Juniper Khybernika is a pyramidal bush, reaching a height of 4 meters. Its needles in its color range from gray-green tones to bluish-green hues. The plant has pointed, but not prickly small needles. This juniper variety is frost-resistant and at the same time tolerates partial shade, but the bright sun is very difficult for the plant to perceive. Greens may suffer from direct sunlight. The presented juniper variety perfectly tolerates any soil, the main thing is that it should have a minimum salt content.
Planting Rules
Many landscape designers use Hibernik juniper in the design of garden plots. Planting and caring for this plant is not difficult, so even a young amateur gardener can easily cope with this task. As noted earlier, this juniper variety is unpretentious with regard to soil nutrition, but a combination of peat, sand and pine needles in equal proportions will be the optimal mixture of land.
In order for the plant to take root well, it is necessary to choose young trees sold with a closed root system. The optimal planting time is April or May, but it can also be planted in the fall, before the onset of the first frost, preferably in September.
The planting area should be open, with maximum light access. If you plant it in a strong shade, Juniper Hibernika will lose its decorative appeal.
The size of the pit for juniper depends on the size of the rhizome plus an additional 15-20 cm, which are filled with nutrient soil. When planting a plant, it is enough to observe a distance between the bushes of at least 1 meter. After planting, the soil around the trunk is mulched. A mixture of needles, sawdust and peat will be the best option. Watering under the root after planting is a prerequisite.
Juniper Care
Juniper Khybernika, the photo of which is presented below, does not require careful and scrupulous care, but to make the plant feel as comfortable as possible, delighting with its appearance, it is worth taking some rules into service.
- In the spring, the bush should be fed with a nitroammophos, contributing 35-45 g per square meter.
- The very same circle at the trunk is regularly cleaned of weed, loosen it, but you can mulch with a mixture of needles and peat.
- To form a bush, pruning is made, giving it a conical shape. At the same time, one should not forget about regular pruning and removal of dry branches as preventive measures.
- Hibernik Juniper requires regular watering, but so that the water does not stagnate. Make 2 buckets of water under each bush 2-3 times a week (taking into account the weather). At the same time, an adult, mature bush is less demanding on moisture - it is enough to water it once a decade, and in hot weather - once every 5 days.
- To make the plant happy with its beauty, spray the bush from a hose, washing off the dust and moisturizing the air, since the juniper does not tolerate dry air and dirt on the needles.
Breeding methods
Hibernik juniper can be propagated by seeds, layering or cuttings, while the latter method is the most optimal and preferred. The plant can be propagated by cuttings all year round, although it is best to do this in the spring months. At the very beginning, the stalk is rooted in a greenhouse, if it is spring, and in the winter, in a greenhouse, having previously stood the stalk in water, the temperature of which is 16-19 ºC. The main thing in this case is regular spraying, maintaining the substrate in a wet state and diffused lighting.
Juniper Hibernika, the description of which we provide in this article, can be bred by layering. This method is practiced by experienced gardeners, the only thing worth considering is that they propagate for the most part a creeping, and not upright, variety during the period of intensive growth and vegetation of the plant.
Propagation by seeds is a long and complex process. Seeds germinate only after a year, or even three after sowing, and therefore it is not worth considering it as a promising method of propagation of juniper.
Pests and diseases of juniper
Diseases and pests that can affect Juniper Juniper are mushroom rust and gray mold. With timely treatment, the plant can be cured and saved, while it should be treated with chemicals designed to combat such pests.