Root juniper in spring. How to propagate juniper cuttings at home. The best way to propagate juniper

14.11.2019

To print

Valentina Bondar March 24, 2014 | 6746

This plant makes an excellent hedge. However, not everyone knows how to properly and quickly propagate juniper.

Seed propagation is usually used to obtain species. Seeds germinate in 1-2 years, while seedlings grow slowly. Therefore, the most effective method juniper breeding - cuttings. Rooting depends on the species, cutting time and type of cuttings. Junipers are distinguished by high rooting ability: ordinary, horizontal, Cossack, scaly and their garden forms, as well as some others.

We prepare cuttings

cuttings should harvest from relatively young and healthy plants. The age of mother plants of the majority garden forms- 10-15 years. It is better to root specimens taken from the upper and middle parts of the crown. For cuttings cut off the main or side branches with all the shoots. In order to prevent them from withering and drying out during harvesting, as well as during transportation over long distances, the shoots are wrapped with a damp cloth and put in plastic bags. With this packaging, they can be stored for 2-3 days. It is better to harvest cuttings in the morning or on cloudy days.

In the presence of heated greenhouses, coniferous plants can cutting all year round . However, optimal rooting is observed in cuttings harvested in February-March, as well as in summer, during the end of growth and the beginning of secondary growth of shoots. Winter cuttings until planting are stored in plastic bags on the glacier or in refrigerators.

The cuttings must be apex point of growth, which allows them to maintain the growth pattern inherent in the cultivar. For most garden forms, coniferous cuttings are not cut off, but are torn off from the stem with a sharp downward movement (taken with a "heel"). The tip is carefully trimmed, removing only the burrs. The needles at the lower end of the cutting, immersed in the substrate, are usually cut off or cut off, but can be planted with it.

We select the substrate

Most versatile substrate for the rooting of most garden forms is a mixture of equal parts of coarse-grained (fraction 0.5-1.5 mm) sand and milled riding (sphagnum) peat. Often, low-lying peat and river sand are used to prepare the substrate, but these components are unsuitable, since when they are mixed, an acidic substrate with poor aeration is obtained. Under such conditions, cuttings of very few species are rooted. When using river sand, it must be washed through a sieve with a mesh of 0.5-1.5 mm to get rid of silt particles.

We root cuttings

Before planting, the surface of the substrate is well leveled, compacted and watered abundantly. The distance between the rows is 6-8 cm, depending on the size of the cuttings, in the rows it is 4-6 cm, the planting depth is 5-7 cm. The substrate around the planted cutting is slightly compressed and watered, preferably with a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide.

Winter cuttings are planted in May in a greenhouse when the air temperature outside reaches 17-20ºС. The optimal air temperature in the greenhouse is 20-27ºС during the day and 16-21ºС at night. The cuttings of most plants take root better when the substrate temperature is 3-6ºС higher than the air temperature. To increase the temperature of the substrate, biofuel, water or electric heating is used.

To print

Read today

Soil cultivation Yeast as fertilizer for flowers

With fertilizers, you can grow even the most exotic flowers in the garden, and even achieve lush flowering those who are used to...

Junipers are highly decorative, winter well in middle latitudes, create a healthy microclimate around them. Cuttings are considered the simplest and most effective way of propagating all its varietal forms.

Since representatives of the cypress family are considered extremely unpretentious, inexperienced gardeners think that it is enough to stick a cutting into the ground for rooting.

However, in most cases this approach fails. In this article I will tell you how to choose and plant a cutting correctly, prepare the soil, and take care of the seedling in the future.

Ephedra of the cypress family are considered centenarians. Like all plants with a long life cycle, junipers grow very slowly and reach fruiting age late.

The first cone berries appear in them by the age of 9-10, and it takes 2-3 years for them to mature. In addition, long-term stratification is needed for seed germination, seedlings often turn out to be unviable, with a weak root system.

Note: due to the slow pace of life in nature, junipers are very difficult to renew. Therefore, in nurseries and at home, the cutting method is more often used for reproduction.

Coniferous shrubs grown in this way will differ in the following characteristics:

They show a higher growth rate than seedlings - they reach adult parameters 3-4 years earlier.
They retain all the varietal characteristics of the mother plant.
The degree of adaptation to specific conditions is higher than that of purchased seedlings.

