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Juniper Stricta (Stricta) – a variety bred by Dutch breeders in the middle of the twentieth century. Thanks to the graceful shape of the crown and the unusual color of the needles, the plant has gained wide popularity among landscape designers and gardeners, both in Europe and in Our Country.
Description of juniper Chinese Strict
The species belongs to the Cypress family, the genus Junipers. This is an evergreen dwarf coniferous tree of small height. It has a slender conical shape, it is distinguished by a dense symmetrical crown formed by thin straight branches growing vertically at an acute angle to the trunk. The needles are thin, sharp, soft, green-bluish; in winter it becomes a gray-blue hue.
In August-October, numerous cones of dark blue color with a whitish wax coating ripen on females. Their diameter is about 0,8 cm, there are 3 seeds inside. The fruits are inedible.
A variety close in description is the juniper Stricta Variegata, which differs from the variety of Chinese juniper Strict in its conical crown and unusual coloring of the needles: against the background of green or bluish-green branches, creamy shoots stand out, arranged in a chaotic manner. This picturesque variety has also received recognition from landscape designers in many countries around the world.
The variety is relatively unpretentious, tolerates frost well, is undemanding to the composition of the soil and does not suffer from air pollution in large cities.
Dimensions juniper Strict
Chinese Juniper Strikta reaches a height of 2,5 m with a diameter of about 1,5 m, but it is not uncommon for it to grow up to 3 m. These are the optimal sizes for the formation of hedges.
The root system of the juniper Chinese Strict
Chinese juniper has a powerful developed root system and can be used to strengthen erosive soils.
When buying a seedling, it is important to remember that the root system of conifers is very vulnerable and dies quickly in the open air, so you should choose plants grown in a container.
Juniper Stricta poisonous or not
Chinese juniper, like other coniferous crops, is known for its ability to purify the air and inhibit the growth of bacteria. This property is often used in preventive and restorative medicine. In sanatoriums and resorts, you can often find walking paths lined with Chinese Strikt juniper trees. The air, enriched with its phytoncides, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, promotes recovery from lung diseases.
However, the composition of its needles and fruits includes a certain amount of toxic substances. Close and prolonged contact of the juice with the skin and mucous membranes can be harmful, so gardeners should be careful when working with shrubs and use protective gloves.
How fast does juniper Strikta grow?
Juniper Chinese refers to slow-growing crops. Interestingly, an adult tree grows faster than a young one. Over time, growth accelerates, but does not exceed 5 – 7 cm per year.
Frost resistance of juniper Chinese Strict
One of the most important characteristics of the variety, which makes it attractive for use in Our Country, is frost resistance. Only in very severe winters do plantings need shelter. But heavy snowfalls can lead to breakage of branches.
Juniper Strikta in landscape design
Chinese juniper is one of the most popular plants among landscape designers. It is difficult to imagine a composition in Chinese or Japanese style without the use of this picturesque tree. It looks no less advantageous in the European style of gardening. On numerous photos of juniper Strict in landscape design, you can see examples of the design of alpine slides, rockeries, single plantings and group ensembles. Due to the ability to form a crown, the tree is great for hedges. It is also used for landscaping terraces and balconies.
If Strict can serve as a winning backdrop for bright accents created by other plants or elements, then Strict Variegata is most often the central detail of the composition. Thanks to the unusual coloring, this variety is able to revive even the most unassuming plant ensemble.
Planting and caring for Chinese Juniper Strict
According to the description of experienced gardeners, there is nothing complicated in growing and caring for the Chinese juniper Strikta. He is unpretentious, but in order for him not to lose his attractiveness, certain rules of disembarkation and care are required.
Seedling and planting preparation
Choosing and preparing a landing site is one of the most important steps in growing beautiful, healthy trees.
This is a photophilous culture, however, its needles can suffer greatly from direct sun. It is most dangerous for young specimens, so it is recommended to choose a well-ventilated place in partial shade.
It is optimal to buy a seedling in a nursery or garden center. There are several recommendations for choosing it:
- it is preferable to buy trees with a closed root system. Ideal – in a container or with an earthen clod;
- young shoots should be visible on the seedling;
- branches should not be dry or brittle;
- you should choose seedlings with a dense bright green crown, without dry and damaged areas.
Rules of landing
Transplantation is carried out in spring or autumn. If the seedling has an open root system, it should be planted immediately after purchase to prevent drying out. A tree in a container can wait for the right time to transplant.
The general algorithm is as follows:
- prepare a hole with a volume 2-3 times larger than the size of an earthen coma with roots;
- leave a distance of 1,5 – 2 m between the holes;
- fill the bottom of the pit with drainage (broken brick or pebbles);
- deepen the seedling, leaving the root neck above the surface;
- sprinkle the tree with a mixture of sand, peat and sod land;
- shelter from the sun;
- water abundantly.
