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Many would like to decorate a summer cottage or a local area with evergreen coniferous shrubs. Juniper may be one of the possible options in this case. This plant not only has a beautiful decorative appearance, but also has a lot of useful properties. Planting and caring for a juniper is easy? and even the most inexperienced gardener can cope with them.
When to plant juniper
Juniper seedlings are grown and sold, as a rule, in special containers filled with nutritious soil. Their age at the time of planting should be 3-4 years. Such seedlings can be planted in open ground in spring, from early April to late May. Autumn is also a good period for planting junipers, from early September to late October. However, at this time, it is possible to plant seedlings only with a buried root system.
Later dates are undesirable, since the shrub may not have time to acclimatize in a new place and will die in winter. Planting junipers in summer is also undesirable.
Where to plant juniper
Most often, juniper is grown in the garden, using it as an element of landscape design. Treelike varieties are planted along paths and alleys, dwarf and creeping varieties are used in the design of alpine slides, rockeries, juniper plantings are used to strengthen slopes and embankments.
Is it possible to plant a juniper near the house
On the south side of the house, juniper bushes will do relatively well. In such a place, sunlight is enough for them, and the building will protect them from the cold north wind. When planting a juniper near a house, the dimensions of the future shrub should be taken into account. Some tree-like species can reach significant sizes, both in height and in volume, so their close-up to the house is undesirable.
Some gardeners are afraid to plant junipers next to housing because of its toxicity. Indeed, all species of this shrub, with the exception of the common juniper, are poisonous to one degree or another. However, poisoning can occur only when any parts of the tree are ingested, for example, its berries. Irritation can also occur when juniper resin comes into contact with exposed skin. Nevertheless, if you follow the elementary precautions when planting, these bushes can be grown near the house quite calmly, including the most poisonous (but at the same time the most decorative) variety of them - the Cossack juniper.
Where is it better to plant juniper on the site
Juniper is photophilous, it does not like shade and grows well only in the sun or in light partial shade. In the wild, it grows in clean coniferous and mixed forests, on clearings, forest roads, forest edges and clearings, that is, where there is enough sunlight for it. Therefore, to plant it, you should look for an open, clean place.It is permissible to plant shrubs in places where the sun is present for most of the daylight hours. If the bush lacks sunlight, its crown will be loose, and the color will be faded.
What to plant next to a juniper
Juniper bushes can be planted alone or in a group with other plants. The compatibility of the juniper is good and it tolerates the neighborhood with other plants calmly. For decorative purposes, it is often planted next to other larger conifers, such as fir or pine. Roses, peonies and clematis coexist quite well with this evergreen shrub, but they must be planted at some distance. As part of flower arrangements, bulbous plants are often planted nearby: tulips, daffodils, hyacinths.
When decorating alpine slides, rockeries or Japanese-style gardens, creeping juniper varieties go well with heathers of different colors. Such a composition looks very advantageous against the background of stones and large pebbles. It can be supplemented with a dwarf spruce or weeping larch.
How to plant a juniper
There is nothing difficult in planting a juniper in open ground and caring for it. Ready-made seedlings can be bought in specialized stores or nurseries. They are sold, as a rule, in special individual containers filled with nutrient soil. When planting, the seedling is removed along with a clod of earth. At the same time, root nutrition is not disturbed, and the plant experiences much less stress when planted in open ground. The technology for preparing the site and a step-by-step description of the process of planting juniper in spring are given below.
Preparing the soil for juniper and planting site
In most cases, the soil in the garden will not be ideal in composition for planting junipers. Different species of this shrub react differently to soil acidity. For example, the Virginian prefers clayey acidic soils, while the Central Asian or Cossack varieties feel better on calcareous ones, and the Siberian or Daurian ones will grow only on sand.
It is better to plant moisture-loving Chinese and ordinary junipers next to natural bodies of water. However, excess moisture is contraindicated for any variety of this shrub. On wetlands, where water stagnates after rain or in spring, it is better to refuse planting. The soil should be loose, well-drained and moderately moist.