The success of growing juniper from cuttings depends on many factors: the choice of mother bush, cutting time, agricultural technology, growing conditions.

Timing of cuttings

Regardless of the variety, cuttings can be harvested from the moment the snow melts until autumn:

The best period for cutting juniper is the beginning of spring, when the juice begins to move and the buds wake up. Planting material will take root this season.
Possible summer harvesting cuttings. It is carried out in the first decade of June - when spring active growth ends and lignification of spring growth begins. In some varieties, root formation can stretch over time - only callus will form in the first year, and full-fledged roots will form by the next season.
In autumn, in September-October, lignified shoots are cut. They are planted in the ground next spring.

An important point: the formation of the first roots in junipers occurs on average after 25-30 days, it takes at least 2 months to form a viable root system.

Therefore, they are not transplanted immediately into the garden, leaving them to take root until the next season.

The choice of material for cuttings

Junipers grown from cuttings can be both lush and healthy, and weak and crooked. It's all about how and from what place the plants are taken planting material. In order for the grown conifer to meet your expectations, use the following recommendations:

For the role of queen cells, choose young bushes of 5-8 years of age, since the ability to form a root system in junipers decreases over time.
The mother plant should be healthy, with a dense, symmetrical, even crown.
Place of cutting cuttings from creeping varietal forms of great importance does not have. The main thing is to choose a developed spreading branch, which is regularly exposed to the sun's rays (important for variegated and brightly colored forms).
In pyramidal, columnar and bush species, cuttings are cut from the central branches of 1-3 orders (above). If you choose the shoot of a side branch growing horizontally, then the bush will subsequently grow in breadth.
For cuttings, select shoots with a healthy apical bud and a growing cone, otherwise the seedlings will become unnecessarily bushy.

An important point: it is better to harvest cuttings from shoots on which lignification has already begun. In too young, as in too old branches, the percentage of rooting is much lower.

Procurement of planting material

Cutting juniper shoots should be done in cloudy weather or in the early morning - this will help reduce the evaporation of moisture from the cuts.

Do not touch branches that are too thin, as they will use up the supply of nutrients before rooting occurs. For cuttings, use one-year-old shoots, about 25 cm long.

From the trunk and large skeletal branches, cuttings are taken with a piece of wood (“heel”), which contributes to better rooting. For this reason, it is better not to cut the cuttings, but to tear them off. fast moving pointing down. If the tongue is long, it is cut.

When a cutting is taken from a large shoot, a pruner or a sharp knife is used. The cut should capture 1-1.5 cm of lignified area, which can be recognized by the transition of green bark to brown.

The lower segment of the petioles is 3.5-4.0 cm free from needles and overgrowth. Doing so better with hands, since the wounds formed during tearing off also stimulate the process of root formation.

Before planting, it is advisable to sprinkle the cuttings with agents that accelerate the formation of roots: "Heteroauxin", "Korevin", preparations based on succinic acid.

Note: soaking planting material in solutions of root formation activators is not worth it - with prolonged exposure to moisture, the bark will begin to peel off.

Soil preparation

The prepared planting material is planted in a specially prepared substrate. Since the rooting of coniferous crops is a long process, it is important to properly prepare the soil mixture:

It should be loose, light, with good aeration.
Junipers love soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, so do not add ash, lime, or shells to the substrate.
Juniper cuttings take root well in peat mixed with an equal volume of: a) sand, b) perlite, c) vermiculite, d) sheet / sod land.

If you plan to root several petioles, then you can use a flower pot for planting. Drainage is laid out at the bottom, then a layer of 15 cm of soil mixture, the top is sprinkled with sand. When there is a lot of planting material, it is planted in greenhouses, large boxes or greenhouses.

Note: if you doubt the quality of the components of the substrate, then pre-disinfect them by steaming or spill them with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Planting juniper cuttings

For planting, simply sticking shoots into the ground is not enough. Correct fit carried out in stages:

Using a wooden peg or pencil, make holes in the substrate at an angle of 45-50º. The gap between the holes is 5-10 cm.
To a depth of 3-5 cm, obliquely plant the cuttings.
Compact the soil around them so that there are no voids left.
Pour gently through a sieve or sprinkler nozzle, trying to moisten all layers of the soil.
Cover the cuttings with a film, frame or transparent cap.

