Planting juniper in the ground, cultivation, protection

Content:

The article describes how to properly plant a juniper in the ground, the rules of cultivation, protection from pests and diseases.

This plant can be a great addition in terms of decorativeness on your site. This is not a very whimsical evergreen culture. Among other things, these plants have many useful substances that can purify the air. Even a novice gardener can plant a juniper in the ground: planting, leaving and growing it is not particularly difficult.

Planting juniper in the ground: what time to plant

Typically, young plants for sale grow in planting containers that are filled with well-fertilized soil. Such plants are usually about three to four years old. Usually, juniper seedlings are planted in an open area in the spring, from April to the end of May. Some gardeners prefer autumn planting, for this the most suitable time is the beginning of September and until the last days of October. For such a planting, only those plants with a closed root system are suitable. It is not worth planting a juniper later, since the young plant most likely will not have time to take root in the new conditions, and will not be able to endure the stress in the form of winter cold weather. In the summer, planting this culture is also not recommended.

Planting juniper in the ground: choosing the right place for planting

Most summer residents prefer juniper in their gardens, since such an interesting plant can perfectly complement the site in terms of design. Juniper tree-like looks good on paths and alleys. If you need to arrange an alpine slide or rockery, then it is best to choose a juniper that has a dwarf or creeping shape. In addition to the above options, this culture is often used to strengthen embankments and slopes.

Let's say a few words about planting a juniper near the house. If you choose the southern side of the building for this culture, then the shrubs will be more or less comfortable in such conditions. Plants will have enough sunlight, and the building will act as a reliable protection from gusts of wind.
Be sure to keep a certain distance when planting junipers near your home. Many varieties of this crop have a very spreading shape, and they, therefore, take up a lot of space. For this reason, plants should not be placed too close to the building.

Many summer residents do not want to plant a juniper near a dwelling, since a juniper is a poisonous plant. This is true, any juniper (except ordinary) contains a certain amount of poisonous compounds. But it is worth noting that you can only get poisoned if you eat some part of the plant, say, a berry. Contact with exposed skin of juniper resin can also be adversely affected.
However, if you do not violate simple safety rules during planting, then it is quite possible to have such a culture in the immediate vicinity of the house. This applies even to the most poisonous variety of juniper - Cossack, while it is also the most decorative of all.

So where does juniper feel best? The area for growing this culture should be well lit, in a pinch, light shade is suitable. The plant does not feel comfortable in the shade. Under natural conditions, this culture also grows on well-lit lands. Juniper can be found at the edge of a forest, a clearing, in a mixed or coniferous forest. For this reason, the growing area must be clean and open. You can plant junipers where there is sunlight for most of the day. In the event of a lack of sun, the plant will acquire a loose shape, while the color will become nondescript and expressionless.

Juniper planting, interaction with other plants

This culture looks beautiful as a single plant, and can also complement well the compositions in the flower bed. Juniper is a very good neighbor for other plants. The juniper is well adjacent to its conifers. Juniper looks beautiful against the background of tall plants such as pine or fir. In addition, this culture gets along well next to peonies, roses, clematis. The distance between plants must be in accordance with the requirements of a particular plant variety. If you are planting juniper in combination with flower crops, plant juniper bushes with bulbs, for example, next to hyacinths, tulips and daffodils.

Do not plant this crop near plants that produce large flowers or flower caps.
If you are faced with the task of beautifully decorating rockeries, a Japanese garden, an alpine slide, then juniper will be a great addition, especially in combination with heather of different shades. This combination looks especially beautiful if there are natural stones behind. In addition, small dwarf spruces look good with juniper, as well as a weeping variety of larch.

Juniper: planting and care in the open field. Basic Rules

It is not at all difficult to plant a juniper in an open area; this plant is also not very demanding in care. Planting material is commonly purchased from garden stores, and many varieties of juniper can be found in the nursery. Plants for sale are usually planted in planting containers with well-fertilized soil.

Planting a juniper: a description of the process

When planting, the plant must be carefully removed from the container along with an earthen lump. Thus, the roots will not stop receiving nutrition, and the seedlings suffer less when transferred to a new habitat to an open area. Before direct planting, it is necessary to prepare the site for this.
It is rather difficult to choose an ideal soil composition for a given culture. The fact is that different varieties of a given culture have different requirements regarding the acidity of the soil. For example, Virginia juniper loves more soil with a high clay content, as well as a fairly high pH. At the same time, the Central Asian and Cossack junipers are more fond of limestone soils. As for the Daursky or Siberian junipers, they will delight you only if they grow on sandy soils.

Common and Chinese junipers feel best in the vicinity of lakes and rivers. However, too much water can harm the juniper. This applies to all varieties. You should not choose wetlands for planting this culture; moisture should not linger on them in the spring or after precipitation. The soil should have a loose structure and a good drainage layer. As for moisture, its amount should be moderate.

