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Juniper is an excellent ornamental evergreen shrub, and many gardeners would like to plant it on the site. However, this is often not easy. In nurseries, planting material is expensive, and not always available, and a juniper taken from the wild is likely to die. There is a way out of this situation. This is the propagation of juniper cuttings. It is possible, however, it is rather difficult to do it at home.
Is it possible to propagate a juniper by cuttings
Conifers are difficult to cut by cuttings, and juniper is no exception. Even if all the necessary conditions are met, the percentage of rooting of cuttings does not exceed 50, which is a good indicator. Growing a juniper from a cuttings is the only way to propagate the ornamental species of this evergreen shrub. You can do this with the help of seeds, but in this way it is possible to get only seedlings - plants that have not retained varietal characteristics. The seed propagation process of juniper is difficult and time-consuming, which is why most gardeners prefer to use the well-proven vegetative method.
Some gardeners are trying to transplant juniper bushes transferred from the wild into the site. Most of the time, however, this ends in failure. It is better not to dig a forest juniper, but to propagate it by cuttings, cutting off several promising branches from a wild-growing bush.
Features of cuttings of juniper
You can cut junipers throughout the season, but early spring or autumn is considered the best time for this. In summer, this is usually not done. At temperatures above + 25 ° C, the vital activity of the plant slows down greatly, and the cuttings may simply die. Low temperatures also negatively affect this process. Therefore, it is possible to root a juniper in winter only at home.
Juniper cuttings have one interesting feature. If you take them from the top of the plant, then the future tree will tend to grow up and form a narrow crown. If cuttings are taken from lateral shoots, the crown of the future bush will grow in breadth. Therefore, for reproduction of tree junipers with a narrow crown, you need to use twigs taken from the top of the tree, and for bush and creeping varieties - from the side. In varieties with a variegated crown, planting material is taken from the sunny side.
When is it better to propagate thuja and junipers by cuttings
Reproduction of thuja and juniper with green cuttings can be started in early spring, as soon as the snow melts, and continue until the end of May. This time is the peak of active growth of the plant, the maximum of its vital energy. However, not all gardeners consider these dates to be correct. It is believed that the best time to plant cuttings is from September to the end of November. During this period, the stomata of plants are closed, and moisture loss is minimal.
Reproduction of juniper cuttings in spring
Junipers are planted in spring with cuttings in early April, when the temperature will surely reach positive values. At this time, the shelters from the bushes are already being removed, so it is not difficult to visually assess the quality and choose the necessary material for grafting.
Cuttings are taken from semi-lignified shoots, cutting them off with a knife or tearing them off by hand along with a part of old wood - a heel.
Juniper cuttings in winter
Juniper can also be cut at the end of winter. At this time, there is no severe frost, and conifers are already preparing for the beginning of the growing season. It is important that during this period there are no pests or diseases on the trees. After harvesting the cuttings, the winter shelter should be returned to its place, since frost and bright spring sun can severely damage the needles.
Reproduction of juniper cuttings at home in the fall
Juniper planting with cuttings in the fall can be carried out from September to November. During this time, they are rooted in separate containers, and in the spring they are transplanted into greenhouses for growing. When the seedlings reach the age of 3-4 years, they can be transplanted into open ground.
How to propagate a juniper by cuttings at home
Growing a juniper from a branch at home is a rather difficult task. This is a lengthy process that takes several months. To carry out the work, the following materials will be required:
- Epin (plant growth stimulant);
- Kornevin (root formation stimulant);
- knife;
- a piece of clean cloth;
- sphagnum moss;
- plastic bag.
Unlike thuja, when propagating juniper by cuttings, jars of water are not used. Prolonged exposure to a humid environment does not lead to root formation, but only to rotting of the branches.
Rules for harvesting cuttings
As cuttings, you can use semi-lignified shoots 8-15 cm long. It is better not to cut them off, but to tear them off with your hands, since with this method a piece of old wood also comes off - a heel. The harvested cuttings should be wrapped in moist moss.