An important point: do not let the sun's rays directly fall into the greenhouse - junipers take root better in the shade.

Intensive root formation in conifers occurs at the temperature of the substrate and environment not lower than + 21 ... + 24 º C and humidity within 95-100%.

Care after landing

Cuttings begin to actively take root 2-4 months after planting. At different varieties time frames may vary, while rooting in summer period may stop and resume by autumn. During this period, the roots are not yet gaining strength, they remain fragile and weak, so young junipers are left in the greenhouse until next spring.

To prevent stagnant moisture, watering should be done with caution, only when the soil dries. To moisten the soil, water heated to ambient temperature is used. To prevent diseases, water the seedlings with fungicidal solutions several times a year.

Note: since the seedlings will spend about a year in the greenhouse, you need to maintain the transparency of the covering film.

The lighting should be bright, but diffused, as the light stimulates the production of the phytohormone responsible for root formation.

After the juniper cuttings take root and form growths, you can gradually harden off by opening and ventilating the greenhouse. For the winter, they are insulated with burlap, covering material or leaves.

The following year, young bushes are transplanted into the garden. To do this, the plant is transferred together with an earthen clod into a prepared pit.

Propagation by cuttings

An alternative method is suitable for junipers with creeping and flattened crowns. In the spring, during sap flow, the lower semi-lignified branches are bent down, laid in a groove, fixed in this position and sprinkled with soil.

Previously, small shoots and needles are removed from the rooted area. During the growing season, roots will have time to form on the layering. After separating the branch from the mother bush, such a seedling can be transplanted anywhere.

Juniper cuttings are the most affordable method of obtaining benign and viable seedlings at home. Subject to the agrotechnics of cultivation, the method allows you to quickly propagate coniferous crops on your site.

Juniper is a coniferous plant popular among summer residents, many prefer to plant it in compositions. To get new seedlings, it is recommended to propagate juniper cuttings at home. This method is more convenient than seed, and most importantly, the costs are minimal.

Most ornamental varieties retain their characteristics only when cuttings. Among the whole variety of juniper, there are several specimens for which propagation by seeds is contraindicated.

Successfully and quickly propagated by cuttings:

Variety Meyeri (scaly look) - the owner of decorative blue-green needles with an unusual steel tint. It is a dwarf growing from 30 cm to 1 m in height, often used to create bonsai. The annual growth varies between 8-10 cm. It looks attractive due to the dense crown and hanging shoots.
Variety Holger
Holger (scaly species) is distinguished by whitish-blue needles and short stature (0.8-1 m). The shoots of the current year turn golden in color, giving the bush playfulness. It does not need a haircut, it is suitable for the garden, landscaping of roofs and terraces.
Kurivao Gold (Kuriwao Gold) propagates strictly by cuttings. This is a shrub with an asymmetric crown, growing up to 2 m by the age of 10. The branches grow upward, adding 15-20 cm annually. In group plantings, 1.5 m is left between plants.
Mint Julep is the result of crossing the Cossack and many beloved Chinese species. Attracts attention with wide branches covered with mint-colored needles. Feature - in winter, the color of the needles does not fade. By the age of ten, it stretches up to 3 m. It is resistant to drought, gas contamination, and severe frosts.
Mordigan Gold is a variety of golden color with pronounced bactericidal properties. Nobility is given to it by horizontally divergent shoots and a golden hue of needles. Despite the slow growth, it grows in diameter up to 2 m.
Wiltoni forms a creeping carpet with silver needle needles. It is hard to imagine that a modest twig purchased from a nursery can grow on all sides by 3 m or more. In addition to the main lashes, many lateral ones are formed that can give their own roots and shoots. To create a solid coniferous carpet, you need to plant 1 copy per 2 m 2. If you want to get a practical lawn in 5 years, you will have to root 2-3 plants per 2 m 2.
Dream Joy is a scaly juniper with long creeping shoots. Grows up to 40 cm, crown diameter 1 m. Annual growth under favorable conditions is 17 cm. Prefers sunny areas, negatively relates to compacted soil and excessive moisture.
Gold Coast is a bush up to 1 m high with yellow-green soft needles. In the shadows, it loses its brightness. It is unpretentious to soils and polluted air.
Lime Glow is another member of the family with a yellow crown. The shoots, located radiantly, form a small depression in the center. Small needles become bronze by autumn.
The Schlager variety is a dwarf bush up to 25 cm high. It grows unevenly in different directions. The young growth has a pleasant grassy color, which stands out on the aged needles. Suitable for decorating walking paths, rocky gardens, slopes.

