Junipers are shrubs and trees that belong to the evergreen conifers of the Cypress family. Today, there are over 60 of their species. Juniper has soft needles with various shades, captivating aroma and frost resistance. For these reasons, it is so popular among designers and gardeners in the design of a garden or a house territory.
Basically, all types of juniper live long enough. The approximate age of these plants reaches 600 years. At the same time, they serve not only to decorate the garden, but also perfectly clean the environment from pathogenic bacteria.
However, not every gardener knows how to transplant juniper without stress for the plant. Therefore, before buying seedlings, it is necessary to collect as much information as possible about the selected plant. And so that there are no questions about how, and most importantly, when to transplant juniper - in the fall or in the spring - we will tell you in detail in our article about all the nuances of its cultivation.
The main varieties for growing in the garden
Virginia Juniper is a decorative tree that grows in Canada and the United States. Sometimes it can grow up to 30 meters, but only at home. In Russia, Virginia juniper does not reach a height of more than 6 meters.
Common Juniper is a tree-like variety that can take the form of a tall tree (up to 12 meters) or a spreading shrub (up to 2 meters). It is the most unpretentious species, and therefore the most common.
Juniper Daurian - it is characterized by stretching and creeping shoots, 2-3 meters long. It is steady against frosts and does not demand additional leaving.
Juniper Cossack - has the shape of a creeping shrub, with a height of 1.5-2 meters. A distinctive feature of this species is the pungent odor and toxicity of some varieties.
Horizontal Juniper - an evergreen shrub that grows well in artificial ponds and ponds. It has a low height - 15-30 centimeters. Perfectly acclimatized in any region of the country.
Juniper is rocky - in the natural environment it reaches 15 meters. Cultivated varieties are somewhat lower. Has a conical crown and blue-gray or dark green needles.
Rules for buying seedlings
When choosing a juniper seedling, several nuances must be taken into account:
- It is better to give preference to young seedlings with a closed root system, which were grown in spacious containers. But this does not mean at all that seedlings with open roots should not be purchased, it is simply believed that they take root worse.
- Having chosen the necessary plant, you should carefully examine it. The young tree should not contain brown or dry tips. The color of the juniper should correspond to the description of the variety, and the needles should be resilient. It is also necessary to inspect the root system. Acceptable shades of roots from light brown to yellow. The presence of wet and dark roots may indicate that it has recently been moved to a container. This can adversely affect a transplant.
Soil preparation
Before planting juniper, you must carefully familiarize yourself with the composition of the soil. Indeed, different varieties require certain trace elements that may not be enough on your site. So, seedlings of ordinary, Central Asian and Cossack junipers prefer an alkaline composition. The rest prefer to grow in an acidic environment. To create the latter, the soil is mulched with sawdust or wood chips. You can fertilize the ground with sand and peat. To ensure an alkaline environment, dolomite flour or slaked lime is used.
It is best to plant juniper where the sun's rays are located most of the day, as it is likely that due to lack of lighting the crown of plants will darken and branches will slow down growth.
When to plant
It turns out that you can transplant juniper at any time of the year. However, according to gardeners, the best period is autumn and early spring, in order to grow decorative juniper. Transplanting in autumn has a small plus - this is high humidity, at which the earth and the crown of plants do not give moisture.
The best time for a juniper transplant in autumn is the end of October. This time is the guarantee of a successful process. However, there are those who believe that the autumn period is not the best time for planting juniper, arguing that its root system will not have time to grow stronger, and the plant will not survive until spring. They insist that planting should be done in April or May, depending on climatic conditions.
Nevertheless, when transplanting, it is worth considering which seedling was purchased. If it has an open root system, then it must immediately be transplanted into open ground, regardless of weather conditions. It is also necessary to observe the polarity. That is, in a new place, the seedling should be located in the direction in which juniper grew before this. Transplanting in autumn or spring is always a stress for the plant. Therefore, it is recommended to plant plants at a young age, when they can easily tolerate acclimatization.
Process features
Very often, having acquired a young shoot in September, inexperienced gardeners ask themselves how to plant juniper in the fall so that it can be rooted successfully. This amazing tree can decorate any garden. And planting it is not difficult. Complexity can only arise if an adult juniper was purchased . Planting and care in the open ground do not really require special knowledge. There is a certain technique, after studying which a transplant in the fall will not be a hassle.
To start, the earthen lump should be moistened well. This will help to easily remove the juniper from the container. An autumn transplant consists of several stages:
- Dig a hole in a suitable place, about 60 cm deep. And in width it should be more than three times the earthen coma.
- Fertilize the landing pit. The vitamin mixture is prepared in the proportions 2: 2: 2: 1 (humus, peat, turf and sand, respectively). You can also add universal dressing, specially designed for certain varieties of juniper.
- The young shoot is carefully placed in the pit, while the roots should be placed horizontally, and then sprinkled with the root system.
- Pour juniper with two buckets of water.
- Add a layer of mulched soil to the settled ground.
As can be seen from the above, there is nothing complicated in planting a decorative juniper. A transplant in the fall will provide the root system of the shrub with a sufficient amount of moisture, which is so necessary in the first months after the transplant.
Spring care
Adhering to simple rules, you can grow a healthy and beautiful juniper. Planting and care in the open ground does not take much time, but for this you need to know a few techniques for caring for the plant.
It is believed that spring is a very dangerous time for juniper. Active spring sun rays can cause severe burns to coniferous plants. To prevent this, cover it with burlap or other shading material.
After the snow has melted, it is necessary to clean the trunk area from fallen leaves and garbage. Remove the layer of mulch, dig the soil around the bush. After drying the earth, pour a new layer.
Winter care
In preparation for winter, the young juniper is wrapped with lutrasil. A tall and sprawling adult juniper is bandaged. Periodically shake the branches of the tree from the attacking snow, this will prevent them from breaking.
Feeding and watering
Juniper is an unpretentious plant that does not require constant watering. In a dry summer, it is watered 2-3 times a month. And also spray branches with water using a spray bottle. This can be done in the evening or early morning, once every two weeks.
Juniper can be fertilized in spring with nitroammophos (approximately 45 grams per 1 m²). In summer, fertilizers can be used mineral or organic fertilizers once a month.
You can grow excellent juniper. Transplanting in the fall and competent care of it will help make your garden beautiful, and the air on the site - clean.