How to root a juniper with cuttings
Before rooting, juniper branches are kept for 12 hours in water with the addition of a growth stimulator - Epin. In the absence of such, you can use its natural substitute - sugar or honey water (proportions of 1 liter of water and 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey). The lower 3-4 cm of the cutting must be cleaned of needles. It is also necessary to remove the berries from the branches, if any. Together with the removal of the needles in the lower part of the cuttings, several notches are made on the bark, it is in such places in the future that the juniper branch will give roots.
A layer of wet sphagnum moss is spread on a piece of clean cloth. Then cuttings are placed on it, having previously powdered their lower part with Kornevin. The fabric is folded into a pocket and rolled into a roll, which is fixed with several elastic bands for banknotes. The roll is placed in a plastic bag. When tied, it is hung between wooden window frames, while it is important that it does not get direct sunlight. Periodically, cuttings need to be removed and inspected. In a few months, when they have their own roots, they can be planted in separate peat cups, and after final rooting, planted in open ground.
Rooting juniper at home can also be done in containers filled with a mixture of sand and peat. Cuttings prepared and treated by Kornevin are buried in a moistened substrate by 5-7 cm. Then the containers are placed in a dense plastic bag and placed on the windowsill. This is how greenhouse conditions are simulated. You do not need to tie the bag on top. The nutrient substrate needs to be moistened from time to time. After the cutting has formed its own root system, it is transplanted into open ground.
Care of cuttings
Planted cuttings must be periodically inspected, and the nutrient substrate in which they are located must be loosened and moistened. It is very important that the air temperature does not exceed + 25 ° С, while + 20-22 ° С is considered optimal. There is no need to feed the cuttings, however, for insurance, you can use a solution of heteroauxin or sodium humate, prepared in accordance with the instructions for use.
Transplanting a seedling into open ground
The best time to transplant a grown seedling into open ground is spring, from April to May. Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted in autumn, in September-October, but spring planting is still more preferable.
Junipers are demanding on lighting, so the place for planting them should be open and not in the shade of large trees and buildings. Light partial shade or constant illumination by diffused sunlight is allowed. It is desirable that there are no strong winds on the site, especially from the north. The soil is preferable to be loose, well-drained. Common juniper and its Chinese variety do not tolerate dry air, they will grow well if there is a natural body of water nearby.
Different types of juniper prefer different types of soil. For example, Virginia will feel better on slightly acidic clay soils, Cossack prefers lime soil, and Siberian juniper must be planted only in sandy soil. Indicators of acidity and soil composition must be checked before planting and, if necessary, bring them to the required ones.
Before planting, it is necessary to prepare a sufficient amount of a universal soil substrate with which the planting pit will be filled. To prepare such a mixture, a mixture of soil taken from under an adult juniper or other coniferous plant, coarse river sand and peat is best suited. All components are taken in equal proportions and thoroughly mixed with each other.
It is better to prepare the landing pits in advance so that the soil has time to settle and become saturated with air. Their size must be guaranteed to exceed the volume of the earthen lump on the roots of the seedling. A drainage layer of broken brick, expanded clay or crushed stone is poured onto the bottom of the pit. Then a layer of nutrient soil is poured on top. In this form, the pit is left for several weeks.
A cloudy, cool day is chosen for planting. Containers with seedlings are spilled with water in advance so as not to damage the roots when removing. The seedling is placed vertically in a pit on an earthen slide, and then covered with a nutritious substrate. The earth around the trunk is lightly compacted to prevent voids. The root collar of the seedling does not go deep, it should be at the level of the soil. After planting, watering is carried out, and then the root zone is mulched with peat, bark or sawdust of coniferous trees.
Over time, the juniper grows quite strongly, therefore, when carrying out group plantings, it is necessary to observe certain intervals between neighboring plants. Dwarf species are planted at a distance of 0.8-1 m from each other, when planting larger varieties, it will be advisable to increase this distance to 1.5-2 m. Such a measure will allow plants to avoid competition and develop normally without oppressing each other.
Conclusion
Reproduction of a juniper by cuttings is an excellent way to increase or diversify the species composition of conifers grown on a personal plot. It may not always end successfully, however, thanks to it, one can gain invaluable experience in such work. Many garden plants propagate by cuttings much more easily.If you learn to cut conifers, then working with other shrubs is likely to bring a positive result.