Planting dates and rules for harvesting planting material

Cuttings are a cheap way to get new conifers for landscaping the site. This method has many advantages:

the obtained samples retain varietal characteristics;
have greater viability;
form a strong root system;
take root faster and actively develop;
less exposed to pests;
accustomed cuttings are obtained 2 times more than seedlings;
reach the size of an adult shrub several years earlier than planting from seeds.

Juniper cuttings can be carried out from early spring to autumn. Some gardeners prefer to cut off the shoots in the spring when the period of active growth begins. From April to May, semi-woody cuttings should be cut from the formed part of the bush. A thickened base, or “heel”, should remain on the workpiece. Optimal length shoot 12 cm, but not more than 25 cm.

In autumn, seedlings can also be obtained from cuttings. Arguments in favor of autumn planting are based on the fact that the stomata of plants due to high humidity air are closed. Branches in autumn practically do not evaporate water, which has a beneficial effect on the state of the bush and its reproduction.

To get strong seedlings, they take blanks only from mature trees or shrubs about 8-10 years old. They retain the characteristics of the mother plant.

If cut upper part, then the tree will develop mainly upwards, if the lower branches are separated, then the daughter plant will begin to grow in breadth. If the crown is vertical, then cuts of juniper branches are made vertically. If the crown is bushy, then the cuttings are taken from the side parts.

Instructions for growing juniper from cuttings

A properly cut stalk must be prepared for planting:

How to root juniper without unnecessary difficulties? A few tricks:

First prepare the substrate. The optimal composition for the development of a juniper branch is a mixture of sand and peat in equal proportions. You can add some crushed charcoal and perlite. But it is worth remembering that junipers do not like high acidity of the soil. If necessary, acidity can be neutralized with lime, lime powder or ash.
The optimum temperature for germination is from +18 to +23°C. If it is lower, the seedlings will rot. With an increase in the recommended indicators, the debate process will begin or the soil will dry quickly.
In the substrate, you need to make a hole 3-4 cm deep and 1 cm wide. The cutting is carefully sent to the prepared hole, the soil is compacted, watered. If a group of cuttings is planted, then a distance of 5-8 cm is observed between them.
Landings are sent to the greenhouse. An ordinary pot covered with a bag will do.

Lighting is required diffused, direct sunlight should not fall on landings. Rewetting the substrate may be required only if it dries out. Do not forget about periodic ventilation so that condensation does not occur. The first roots should appear 25 days after planting. Rooting will occur in 2 months.

Video about cutting rules.

If you want to experiment, then at the same time you can do cultivation. For better germination, planting material is stratified. Before landing on a permanent place, 3-4 years should pass.

Landing in open ground and seedling adaptation

With a juniper transplant to a permanent place of residence, you should not rush. The time of planting rooted bushes is chosen so that they have time to adapt before the onset of cold weather. Early harvested cuttings, for example, in winter in February or late autumn, can be planted in spring. Ideally, about 70 days should pass from the moment of planting in the greenhouse. If the branches were cut late, then it is better to grow juniper at home until the next spring. In some cases, landing in the fall is allowed. If the seedling was rooted in a separate pot, it can be moved to open ground and dig in without removing from the container. Since the risk of freezing is high, you will have to use insulation.

You can already plant in early spring as soon as the snow melts. If you move later, then there is a risk of burning needles in the sun. The place is selected well-lit, slight shading is allowed. In open ground, the seedling is transferred with a clod of earth so that the root system does not suffer. The roots of a young juniper are very thin and fragile.

If the variety is columnar, then the seedling is placed vertically. If the form is bushy, then it is placed at an angle.

For planting, prepare a landing pit with a drainage layer. The approximate size is 1 * 1 m or 2-3 times larger than the soil clod. The seedling is immersed in a hole and covered with soil, leaving the root collar at the very surface. After planting, the plant is watered and mulched.