As a universal option for planting seedlings, you can prepare a special soil with which the planting pit will be filled. For its preparation, you will need coarse-grained river sand, sod land and peat. All components are taken in equal proportions and mixed. It is preferable to take the land from under an adult juniper or from under any coniferous tree.
Planting holes should be dug several weeks before the planned planting date. A 15-20 cm thick drainage layer must be laid on the bottom. For this purpose, pieces of rubble or fragments of bricks are quite suitable. A little nutritious soil can be poured over the drainage and the pits can be left in this form until planting. During this time, the earth will be saturated with air, and the loose soil will settle.
How to plant a juniper correctly
Half an hour before planting, the container with the seedling must be watered so that the soil is completely saturated. After that, it will not be difficult to remove the bush along with a lump of earth on the roots. The seedling is placed in a pit, adding soil in such a way that the root collar is just above ground level.After the soil shrinks after watering, it will be just at the right level. It is impossible to deepen the root collar into the ground. The remaining space in the planting pit is covered with soil mixture, periodically compacting it. After the pit is completely filled, the root zone of the juniper must be watered, and then mulched with needles, bark or sawdust.
Such a measure will protect young seedlings from dogs, who are very fond of marking conifers. Animal urine has a sharp alkaline reaction and can completely destroy immature plants.
An informative video about planting and caring for junipers in the garden - follow the link below
Juniper planting distance
Juniper can only grow to a significant size in the wild. In a garden, even tree-like varieties rarely grow above 3-3.5 m.To the crowns of neighboring plants do not compete with each other, the distance between them during planting should be at least 1.5-2 m.For low bush forms and creeping species, it is enough distances 0.5-1 m.
How to transplant a juniper to another location
If for some reason the bush needs to be transplanted to a new place, then this can be done only at a young age. Adult plants tolerate this procedure much worse. A juniper can be transplanted in spring or autumn, the main thing is to keep an earthen lump of sufficient size on the roots.
Preparation for transplantation must begin a year before the planned work. The ground around the trunk at a distance of 40-50 cm must be pierced in a circle, chopping off the surface roots. Such a measure will give an impetus to the development of a large number of small roots that will help hold the earth. And also in advance it is necessary to take care of the planting pits, the volume of which must be guaranteed to accommodate the earthen lump of the transplanted plant.
A cloudy cool day is chosen for transplantation. The bush is dug in from all sides, after which it is carefully removed from the ground, trying to preserve the earthen lump on the roots as much as possible. It is best to move the plant to a new planting site on a piece of thick cloth, such as tarpaulin. Such a load will have significant weight, therefore, it is not recommended to transplant a large juniper alone.
After the bush is installed in the planting hole, all the same activities are carried out with it as when planting a young seedling. After the spring transplant, the juniper must be shaded to reduce moisture loss. If the procedure was carried out in the fall, the transplanted bush must be watered regularly, and before the onset of cold weather, cover the root zone with a thick layer of mulch. This will avoid physiological drought - a condition where the plant evaporates more moisture than the root system supplies. This problem can occur in a plant in the first spring after transplanting. At this time, the damaged root system of the bush will not yet be able to provide the plant with moisture, and the bright spring sun will intensively evaporate it from the needles. If this happens, the juniper will simply dry out.
How to care for juniper in the country
Juniper is not a plant that requires constant care. For this, many lovers of decorative gardening love him. Often this shrub retains its decorative appearance for a long time even without any intervention of the gardener. Nevertheless, certain measures for caring for junipers in the country after planting will not be superfluous. These include:
- watering;
- top dressing;
- loosening;
- mulching;
- shelter for the winter.
Usually, the juniper is not covered for the winter.The only exceptions are thermophilic species, as well as plants, from the moment of planting or transplanting which has not passed a year. In addition to them, a shelter is also built around plants with a decorative crown in order to exclude damage to branches under the weight of snow or burned out needles from the bright spring sun.