Watering and top dressing
Juniper Chinese Strikta is not too picky about moisture and tolerates drought quite well. Within a few months after planting, he needs to ensure regular abundant watering.
In a dry summer, it is watered 2-3 times so that each tree has up to 30 liters of water. When growing a Chinese variety in ensembles, it should be borne in mind that excess moisture is detrimental to it, so it is necessary to select crops with a similar irrigation regime.
But dry air can be very harmful, so it is recommended to spray the crown often. In order to avoid burns, water should not be allowed to get on the needles; on a sunny day, spraying should be done in the morning or evening.
Once a season, at the end of April or in May, the plantings are fertilized. Mineral complexes for conifers have the optimal composition.
Mulching and loosening
Mulching is not mandatory. To avoid the rapid drying of the top layer of soil, to water less often and to get rid of weeds, you can use mulching. Wood chips or pine bark are used as mulch.
Juniper Chinese has a developed strong root system, so only young plants need loosening. It should be done shallowly so as not to hurt the delicate roots.
Pruning juniper Strikta
Juniper Chinese Strikta lends itself well to crown formation. In landscape plantings, pruning is done regularly, and in hedges, as a rule, only dry branches are removed. Prune plantings in early spring.
To prevent fungal diseases, it is advisable to treat the crown after pruning with a fungicide.
Shelter for the winter juniper Strict
Despite the fact that the Chinese Strict juniper variety is frost-resistant, the trees need to be prepared for winter. So, at the end of autumn, trunk circles are mulched with a thick layer of peat, and young trees are completely insulated with spruce branches. The crown can suffer from heavy snowfalls, so the branches are tied to the trunk.
If the winter promises to be extremely frosty, for preventive purposes it is possible to insulate the plantings with burlap, agrospan or other covering materials. You can remove the shelter at the end of April. It is advisable to choose a cloudy day for this, so that the plant adapts to the sun’s rays.
Features of caring for juniper Strict at home
Junipers are rarely used as houseplants. Despite the fact that this is an evergreen culture, like all conifers, it needs a dormant period, therefore it is demanding on the temperature regime. However, now with great success these small trees are kept in residential premises. On the forums of indoor flower lovers, you can see photos in which Chinese juniper Strict not only grows at home, but is also used as an element of whole plant compositions.
Due to its slow growth, Strikta juniper is one of the most suitable varieties for growing at home in a pot. In order for the juniper tree to please its owner for a long time, it is necessary to adhere to simple rules:
- the purchased seedling should be immediately transplanted into a larger pot;
- optimal use of soil for coniferous trees. Peat soil is also suitable;
- pour drainage at the bottom of the pot to avoid destructive moisture stagnation;
- after transplanting, sprinkle the top layer of the earth with mulch and pour fertilizer for conifers;
- water moderately – in summer as it dries, in winter no more than twice a month;
- often, up to several times a day, spray the crown with water from a spray bottle;
- in winter, take the pot away from heating appliances;
- fertilize in spring and summer once every 2 weeks with mineral complexes added to water for irrigation;
- the pot should be on the sunny side. In summer, avoid direct sunlight on the crown;
- the temperature in summer should not exceed +25 °C, in winter +13 °C;
- young trees should be transplanted every spring into larger pots. It is important to know that even slight damage to the root system leads to juniper disease.
Propagation of juniper chinenzis Strikta
It is almost impossible to grow a tree from seeds, therefore propagation by cuttings is most suitable for Strict juniper. In the spring, one-year-old branches are separated from the trunk and rooted in a mixture of peat and sand. A variety of Chinese juniper Strict Variegata is better propagated by layering. The branches creeping along the ground are laid in grooves filled with the same mixture of sand and peat, sprinkled with soil, and the top is pinched. Branches rooted in this way become independent plants.
Pests and diseases of juniper Strict
Despite its unpretentiousness, Chinese juniper Strikta, like other conifers, is susceptible to fungal diseases. There are up to 40 species of fungi. Some affect the root system, branches and needles suffer from others. In addition to the signs characteristic of each disease, the common signal of the lesion is the yellowing and drying of the needles, and then of the entire branches. It often looks like Chinese juniper Stricta is drying out due to lack of moisture, but the real cause is a fungus.
The most common diseases are Fusarium, Alternaria, Rust, Shutte.
Pests are no less trouble. Most often it is a sawfly, aphids, needle mites and juniper scale insects. Insecticides help well against their invasion.
Conclusion
Juniper Strikta is not accidentally considered one of the most interesting plants for landscape design. The unpretentiousness of this tree allows it to be used both in small private areas and for landscaping large cities. Thanks to its decorative properties, you can create spectacular compositions with other plants and natural materials.
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