Spruce + thuja + juniper + pine

Young specimens during the first years of life should be protected from frost and bright sunlight. The plant is undemanding to moisture, can tolerate drought, but does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil. It is enough to water the juniper once a month. In the spring, fertilizing with nitroammophos (45 g per 1 m 2) will be useful for the conifer; in summer, organic matter or mineral fertilizers are used. Top dressing is applied once a month if the tree or bush develops too slowly.

For successful cultivation groups of coniferous gardeners need to know how to propagate juniper cuttings. Varietal characteristics are preserved only if all the rules of reproduction are observed, starting from the time of separation of the cutting and ending with its adaptation in the garden.

Juniper is a popular and ornamental shrub species. The question of how to plant a juniper is asked by many gardeners. Why has juniper gained such popularity? The answer lies in unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil and changes in climate. This shrub perfectly tolerates low temperatures, periods of drought, it is photophilous. Attractive in juniper and various forms of the bush, and the color of the needles. Juniper also has a light and pleasant aroma.

The main methods of reproduction of this bush include:

cutting;
propagation by seeds;
layering;
by dividing the bush.

How to grow juniper from seeds? The end of August - the first days of September is the best time to plant juniper seeds. This happens when the berries begin to ripen, at which point you need to collect juniper seeds. In some types of shrubs, the scales from the cones should be removed. The seeds themselves germinate for a very long time, about a year, so it is not recommended to sow them directly into the soil.

A film is lined in a wooden box, in which holes are made to drain water. Soil is sprinkled on top, in which the seeds are planted. Then the box must be buried in the soil so that its top is visible above the ground. AT winter time snow will cover your seedlings and create a thermal effect. After the onset of spring, the box must be placed in a warm place so that the seeds germinate. Sprouted sprouts can be transplanted to their place of permanent residence not earlier than after 2-3 years.

Juniper propagation by cuttings (video)

Cutting method of reproduction

In order to preserve the varietal features of the shrub, the juniper is planted using the cutting method. This method takes a lot of time, but is also the most effective. Cultivation should be carried out in spring if last year's lignified shoot is used, or in summer if current year's shoot is used. It is best to choose a shoot that grows vertically and has a vertical crown shape.

The breeding technology is as follows:

A box with holes for drainage is filled with peat and sand in a ratio of 3: 1 and buried in the ground in shady place.
Then the stalk with pieces of bark is carefully torn off.
If there are branches on the handle, they need to be cut off. This will not allow new roots to form, and the needles will not rot. Do not worry, the places of the cliff will quickly heal due to the release of resin.
Aeration of the cutting is achieved by leaving the needles on the top of the branch.
In the prepared hole, we plant the stalk in a vertical manner.
Do not use film for cutting propagation method. It is poorly ventilated, which can lead to an increase in temperature and death of the cutting.
Monitor temperature and humidity levels. A suitable temperature is from 15 to 18°C. And after the buds have blossomed, the temperature is raised to 20 ° C. Provide cuttings with moist soil.
Several times a day, cuttings should be opened and sprayed with water.

Reproduction by layering

For this method, shoots are used that grow horizontally and closest to the ground. First you need to scratch the bark of the shoot a little at the base of the layering, then plant the shoot in a previously prepared shallow hole. Wet peat is used for powdering. The upper parts of the layers should be tied with pegs.

It is important to maintain a certain humidity in the place where the layers were planted.

You can lay a small piece of film and fix it. However ideal option will use moss. It is very important to trim the connection point of the layer with the mother plant throughout the rooting.

The rooting process itself takes about a year. During this time, water and spud the bush. After you notice the emergence of new shoots, they should be separated and transplanted into a permanent ridge.

How to care for juniper (video)

Reproduction by division

Only a young juniper bush can be grown by dividing. At the very beginning of May, the bush is spudded carefully. The lower part of the branches falls asleep, and adventitious roots form. Don't let the soil dry out summer time of the year.

At the end of summer, the bush is dug up. Branches that have taken root are separated from the old plant and planted in containers. Make sure there are drainage holes in these containers to drain the water. It is important to know that waterlogging of the soil leads to the death of the juniper. It is recommended to plant new branches in the ground with good sunlight. But this is done only in winter for better transfer. low temperatures. And in the spring, transplant the plant to a permanent place so that the root ball is not damaged.