How to water a juniper
It is not necessary to do regular watering of the juniper. It will be enough several times over the summer, and even then only during the hot dry season. These shrubs have a very negative attitude to waterlogging of the soil, but they respond well to spraying the crown. Sprinkling clears the stomata, while the plant begins to emit a more distinct coniferous smell.
Spraying can be done only in the early morning or late evening, so that the plant has time to dry out before the sun appears. Otherwise, the sunlight focused by water droplets can burn the needles very badly.
Top dressing
The easiest way to give a juniper everything it needs for growth and development after planting is to apply a dissolved complex fertilizer, such as Kemira-Universal, Khvoinka or Green Needle, to the root zone in the spring. There is no need to feed the plants with anything else, especially if during planting the soil was prepared and mineral fertilizers were applied.
Loosening and mulching
The root zone of the juniper after planting must be cleaned of weeds and loosen regularly. Otherwise, the plant will look sloppy. Mulch eliminates the need to constantly clean the trunks of weeds and significantly increases the decorative effect of planting as a whole. In addition to the aesthetic component, mulching significantly reduces the evaporation of moisture from the soil.
As mulch, you can use tree bark, coniferous sawdust, peat. The layer of such material must be increased before the winter cold. This will protect the juniper root system from freezing.
Juniper pruning in spring and summer
Pruning junipers in the spring is not a necessary maintenance measure, but experienced gardeners will never neglect this procedure. She is able to heal the bush, rejuvenate it, and give it a more decorative look. There are several types of juniper pruning:
- sanitary;
- formative;
- thinning out.
Sanitary pruning is done throughout the season. In spring and autumn, it is imperative to inspect the shrub and cut out broken, dry, diseased and damaged branches. In some cases, you have to do this in the summer, eliminating the consequences, for example, of unintentional mechanical damage to the bushes. The pruning scheme for juniper in spring is very simple. In addition to sanitary cleaning, at a young age, the crown is formed and thinned for better air exchange. Treelike varieties with a narrow crown are pruned in summer, keeping the shrub from growing, as well as maintaining its shape and size.
When pruning shrubs, it is necessary to carry out all work with gloves. Resin adhering to exposed areas of the body can cause painful skin irritation. It is also necessary to carry out work in overalls, since things stained with resin are very difficult to wash. It is very important to use a sharpened tool, as even, smooth cuts will tighten much faster. All cutting edges must be disinfected with an alcohol-based liquid or copper sulfate solution. It is recommended to process open sections with the same solution. After they dry, they need to be painted over with natural oil paint.
Protection against diseases and pests
Diseases and pests quite often attack the juniper. Shrubs in the southern regions are especially susceptible to this.Among the diseases, the following are most often noted:
- juniper shute (brown mold);
- fusarium;
- rust;
- drying out of shoots.
All these diseases are fungal and are associated, first of all, with disturbances in care, waterlogging, thickening of the plantings. And also the cause of the appearance of the disease may be poor-quality planting material. To protect the garden, seedlings must be carefully inspected, suspiciously discarded.
Of the insect pests, the following are the most dangerous for juniper:
- aphid;
- shield;
- miner mole;
- needle tick;
- angle-winged moth.
The best way to prevent pests from appearing on junipers is to regularly carefully examine the shrub. It is very important to find a colony of insects at an early stage, then the harm from their appearance will be minimal. If pests are identified, the juniper must be treated with appropriate means (insecticides, acaricides). A good result is also obtained by periodically spraying the crown with folk remedies: infusions of dandelion, nettle, tobacco or garlic.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for junipers takes very little time in the seasonal gardening calendar. This evergreen coniferous shrub is a real long-liver among plants and is able to decorate the site for tens or even hundreds of years. Therefore, in spite of the fact that he is rather unpretentious, you should not treat him according to the principle of "growing and okay." Just a little care, and the juniper will open up in all its glory, giving not only aesthetic pleasure, but also a healthy atmosphere around the house.
