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Juniper in the fall requires some attention. In order for the bush to delight all year round with rich, juicy greens and a pleasant aroma, it should be properly prepared for winter. If for some reason the plant turns yellow, does not take root, it is worth listening to the advice of experienced gardeners. Adhering to simple recommendations, you can achieve good results.
When to plant junipers in autumn
Not everyone knows that autumn is a good time of the year for planting junipers. If a seedling has a powerful rhizome, then when planted before November, it has every chance to take root and safely adapt to the low temperatures of winter. Caring for junipers in the fall and preparing for winter is an event that requires a serious approach.
Important! The end of winter is not a reason to relax. A coniferous tree can also die in the spring, when the rooting process is completed: at this time, recurrent frosts occur. The cause of the trouble may be a weak, diseased root or a violation of an earthen coma. It is worth noting that small specimens are recommended to be started in the spring. Thus, before the winter frosts, they will be able to take root and withstand bad weather.
How to plant junipers in the fall
Before planting a juniper seedling in a new place, in the fall, a year before transplanting, the plant is deeply dug in: the diameter should not be less than the diameter of the crown. Then the rhizome is trimmed and the juniper seedling is given time to recover.
It is also necessary to know that mature plants are also unsuitable for transferring to a new place. Even under ideal conditions, a mature specimen will not tolerate stress. If, nevertheless, transplanting an adult plant is inevitable, it is worth trying to plant a juniper in winter, when the root ball is sufficiently frozen. When performing such a procedure in February, you can count on the probability of the survival of the seedling.
Landing site preparation
Soil structure does not play a decisive role. In the matter of land, juniper is undemanding, but when choosing a place, light and loose soil should be preferred. An exception may be clay soil - the seedling will not take root on it. Only the Virginia juniper bush can assess the properties of clay.
If you scrupulously adhere to the rules, then the Central Asian and Cossack varieties take root best in alkaline soil. Siberian - loves sandy loam and sandy soil. For the rest, acidic soil is more acceptable.
In the spring or in the middle of autumn, a new place is selected for the plant. Juniper takes root perfectly in sunny areas. In this case, it is important that the light of the sun comes in during the day. If the seedling is placed in the shade, it will not be possible to form a beautiful shape from scanty branches.Moreover, the color of the plant will become pale, uninteresting. The dimensions of the recess for disembarkation are twice the size of an earthen lump, they introduce a drainage layer consisting of broken bricks, pebbles and sand. The thickness of the layer varies from 15 to 25 cm.
Seedling preparation
Before submerging the seedling in the ground, it should be treated with a growth stimulant. When planting in dry soil, the bush is pre-saturated in a container with water, protected from direct sunlight.
The pit is filled with water, the soil is thoroughly moistened. To prevent the attack of insects, the juniper seedling is watered with special chemicals after planting. This action must be carried out repeatedly until the plant "gets sick" in a new place.
A step-by-step guide on how to plant a juniper in the fall
If you adhere to the recommendations of experienced gardeners and follow a step-by-step algorithm of actions when preparing a juniper for winter, the growing process will not create difficulties. Correct organization of actions:
- In the prepared soil, the landing sites are outlined. The interval between seedlings is maintained at 1.5 - 2 m.For varieties of dwarf species that do not tend to grow, the distance is reduced to 0.5 - 1 m.
- Pits are prepared, focusing on the root system. They should be twice the size of an earthen coma. The approximate dimensions of the hole for a three-year-old seedling are 50x50 cm.
- A drainage layer of broken brick and sand (15 - 20 cm) is brought to the bottom of the pit. A mixture of soil, turf, sand, peat is also poured in.
- Before the autumn planting of juniper for the winter, it is recommended to add up to 300 g of a nutrient - nitroammophoska to the hole. The drug is classified as universal, it is suitable for all types of garden plants.
- The pit is allowed to stand for 21 days. Thus, the soil will settle, and when planting a juniper seedling, the rhizome will not additionally suffer.
- A seedling is immersed in the hole, covered with earth, fertilizers are not applied.
When planting young and medium-sized seedlings in autumn before winter, it is necessary to control that their root collars are located at the same level with the soil surface. If the juniper is large, they should rise 5-10 cm above the ground.
After completing all the actions according to the technologies and a step-by-step description of planting a juniper in the fall, the plant is well watered, the surface is mulched.