There are solutions that allow roots to grow faster. Juniper twigs should be placed in such a solution for a day. For better root germination, honey is also used with the addition of water. After planting the bush, do not forget to spray it with a solution of "Zircon", which is used as a growth and flowering regulator.

Reproduction of juniper on the site involves several nuances. Many varieties of juniper have a wonderful healing effect. Therefore, properly propagate this amazing plant and enjoy its beauty in your country house.

There are two ways to propagate juniper - seeds and cuttings. It is undesirable to propagate ornamental varieties by seeds, since in most cases they lose their maternal characteristics. So it is more preferable to propagate juniper cuttings.

Juniper propagation by cuttings can be carried out at any time of the year, but more auspicious time- summer and autumn.

It all starts with the preparation of cuttings. To do this, you need to separate cuttings 10-15 cm long from the mother plant. They simply need to be torn off along with a piece of wood, the so-called heel at the tip. Clean the stem of the cutting from the needles and a couple of centimeters from the edge and place them for a day in Kornevin's solution or any other growth stimulant.

Propagation of juniper by cuttings in a jar of water is impractical, since the tender bark of this plant can exfoliate from moisture and, as a result, the productivity of harvesting will decrease. We do not need this at all, and we will immediately root the plant in pots or boxes of sand. Be sure to cookware with drainage holes.

We need pure river sand without any additives. The only thing is that it needs to be disinfected in boiling water. The cooled sand is placed in containers and treated with a 3% manganese solution. Now we are not afraid of pests and bacteria.

We deepen our cuttings by 1 cm, squeeze, compact the sand around them. We remove the boxes in the shade and provide them with a temperature of + 17-23 ° С. During the summer-autumn period, this will not be difficult, because you do not need to build a greenhouse. It is enough just to cover the boxes with gauze.

One of the secrets, one might say, the main one in the reproduction of juniper, is the observance temperature regime and humidity. Then rooting will happen much more successfully and faster.

The first time, about 2 months, you need to spray the cuttings with water every day with a garden sprayer, while trying not to overwet the sand.

When the cuttings have roots, you can plant them in open ground or in larger pots for growing.

Copying information is allowed only with a direct and indexed link to the source

Best Materials WomanAdvice

Subscribe to get the best articles on Facebook

How to root juniper cuttings

Juniper is a plant that stays green throughout the year. It belongs to the Cypress family. Due to the variety of colors, shapes, decorativeness and originality, this plant is one of the most popular among gardeners. Accordingly, the issue of juniper reproduction is very relevant, so this article will be devoted to this topic.

Juniper is considered to be a representative perennials. This shrub is very fond of warmth and sunlight, tolerates dry periods well and does not tolerate excessive humidity. With the help of juniper, slopes are strengthened, hedges, borders are created, it is used in landscape design.

Juniper is considered a unique plant due to some of its features.

In nature, this bush is quite difficult to propagate with the help of seeds. We will not state in this article that propagating juniper seeds is quite simple, since this is not true. Growing this plant from seeds is quite problematic, and it takes a lot of time and effort. Even if a positive result is obtained, guarantee the quality of the planting material is impossible. The thing is that the seedlings of the bush grow very slowly, and it will be possible to get the first fruiting only 10 years after planting.

An alternative to sowing juniper was cuttings. This work is easy to do at home with your own hands, and it will take up to three months.

Seedlings that are obtained as a result of cuttings have a stronger root system, due to which they take root faster and can give better growth.

Juniper is propagated throughout the year, it depends on what period of time the plant needs to be transferred to the ground.

If the plant is planted in the spring, cuttings should be prepared before mid-February.
If the landing is planned in the fall, then cuttings are performed in the middle of summer.

These requirements are justified by the fact that the process of rooting in juniper is quite difficult. Like other representatives of conifers (spruce, thuja, etc.), the root system is formed in the juniper for a long time. The first viable root is formed no earlier than on the 25th day, and full rooting occurs at best 2 months after the cutting is planted in a special substrate.

One of important nuances in reproduction is the obligatory observance of the correct size of the cutting. It should be more dense and voluminous, unlike other garden crops. For this reason, its length is about 25 cm. The correct slope must also be observed. This is due to the type of juniper. Upright bushes are planted and germinated vertically, and varieties that creep along the ground or curl - at an angle of 40-45 degrees.

