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Rocky Juniper Munglow is one of the most beautiful evergreen shrubs, which can not only ennoble the land. The seedling has medicinal properties. A feature is high growth, a pyramidal shape and original needles, which in appearance resemble scales tightly adjacent to each other. In nature, it occurs on rocky soils or on mountain slopes located at an altitude of 2700 m above sea level.
Description Juniper Rocky Munglow
If we consider the description and photo of rocky Moonglow juniper, then it should be noted that this variety is able to stretch up to 18 m in height and reach 2 m in girth. In urban conditions, Moonglow is much thinner and lower. The formation of the rocky moonglow’s crown starts from the very base. The shape is conical, in the process of growth and development begins to round off. Young shoots are usually light blue or bluish-green.
Juniper leaves are opposite, resembling scales tightly adjacent to each other, they can be ovoid or rhombic in shape. Leaves can be of several colors:
- blue-gray;
- dark green;
- bluish green.
Needle-shaped needles reach a width of 2 mm, a length of 12 mm. After abundant flowering, fruits appear in the form of dark blue balls. In the cones that appear, there are seeds up to 0,5 cm in diameter, red-brown in color.
Moonglow juniper in landscape design
According to the description, Moonglow juniper has an attractive appearance, as a result of which it is increasingly used in landscaping. Moonglow appears not only in single, but also in group plantings, in heather or rocky gardens. With the help of juniper, you can update the alley, decorate the summer garden, use it as a central composition in conjunction with flower bushes.
The crown of rocky Moonglow juniper is clear, from a geometric point of view, correct. Often, juniper is used as a background and other types of plants are planted in front of it, making up whole compositions.
Planting and caring for Moonglow Juniper
Moonglow juniper is undemanding to care for and resistant to the urban environment. It is important to understand that Rock Moonglow tolerates drought well, but cannot fully grow if there is waterlogging of the soil.
In case of prolonged drought, watering can be done, but not more than 3 times during the season. Young bushes are recommended to be watered with warm water in the evening.
The level of frost resistance depends entirely on the selected variety.
Seedling and planting preparation
Rocky Moonglow juniper (juniperus scopulorum Moonglow) is planted in open ground in spring and seedlings are used for this, the age of which is 3-4 years. Juniper must be completely healthy, without damage and visible defects. Before planting in open ground, it is necessary to place the roots for some time in water, remove the damaged parts of the root system and then add a growth stimulator.
Soil preparation begins 1-2 weeks before the planned landing. For this you need:
- Dig holes for each bush. They should be several times larger than the root system.
- Put a layer of drainage from broken bricks and sand on the bottom.
- Fill the hole 2/3 full with soil.
After the place is prepared, you can plant rocky Moonglow juniper.
Rules of landing
As a rule, juniper is planted in open ground in early spring. The place must be sunny. The occurrence of groundwater plays a huge role. The earth should not be waterlogged, therefore, the waters should run deep. High varieties are recommended to be planted on fertile soils, in other cases it is better to give preference to the small Moonglow juniper – dwarf varieties.
In the process of planting planting material, the following recommendations are followed:
- the pit is made several times larger than the root system;
- the distance between dwarf varieties is 0,5 m, between large ones – 2 m;
- a layer of drainage is laid at the bottom of each pit, using crushed stone or broken building bricks for this;
- seedlings are covered with a fertile mixture of sand, peat and turf.
After the Moonglow rock juniper is planted, it is watered abundantly, and the soil around is mulched.
Watering and top dressing
In order for rocky Moonglow juniper to grow and develop well, it is necessary to provide high-quality care, which includes not only the preparation of planting material and the right choice of location, but also watering and fertilizing.
Adult juniper is recommended to be watered during the season no more than 3 times. Moonglow grows well in drought, but can die if the soil is heavily waterlogged.
Only young bushes need feeding. As a rule, fertilizers must be applied at the end of April or at the beginning of May. For these purposes, you can use the following drugs:
- “Kemara-station wagon”;
- “Nitroammofoska”.
Mulching and loosening
Rocky Juniper Moonglow will delight with its attractive appearance only if it is given due attention and quality care is provided. In the process of growth, it is necessary to remove weeds in a timely manner, which can not only slow down growth, but also take all the nutrients from the soil. In order for the root system to receive the necessary amount of oxygen, the earth should be loosened. After each watering, the soil is mulched, as a result of which moisture does not evaporate as quickly.
Trimming and shaping
As a rule, Rocky Moonglow juniper does not need to carry out activities for the formation and pruning of the crown. This is due to the fact that juniper is naturally awarded with a correct and spectacular crown. Despite this, sanitary pruning is necessary.
It is necessary not only to cut the bush correctly, but also to choose the right time for this. In most cases, sanitary pruning is carried out in early spring, before the moment when the movement of juices begins. For work, it is recommended to choose a rainy or cloudy day.
First of all, all dry, damaged and diseased branches are removed. It is also worth removing those that grow incorrectly and spoil the whole appearance. If necessary, you can independently control the height and diameter of rocky Moonglow juniper. It is important to bear in mind that when aligning the contours of the crown, branches cannot be shortened by more than 20 mm.
Preparation for winter
The juniper of this variety has a high level of frost resistance, but despite this, in early spring, when the soil has not yet thawed and the sun begins to shine brightly, it is likely that the needles will get burned. To avoid this, it is necessary to take care of Moonglow’s cover in advance.
Such a procedure can be carried out at the end of January or the end of February, but some gardeners prefer to do this before the onset of frost. It is recommended to use spruce branches. Shelter is removed after the soil has completely thawed. If there is a lot of snow on the branches in winter, they can break under its weight. In late autumn, it is recommended to tie the branches together using hemp twine or strips of burlap for this purpose.
Reproduction of juniper rocky Moonglow
Given the reviews of rocky Moonglow juniper, it is worth noting that reproduction is carried out in several ways:
- layering;
- cuttings.
In the first case, only the creeping form of this variety can be obtained. Would need:
- Remove the needles from the stem.
- Fix the shoot on the surface of the soil.
Rooting will occur after 6-12 months. After the layers have taken root, they must be cut off from the mother juniper and transplanted to a permanent place of growth.
If you plan to propagate Moonglow by cuttings, then planting material should be harvested in the spring. In this case, semi-lignified shoots are chosen along with the heel. Rooting cuttings are engaged in greenhouses.
Diseases and pests
As practice shows, the rocky juniper is exposed to fungal diseases, as a result of which it loses its attractive appearance, the branches gradually dry out and Moonglow dies. In the early stages of detection of the fungus, it is recommended to immediately treat the juniper with a fungicide.
A serious disease is the drying of the branches. In this case, you will need to remove all branches that have yellow needles and treat with a fungicide. With a strong lesion, rocky Moonglow juniper is completely dug up and burned along with the root system.
Conclusion
Rocky Juniper Munglow, thanks to its attractive appearance, fell in love with designers. It is often used in the design of land. Since Moonglow is unpretentious in care, not only experienced, but also novice gardeners can grow it.