Juniper care in autumn
There are no special requirements for the care of junipers in the fall. It is distinguished by good endurance, survives cold winter temperatures and drought in the heat, but on condition that the root system has completely taken root. A transplanted plant needs watering, since a weakened root cannot always go deep into the bowels of the earth to recharge. Irrigation of the seedling will be useful.
How to water a juniper in the fall
Only a year after a successful planting, the juniper can not be watered in autumn and even summer. If the heat is aggressive and drying out the soil, the plant is watered abundantly, but not more often than once every 14 days.
How to properly prune junipers in the fall
Pruning of common juniper in the fall is carried out if the plant is grown for the purpose of decorating the site. Figuratively form or simply remove excess processes. It is also necessary to eliminate dry, broken, limp branches. The rules for cutting seedlings are universal for all conifers. The plant must be well-established, with no signs of disease. For some varieties, it is impossible to form a crown.
Juniper pruning in the fall is not always carried out according to the scheme. The choice of shape should be appropriate for the landscape. Sometimes gardeners leave a natural crown.
How to feed
When planting a juniper in the fall before winter, the plant should be saturated with fertilizers. Thus, before the cold weather, support of the easily injured root system of the seedling is carried out.
For fertilization, humus that has stood in the pile for at least 1.5 years is used.
If humus was introduced into the soil during planting, the manipulation is not repeated for the next three years. The fact that there is an excess of nitrogen in the earth will be indicated by the yellow color of the needles, dry branches.
To make compost, the top layer of soil above the roots is dug up, watered and mulched.
How to care for junipers in winter
Juniper is resistant to low temperatures, so in winter there is not much work on caring for the tree - all the main preparatory measures are carried out in the fall, before winter arrives. To prevent snow drifts from breaking the crown, the bushes are tied up. It is especially characteristic of juniper plants that have undergone formation to "crumble".
Is it possible to prune junipers in winter
The best time to form a bush is spring and summer. If we are talking about the middle lane, then the second half of summer for haircuts is already undesirable. Juniper may not have time to "get sick" before the onset of the cold winter.
Juniper pruning in the fall is carried out for sanitary purposes, to remove dry and damaged branches, without touching the living. Before starting the procedure, you should make sure that the plant is healthy. If in doubt, the formation of the bush should be postponed until spring.
In winter, you can also use sharp garden shears, but only cut dry branches, without affecting living fragments.
How to water a juniper in winter
In winter, the juniper is watered only if it grows at home, on the windowsill. Watering frequency does not exceed twice a month. The coniferous culture loves to be irrigated every other day. In this way, dense, lush greens are obtained.
Do I need to cover the juniper for the winter
The bush can withstand low temperatures, but if the juniper has not reached three years, it must be sheltered for the winter in the fall. Some varieties tend to react negatively to temperature changes in spring. The fact that the juniper is not comfortable when changing from minus to plus and vice versa will be indicated by the faded shade of the plant and the yellowish-brown color of the branches.
How to cover a juniper for the winter
Juniper shelter for the winter is carried out at the end of autumn using any of the proposed methods:
- In regions with snowy winters, the easiest way to cover the root system is to use snow. After the first snowfall, the previously tied bush is insulated with a snowdrift. For these purposes, only freshly fallen precipitation is suitable. The procedure requires care, as it is important not to damage the branches and trunk.
- Young non-bulky shrubs are superbly insulated with pine spruce branches. Large ones are tied with needles, small ones are covered on top.
- In regions where snow falls unstably, agrofibre or burlap is most often used to shelter juniper plants. The crown is wrapped in such a way that the bottom of the tree is open. How to properly organize the process of saving a juniper in winter is well shown in the photo of sites and forums of gardeners on the Internet.Important! The film is not considered as an option for insulation, since under it the seedling can rot or get sick.
- An interesting and effective way to insulate a juniper is to install a reflective screen. Having placed it on the side of the sunlight, they ensure that the rays grill the crown.
If the seedling is not permanently planted, it can be brought into greenhouse conditions for the winter in late autumn. Thus, additional care is easily avoided. Particular attention should be paid to preparing juniper for winter in regions where temperatures drop to -30 oC.
Conclusion
Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, the juniper is planted in the fall especially often, since due to the high humidity of the air, it is the autumn period that is optimal for preserving the green crown. Subsequently, this will have a positive effect on the presentability of the plant and provide it with good reproduction.