How to root a juniper with cuttings is a rather complicated question, but it is also very important to properly prepare it for planting.

To choose the right cutting for planting, which will be able to repeat all the characteristics of the mother plant as much as possible, you should follow a number of simple rules:

The future stalk is cut from the middle or from the top of the crown (sprouts must be alive and green).
If you want a sprawling bush to flaunt on your site, then the cutting should be taken from the side branches.
You need to cut the cutting with a part of the branch on which it is formed (this contributes to the speedy rooting).

In order for the cutting to take root, it will be necessary to hold it in a growth stimulant solution for some time. There are many such drugs, but there are some nuances. For example, rooting a cutting in a liquid with a root former is impossible due to the fact that the juniper bark exfoliates in water, which affects the productivity of the sprout. The best alternative to a liquid product is a powder or paste. The cut must be treated with any of them, and you can also add the drug to the soil in which the plant will be planted.

For planting juniper bushes, specially prepared soil is required. It should be:

To achieve all the characteristics mentioned above, it is necessary to mix peat and sand in equal proportions. Adding ash and lime is not worth it. Such soil will dry out quickly, but in order for the cutting to take root and take root, the earth is covered with plastic wrap in order to create a greenhouse effect.

The procedure for planting sprouts is quite simple. It is necessary to make small holes on the surface of the soil, the diameter of which will not exceed 1 cm, and the depth - 3 cm. The gap between them should be about 8 cm. The sprouts should be planted carefully so as not to damage the cut, as they take root rather hard.

After planting, the earth should be compacted and moistened. You do not need to use a spray bottle, as when spraying water can get on the branches of the plant.

Add a comment Cancel reply

Propagation of juniper by cuttings at home

Juniper belongs to coniferous plants. Usually it is grown in plots in the country or in the garden, sometimes in the garden, more often on the street, if we are talking about the city, for example, but rarely the juniper is bred at home. Of course, this can also be done at home if you plan to eventually transplant this coniferous plant somewhere, because it will, albeit slowly, but still grow, which means it will take up more and more space in your house. You must be prepared for this in advance before you start propagating juniper at home. Its growth can still be restrained or kept at a specific level thanks to the planned pruning of the plant, and you can also come up with a whole composition of several juniper trees, constantly propagating them and planting them in different pots.

Preparing the soil for planting a juniper cutting at home

Juniper is unpretentious and takes root well on lean soils. But most of its species prefer light soil with good drainage. For each seedling, a hole is prepared in size approximately 2 times larger than the rhizome of the seedling, together with the earth covering it. The larger and higher the type of juniper, the greater the distance trees are planted. For small species, the distance can be slightly less than one meter, and for larger ones, 1.5 m - 2.5 m. At the bottom of the hole, a drainage layer is arranged from small stones or broken bricks covered with sand. The thickness of the drainage layer is approximately 15-20 cm. A mixture of soddy soil, sand and peat is poured over the drainage in a ratio of approximately 2:1:1. You can add a little compost to the planting holes and add 30 gr. nitroammophoski. For juniper ordinary, Central Asian or Cossack, an alkaline reaction of the soil is necessary. In preparation

The earth mixture for these species should be reduced in the amount of sand and peat, and add a little slaked lime or 200-300 gr., Dolomite flour. Juniper virginiana prefers clay soil, which is mixed with a small amount sand.

The harvesting of cuttings is carried out in cloudy weather, because the sun's rays can have a negative result both on planting material and on adult juniper. For cuttings, the tops of semi-lignified shoots are used, as they are considered better formed for continued growth. The shoots are freed from interfering needles and twigs, approximately 3-4 cm high from the heel - it is in this place of the shoot that a new root system will form.

Sometimes you may hear recommendations to soak the cuttings before planting in a special root formation stimulator. However, this should not be done, because the bark of the juniper is very delicate and in water it can simply exfoliate, which will lead to a decrease in the overall productivity of your workpieces.

