not forget to loosen the soil in time. In early spring, the topsoil should be mulched so that moisture does not evaporate and weeds do not grow. Juniper also needs to be pruned and shaped in time. Of course, he has a very beautiful dense crown, but if you do not prune, then the juniper will become shaggy and not tidy, needless to say about the need for timely sanitary care.

Sick and dry twigs must be removed. It will be necessary to cut the bushes at the very beginning of spring in order not to harm the plants. All this should be done before the start of sap flow. It is best to choose a cloudy day for pruning, so the plants will more easily recover after the formation of the bush.Designers often create real masterpieces from munglou juniper bushes, so do not forget about decorative pruning. In addition to damaged and diseased shoots, you will need to remove all unnecessary and ugly branches. Also you can adjust the height of the Munglow juniper, the diameter of the bush. But remember that shoots should not be shortened by more than 2 centimeters.

Otherwise, the alignment of the crown contour will negatively affect the further growth of the shoots. As you remember, this plant is considered frost-hardy, so you do not need to cover adult bushes for the winter. However, in early spring, after the bright sun looks out, the needles can get burned. Therefore, at this time, the bushes should be covered, the sun's rays negatively affect the development of the plant. And in late autumn, young bushes should be covered with spruce branches, but do not forget that the shelter should be removed as soon as the ground thaws. If a lot of snow falls in winter, the twigs can break under the weight, so it is best to tie them in a bundle before wintering, use a hemp branch or burlap for this.

Reproduction

Juniper is propagated in different ways. Most often, gardeners use cuttings, as well as the abduction of shoots. In order to get a new plant, you should choose the lower lateral shoot, which literally spreads along the ground, remove all the needles from it, and then fix it on the surface of the soil. Sprinkle it with loose nutritious soil. After about six months - a year, this layer will take root, so that it can be removed from the mother bush and transplanted to its permanent habitat. This is a fairly easy way to propagate junipers, so gardeners often use it.

You can propagate this variety by cuttings. The shoots should be prepared in early spring, most often semi-freshened branches are used for this. Cuttings are usually cut at an angle, this planting material should be about 10-15 cm long. Then it should be placed in a nutrient mixture of sand and peat, and sent to a greenhouse for a while. After a few months, roots will appear on the cuttings, when the seedling turns into a full-fledged plant, it can be planted in open ground.

About diseases and pests

If a juniper gets sick, and pests settle on its branches, then it will lose all its beautiful appearance. Often the needles of a juniper dry up and die. Therefore, carry out preventive examinations and treatments in time. Munglou often suffers from fungal diseases, so if you find signs of this infection on the site, then you should immediately treat the bushes with fungicides. Drying of the shoots is considered one of the serious diseases. In this case, the branches should also be treated with a fungicide, and all diseased shoots, where the needles turn yellow, will need to be mercilessly removed. If the juniper gets too sick, then it will need to be dug up and burned, otherwise other plants on the site can be infected with certain diseases from it. If we talk about pests, then aphids, spider mites and scale insects often appear on juniper bushes. Therefore, treat the upper part of the plants in time with biological and chemical preparations that you can buy in a specialized store.

Rock Munglow Juniper in landscape design

Rock Munglow juniper in landscape design: photo

This juniper attractive appearance, so gardeners love to plant this plant in their plots. Munglow is also considered a faithful companion for landscape designers. With the help of this ornamental shrub, personal plots, recreation areas and city parks are often decorated. However, this plant can be grown not only by experienced, but also by novice gardeners. Juniper is very unpretentious, it does not need to be watered and fed often.You just need to plant the seedling correctly, remove weeds from the site in time, cut and form a bush. Young plants should still be prepared for wintering in time, as well as watered and mulched the top layer of the soil. Breeding rocky juniper of this variety is just as easy. And this is usually done either by cuttings or by abducting shoots. The juniper has a fairly high immunity, so basically the bushes do not get sick. Try to plant this evergreen shrub, and it will become a real attraction on your site, in any case, you will definitely surprise your neighbors and friends.