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Common juniper Gold Cone (juniperus communis Gold Cone) is a perennial, coniferous plant that forms a cone-shaped bush up to 2 m high. The plant is valued for its original needle color, frost resistance and unpretentious care. Due to its decorative appearance, the shrub looks good on alpine slides, in rockeries and coniferous gardens, as well as in single and mass plantings.
Description of juniper Gold Kone
Common juniper Gold Cone (Gold Kon) was bred in 1980 by German breeders. A slow-growing coniferous plant reaches a height of 2 m and forms a narrow conical crown with a diameter of 50 cm.
The shrub has straight, vertical shoots and a deep, slightly branched root system. The main advantage of the conifer is the color of the needles. In the spring it is golden yellow, during the summer it becomes a rich green, in the autumn it repaints in a bronze-brown color. Due to the changing color, the common juniper Gold Kone looks great among evergreen, deciduous and ornamental shrubs.
Fruiting in common juniper occurs at the end of summer. The shrub produces ovoid green cone-shaped berries that turn bluish-black when fully ripe. Ripe fruits are covered with a waxy film and can be eaten.
Common juniper Gold Horse is a slow-growing species, seasonal growth is 15 cm. The shrub adapts for a long time after transplantation, especially in adulthood. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase 2-3-year-old plants grown in containers.
The coniferous shrub is frost-resistant, sun-loving, grows well on light, alkaline soil with deep groundwater. It is better to choose a sunny site for planting, since in partial shade the needles acquire an emerald color and lose their sunny color.
Juniper Gold Con in landscape design
Common juniper Gold Kone is a compact, evergreen, coniferous shrub that is suitable for planting in rock gardens, rockeries and next to other conifers. Looks great in single plantings, as well as surrounded by flowering perennials.
Common juniper Gold Kone is an ideal mini shrub that is suitable for growing in flower pots, for landscaping roofs, balconies, loggias, verandas and terraces. And thanks to the flexible shoots from the plant, a beautiful Bonsai is obtained.
Planting and caring for common juniper Gold Kone
After transplanting to a permanent place, the common juniper Gold Horse needs regular care. It consists of watering, top dressing and shelter from frost and spring sun. To improve the structure of the soil, the trunk circle is mulched with dry foliage or mowed grass. The coniferous shrub tolerates pruning well. With annual spring pruning, the crown is formed, and the skeletal branches are strengthened.
Seedling and planting preparation
Common juniper sapling Gold Kone is better to buy from trusted suppliers or nurseries. A properly selected seedling must meet certain requirements:
- The roots should be well developed and will completely fill the container they are in. There must be no mechanical or other damage.
- The trunk must be perfect, without cracks and signs of disease.
- All young shoots should be flexible and not break at the slightest bend.
- White flakes should not be present near the growth point of the needles, as this is the first sign of a poor-quality seedling.
- The crown should have uniformly colored needles.
Juniperus communis Gold Cone is an unpretentious, coniferous plant.
Common juniper is planted in spring and autumn. But to simplify care, the landing pit is prepared in advance. For this:
- Dig a hole, the diameter of which should be several times larger than the root system.
- The bottom is buried with a 15 cm layer of drainage.
- Next, a nutrient soil is prepared, and complex mineral fertilizers are added to the soil as additional nutrition.
- If the earth is acidic, it is diluted with dolomite flour.
- The soil is shed abundantly.
- After 2 weeks, the ground will be ready to accept a juniper sapling.
- When planting several copies, the interval between plants should be at least 1 m.
Rules of landing
After the soil in the prepared pit has settled, you can start planting. The seedling is carefully removed from the container and placed in the hole so that the root neck is at the level of the soil. The entire space around the plant is sprinkled with soil, ramming each layer so that there is no air space left. The top layer is compacted, spilled and mulched.
Watering and top dressing
Young plants for good growth and development need irrigation. In rainy weather, watering is not carried out, in dry, dry summers, irrigation is carried out 2 times a month after planting, and in the future – once a month.
Common juniper Gold Kone will not refuse watering by sprinkling – it refreshes the needles, removes dust and fills the air with a fresh, pleasant aroma. The procedure is carried out in the morning or in the evening, so that drops of water under the influence of sunlight do not cause a burn of the needles.
Common juniper is not picky about top dressing. The exception is plants growing on poor soil and in the first 2 years after planting. To do this, in early spring, seedlings are fed with liquid fertilizers intended for conifers, as they contain a full range of useful substances necessary for full development.
Mulching and loosening
After irrigation, the trunk circle is carefully loosened and mulched. Peat, rotted compost, straw, needles or dry foliage are used as mulch. Mulch will retain moisture, stop the growth of weeds, relieve loosening and become an additional organic top dressing.
Trimming and shaping
From the description it can be seen that Gold Kone juniper is very responsive to pruning. It is carried out for the formation of the crown and for the prevention of diseases and pests. In the spring, damaged, not overwintered shoots are removed.
An unevenly developing crown looks untidy and loses its decorative effect. Pruning is carried out in early summer with a sharp, sterile pruner. Young growths are pinched to ½ length. Powerful, incorrectly colored shoots are removed completely into forks, which makes the cut invisible.
Preparation for winter
Common juniper Gold Kone is a frost-resistant species, so it does not need shelter. So that the shoots of a young seedling do not break during a heavy snowfall, experienced gardeners recommend tying them together.
But in early spring it is necessary to make a shelter. It will save the needles from the spring rays of the sun. Covering material is removed after the daytime air temperature is kept within + 8-10 ° C.
Reproduction of common juniper Gold Cone
Common juniper Gold Horse can be propagated by seeds and cuttings.
seed method – seeds that have undergone stratification are treated in a growth stimulator and sown in nutrient soil to a depth of 2 cm. To create a favorable microclimate, a micro-greenhouse is made. The optimum temperature for germination should be at least + 23 °C. After the emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed, and the container is placed on a window facing the south or southeast side. Care consists in regular watering, fertilizing and picking. A young plant is planted in a permanent place at the age of 2-3 years.
Cutting – at the beginning of June, cuttings 5-10 cm long are cut. The cut is treated with Kornevin and Fundazol. The prepared cutting is planted in moist, nutritious soil to a depth of 2 cm. The container is covered with a jar to create an optimal temperature and humidity regime. In order for the cutting to take root faster, spraying and airing are carried out. Rooting lasts all summer. After 2 years, the grown stalk can be transplanted to the prepared site.
Diseases and pests
The adult juniper common Gold Horse is immune to diseases and pests. But newly planted seedlings are often infected with fungal diseases and attacked by insects.
Insect pests:
- pine moth – destroys needles and eats young shoots.
- Mealybug – destroys young growths and is a distributor of soot fungus.
For the prevention of insect pests, the plant is sprayed twice with insecticides with an interval of 2 weeks.
Fungal diseases:
- Fuzarioz – the disease can be determined by the reddening of the needles on the upper shoots, which gradually fall off, exposing the young shoots.
- Rust – affects shoots, forming multiple orange-colored pustules on them. Without treatment, the fungus quickly moves to the trunk, while the bark thickens and bursts.
When the first symptoms of infection appear, all affected branches are cut to healthy tissue and burned. The crown is treated with fungicides, such as Fitosporin-M, Fundazol or Maxim.
Conclusion
Common juniper Gold Kone is an unpretentious, evergreen, slow-growing plant. But in order for a coniferous shrub to please the eye for a long time, it is necessary to follow simple rules of care. And then the coniferous plant will become an indispensable decoration of the rock garden, rocky or coniferous garden.