Interestingly, soil fertility is not a fundamental factor in the successful growth of this crop.
In order for your plant to feel good on the site, you need to prepare a soil mixture that will be used to fill the planting hole. For such a mixture, peat must be mixed with coarse-grained river sand and sod land. These ingredients must be mixed in equal parts. The best soil is one that has another juniper or other ephedra.

Pits for planting are prepared in advance, at least three to four weeks before the expected planting of plants. The bottom of the planting pit must be covered with a drainage layer about fifteen to twenty centimeters thick. To do this, you can use brick fragments, expanded clay, crushed stone, pebbles. On top of the drainage layer, a layer of fertilized soil is laid. After that, the holes must be left like this until the plant is planted. The soil will be saturated with oxygen and the soil should settle slightly. In such a soil mixture, nitroammofoska is sometimes added as an addition, about two hundred grams.

To make it easier to get the seedling out of the container along with the clod of earth, you need to thoroughly spill the plant with water thirty minutes before planting so that the water soaks the whole clod of earth. Thus, without any problems, without damaging the root system, you will get the plants out of the planting containers. The plant must be installed in the hole so that the level of the root collar is slightly higher than the level of the soil. The root collar should not go too deep into the ground. The place that remains in the hole must be covered with earth. Tighten it from time to time. When the hole is completely filled, pour water on the near-stem circle of the plant. After that, it will not be superfluous to lay a mulch layer. To do this, you can use tree bark, sawdust or coniferous litter.

After the plants are planted, it will not be superfluous to put a non-high fence or trellis. The fact is that conifers attract the attention of dogs from the point of view of marking the territory. In urine, an alkaline reaction is too sharp, and its ingress on still young and weak plants can be destructive.

This culture is able to grow to a large size only in the natural environment. If the juniper is grown in the garden, then its height will be no more than three to three and a half meters. A certain distance must be maintained between plants, at least one and a half to two meters. This is necessary so that each plant has enough nutrients, sunlight and heat. If you are planting a non-tall, bushy variety of juniper, or a creeping variety, then leave about fifty to one hundred centimeters between the plants.

If you are faced with the task of transplanting a juniper to another habitat, then keep in mind that this is done while the plant is young. Plants "aged" are not always able to survive this event. Plants are transplanted in the spring or autumn. An important point in this case is the preservation of a sufficient size of a clod of earth on the root system.

The plant is prepared for transplanting in advance, about one year in advance. The soil in the near-stem circle, about forty to fifty centimeters from the plant's trunk, is pierced around the circumference, while the roots located in the surface layer of the earth should be cut off.
So small roots will be formed more actively and in greater quantities. They will help to keep the earthen lump. In advance, you need to dig holes for planting, they should contain a clod of earth of the plant that is being transplanted.

This procedure is carried out during cloudy weather. The plant must be dug around the perimeter, then carefully pull it out of the ground. In this case, the clod of earth on the root system should be preserved as best as possible.To transfer the bush to a new habitat, you can use a dense fabric. The bush is quite heavy, so it is better to immediately involve an assistant to work.

After installing the plant in a new planting hole, you must do the same procedures as when planting juniper seedlings. If the transplant is carried out in the spring, then after that you need to create a small shade for the plants, so the moisture will evaporate less. If the transplant is carried out in the autumn, then after that it is necessary to organize watering of the plant on a regular basis. Before the low temperatures set in, a sufficiently thick mulch layer must be laid in the root system zone. And then the drought will not be terrible for your plants, the water will not evaporate faster than the roots will deliver it. This problem is especially relevant in the first year of life, especially in the spring, after the plant has been transplanted. The fact is that the rhizomes of the juniper after transplantation, one way or another, are damaged, and for this reason the plant cannot receive a sufficient amount of moisture. In addition, in spring the sun shines very brightly, and therefore the moisture on the juniper needles will evaporate very quickly. It is worth remembering that adherence to the "polarity rule" is a very important element of the transplant process. The bush should have the same exposure as before transplanting.

Planting a juniper, rules for caring for it on the site

It is not necessary to constantly look after this culture, including for this reason, the juniper is very popular among gardeners and landscape designers.

As a rule, this plant is able to maintain its beautiful appearance for a long time without any care. However, at the same time, you need to know about some of the rules for care. In order to get the desired result, some efforts still have to be made. From time to time, the plants need to be watered, nutrients added for the normal growth and development of your juniper plantings. In addition, for oxygen to access the root system, it is necessary to periodically loosen the soil in the plant's near-stem circles. It will not be superfluous if you lay a layer of mulch so that weeds do not bother your plantings, and also so that moisture does not evaporate so intensely. In addition, it is necessary to cover the plants during the winter period. Although, as a rule, the latter measure is not necessary, but those varieties of juniper that are demanding on warm conditions still require additional insulation. The same applies to those plants that are still too young to cope with low temperatures on their own. Also, the shelter is relevant for those varieties of juniper that have a decorative crown appearance. So the twigs will not be damaged by a large amount of snow, and the needles will not get sunburn from the spring sun rays.

