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Not a single fan of ornamental gardening will refuse to have a beautiful evergreen juniper on his site. However, it is not always possible to purchase high-quality planting material, and shrubs taken from the wild take root rather poorly. In this case, you can try to independently grow juniper from seeds.
Features of growing juniper from seeds at home
Under natural conditions, juniper almost always propagates by seeds. However, this process is long, and the seeds of this shrub do not differ in good germination. Therefore, the reproduction of juniper is very slow, it is for this reason that in many regions the planting of this plant is protected at the legislative level. However, you can easily collect ripe cones from the bushes.
At home, common juniper, as well as Cossack and some others, can be propagated with seeds. Varietal characteristics with this method will not be preserved, therefore, for breeding ornamental varieties, vegetative propagation methods must be used. Grown seedlings can be used, for example, for rootstock during grafting. Common juniper can be used for single plantings or to create hedges.
Juniper seed maturity
Juniper cones are often referred to as cone berries. They really do look like berries. After pollination, cones ripen within 2 years. In the first year, their color is light green, in the second they become dark blue, almost black. They are harvested from early September to early November. Ripe cones are quite easily separated from the branches. Therefore, to harvest, it is enough to spread a cloth under the tree and gently shake the juniper by the trunk.
Stratification of juniper seeds
Stratification is a mandatory procedure for juniper seeds. The essence of this process is keeping the seeds at a negative temperature for a long time (3-4 months). This is a kind of seed hardening, which significantly increases their germination. In nature, it occurs naturally.
To grow juniper from seeds at home, stratification is carried out either using a refrigerator or keeping the seeds outside under a layer of snow in a special container.
How to plant juniper seeds
Juniper can be planted both immediately in open ground and in pre-prepared containers. However, it must be remembered that plants are transplanted to a permanent place only when they reach the age of 3-5 years. All this time they will require increased care, so it will be optimal to germinate the juniper in containers, and then grow it under cover.
Preparation of containers and soil
You can plant juniper seeds in special containers or boxes. They are filled with a nutrient substrate from a mixture of sand and peat in a ratio of 1: 1 with the addition of sphagnum moss. As a growth stimulant, it is advisable to add a little soil from under an adult juniper to the container. It contains symbionts – fungi that have a beneficial effect on the growth of plant roots.
Seed preparation
To extract the seeds, ripe cones are pre-soaked in water or a weak acid solution. They are then ground using the scarification method to break down their hard shell. The extracted seeds are dried and stored in a cool, dry place, placed on stratification or prepared for planting.
How to plant juniper seeds
Sowing juniper seeds in containers with prepared soil is done in autumn, in October or November. Seeds are usually planted in rows, embedded in a moist substrate to a depth of about 2-3 cm. After that, the containers are placed in a refrigerator or under snow for stratification. It is possible to carry out the stratification of seeds without planting them in the soil substrate. In this case, they are planted in open ground in the spring. They will be in the ground until next spring, and then they will germinate.
Care for juniper seedlings at home
After planting juniper seeds, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil in the container with the planted seeds. After the emergence of seedlings, you need to carefully monitor the dynamics of their growth. Since the seeds are sown, as a rule, with a multiple excess of the required amount, in the future it will be necessary to cull, leaving only the strongest and tallest seedlings for growing.
Optimal growing conditions
Juniper seedlings growing in a container are recommended to be kept on the window. In the warm season, they can be taken out into the fresh air, for example, to a balcony or veranda. It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil and remove small weeds. In winter, you need to carefully monitor the temperature and humidity in the room where the seedlings grow. In rooms with heating, the humidity in winter is very low, so the ground with seedlings can easily dry out.
If the apartment has a glazed and insulated balcony, plants can be kept there. The main thing is that the air temperature does not fall below + 10-12 ° C. There are no other special conditions for growing juniper seedlings.
Watering and top dressing
The soil in the container should be regularly moistened, it will not be superfluous to spray the seedlings themselves with water from a spray bottle. However, this must be done carefully. Stagnation of water in the roots has a very negative effect on the health of seedlings and can lead to their death. There is no need to feed the seedlings. The nutrient substrate contains all the necessary substances for the normal development of the plant.
Other events
All other activities, such as pruning or shelter for the winter period, are carried out after the plant is planted in open ground. Until this time, juniper pruning is not performed. And even after planting it in a permanent place in the garden, the plant is not touched for another year or two, giving the shrub the opportunity to take root properly and adapt to a new place.
Transplantation in open ground
Planting and caring for juniper grown from seeds is no different from caring for species obtained by vegetative propagation or taken from a nursery. Transplantation of grown seedlings to a permanent place is carried out after they reach the age of 3 years. It is better to do this in the spring, from the beginning of April to the end of May. Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted in autumn, in September or early October. Later planting can lead to the fact that the plant does not have time to adapt to a new place and will die in winter.
Landing is important. Most varieties of juniper prefer open sunny areas, but they also tolerate light partial shade quite well. It is desirable that the place be closed from the north wind. Common juniper is undemanding to the composition of the soil, but it is better to choose a site with light breathable sandy soil. It should not be swampy, even after rains water should not stagnate on it. The common juniper prefers to grow on soils with a neutral level of acidity, while the Cossack feels better on calcareous ones.
Planting pits for juniper seedlings must be prepared in advance so that the soil has time to settle and be saturated with air. If the soil is loamy, then a drainage layer of coarse gravel or broken bricks is laid on the bottom with a layer of 15-20 cm. The size of the pit should be larger than the earthen clod on the roots of the seedling. For backfilling, it is better to use specially prepared soil from a mixture of river sand, peat and soddy soil. Sand is recommended to be pre-calcined in order to destroy harmful microflora.
The procedure for planting a juniper bush is very simple. The seedling is placed vertically in a hole and covered with nutrient soil. At the same time, the root neck is not buried, it should be on the same level with the surface of the earth, and for large bushes a little higher. After planting, the root zone is abundantly spilled with water and mulched with peat or tree bark. It is advisable to put a fence made of plastic or metal mesh around the seedling. This will serve as protection against domestic animals, which are very fond of marking coniferous trees. And for a young seedling, animal urine can be fatal, because it has a strong alkaline reaction.
Conclusion
It is not difficult to grow juniper from seeds, but this procedure is quite long. To get full-fledged seedlings, you will have to be patient, because the process can take several years. However, this work may well pay off. Seedlings have much stronger immunity and are easier to tolerate adverse weather conditions. On the positive side, planting material can be found completely free of charge, while ready-made juniper seedlings in nurseries are not cheap.