Planting juniper cuttings at home

Juniper should be planted in the fall and winter months. However knowledgeable people recommend planting plants from mid-September to the last decade of November. During this period, the stomata of plants close due to the increased degree of air humidity, as a result, water evaporation practically does not occur, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the tree and the reproduction process. In the spring and summer, planting a juniper plant is categorically not recommended. This is due to damage to the root system, which is caused by increased evaporation and physiological drought observed in coniferous plants during the warm season. However, the question of the optimal timing of planting juniper trees is quite controversial. Many gardeners argue that the time from the first days of April to the end of May is ideal for organizing the propagation of juniper by cuttings, since just in the fall, this period is the peak of its growth and development.

When deciding on the timing of planting, one should also pay attention to climatic conditions. In order for the rooting of juniper cuttings to be successful, the air temperature should be from +5 to +25 degrees. Higher or lower heat levels can adversely affect the reproduction process of the plant and lead to its death.

Some types of juniper need additional fertilizer, so for virgin juniper you can add half a bucket of compost. For Cossack juniper, it would be nice to add 0.3 kg of dolomite flour. All these procedures are carried out in advance, since after 2 weeks the earth in the hole will have time to compact and a seedling can fit there.

After planting, the root neck of the plant should be 7-10 cm above ground level, again, due to the fact that the earth is still settling. After that, the bush is watered, and when the water is completely absorbed, it is worth mulching the area around the trunk, this will protect the soil from drying out.

Juniper watering

During the period of active growth, it will be sufficient to water the plant only during extreme heat or a long absence of rain. Under one adult bush leaves 10-15 liters of water.

It will be an additional plus if daily spraying is carried out in the evening after a stuffy day. For this plant will thank the bright colors of the needles.

Pruning is carried out when there is a desire to give the juniper an unusual shape. Pruning can also be done if dry branches or deformed areas appear on the plant.

If you are interested in creeping juniper species, use propagation by layering. Young branches can be cut throughout the growing season, their rooting is faster than the rooting of stiff shoots.
Layers are dug in and pinned near the old bush. On the eve of the landing, river sand and peat are brought in, it is dug up so that the soil is light and loose. The layers are lightly spudded and regularly watered, but it is impossible to fill in, excess moisture can cause root rot of the old bush and the death of the layer from soaking.

After six months or a year, when the cuttings take root, they can be transplanted to the place where you plan to grow a new bush.

Reproduction of juniper by layering is most often used in relation to creeping forms of culture. It is allowed to carry out the procedure throughout the growing season.

The procedure for this is as follows:

The soil around the mother bush is intensively loosened, peat, river sand are added and watered abundantly.
The lower part (20-25 cm) of healthy, recently matured shoots, which are best suited for propagation, is cleared of needles.
The bare area is pressed to the soil surface and fixed with a wire pin.
The part of the shoot in contact with the soil is sprinkled with a peat-sand substrate.

Rooting layering will take about 6-8 months. During this time, it should be regularly watered and spud with moist soil. With the appearance of young growth on the layer, the shoot can be separated from the mother bush and planted as an independent plant.

Juniper aphid appears on young shoots. Aphids during mass reproduction can harm young plants, because, by sucking out the juice, they strongly inhibit and weaken the plant, retard growth, and cause bending and twisting of damaged shoots.

On young cones and needles, you can see rounded shields of females and elongated shields of males (up to 1-1.5 mm.) of the juniper scale insect. In early June, larvae appear that stick to the needles. The needles dry up and fall off, and young plants may die. Sucking the juice from the tissues of the bark, the larvae cause damage, leading to the death of the bark, drying out and curvature of the shoots, and a decrease in annual growth. It affects juniper, thuja, yew, cypress.

Small mosquitoes, no more than 2.2 mm, fly near the plants, then their larvae appear - spindle-shaped and covered with warts, up to 4 mm long, bright yellow, orange, or red. These are gall midges on juniper. The larvae secrete specific growth substances onto the needles, under the influence of which the plant cells begin to grow rapidly and divide, turning into galls. The larvae live and winter in them.

The needles are entangled in a thin rare cobweb, covered with yellowish spots, later turning brown and crumbling. Spruce spider mite and its larvae damage young plants: juniper, biota, prickly spruce, Canadian spruce, common spruce, western thuja. During the summer, the female gives 3-4 generations. The mite causes the greatest harm in hot years to trees growing on dry soils. During the growing season, mites form from four to six generations, so the degree of damage increases towards the end of summer.