There is no need to water these plants on a regular basis. Over the summer period, five to six irrigations will be enough. And then, you need to do this only if the weather is hot, dry. In no case should the soil become waterlogged, since this has a very bad effect on the development and growth of the plant. It will not be superfluous to spray the crown of plants from time to time, since they need a certain level of air humidity. Sprinkling is well suited for junipers, as the scales are peeled and the pleasant smell of the needles becomes much brighter.

Do not forget that during the day the sun is too aggressive for the plants, so you need to spray them only in the morning or in the evening, after sunset. The juniper must have time to dry before the sun comes out. Otherwise, the plant can get sunburn.

In order for a plant to grow and develop normally, it needs a certain amount of nutrients.The best option to feed the juniper is to use complex feeding after planting in the spring. To do this, many gardeners use Khvoinka, Green Needle or Kemiru universal. Any other top dressing is no longer needed, especially if you have introduced a sufficient amount of the necessary mineral elements into the soil before planting.

The area near the roots must be weeded periodically, as well as loosening. This is especially true for the first time after the plant has been planted on the site. Otherwise, juniper plantings will lose their decorative appearance, for which everything is usually started. Do not neglect the recommendation for a mulch layer. This can make it easier for you to care for your plants. Weed grass will not bother your junipers, moisture from the ground will not evaporate too intensively, and in addition to practical functions, the mulch layer can also perform an aesthetic function.

For the mulch layer, coniferous sawdust, bark, peat are usually used. Before the onset of the cold season, be sure to make the mulch layer thicker. This will protect the root system of your plants from frost in winter.
Pruning juniper is not at all an obligatory step in caring for this crop. Many designers and summer residents are still engaged, from time to time, with juniper pruning. The shrub, thus, heals, rejuvenates, and the appearance becomes decorative. Pruning is different. This procedure is performed for different purposes. First, pruning is carried out in order to remove broken, deformed, dry, affected branches (the so-called sanitary pruning). Second, pruning can be formative. Thirdly, they cut off excess shoots, which thicken the crown and interfere with the normal access of light and air.

Sanitary pruning is usually done throughout the year. In early spring and autumn, you need to carefully examine the plants for damaged shoots. If there is a need, then remove the spoiled branches in the summer.

Pruning this crop in the spring is not at all difficult. In addition to sanitary work, young plants require crown-forming pruning and thinning pruning. In order for the bush to have a normal shape and size, especially for tree-like varieties with a narrow crown, you need to prune the plants in the summer. You can only prune the plant when it is over a year old.

When pruning plants, it makes sense to use gloves, as juniper resin is toxic and can cause soreness if it comes into contact with the skin. Overalls will also not be superfluous, since if you stain a thing in resin, then it will be quite difficult to wash it. The secateurs, scissors should be well sharpened, since if the cut is uneven, it will take much longer to heal. Be sure to disinfect the blades with copper sulphate or a liquid that contains alcohol before trimming. Slices, too, will not be superfluous to process. When the wounds are dry, paint over with natural oil-based paint. At the same time, it is not recommended to use garden pitch in order to avoid the appearance of putrefactive processes.

About diseases and harmful insects on the juniper

Various diseases and harmful insects sometimes annoy juniper plantings. Most often, this problem is faced by those who grow this crop in regions with a warm climate. Juniper can be affected by fusarium, rust, brown mold, and you can often find that the shoots dry out.

All of the above diseases are of fungal origin, as a rule, their appearance is associated with insufficient plant care. Too much moistening of the soil, a thickened planting pattern can also provoke fungal diseases.Poor quality seedlings are often among the reasons. To prevent such problems from happening, you need to inspect the planting material well before directly planting it on the site.

As for harmful insects, the juniper is most often attacked by the scale insects, aphids, needle mites, miner moths, and the angle-winged moth.

So that these pests do not interfere with your plants' normal growth and development, you need to do preventive examinations of plants for the presence of pests. It is best to detect insects at an early stage, when the damage to the plant is not yet so significant. After detecting pests, you need to use special chemicals. These are usually acaricides or insecticides. It helps to prevent the use of folk remedies well. Most often, junipers are sprayed with infusions. Different ingredients can be used for their preparation: nettle, tobacco, dandelion, garlic.
Planting and caring for this crop is not too difficult; a minimum of actions need to be done during the season. And at the same time, the juniper will still delight the eye with its decorative look. This plant lives for a very, very long time, more than a dozen years. And yet, it is necessary to carry out some manipulations, and then the plant will be very grateful to you.

Planting juniper in the ground