Contents
Juniper is an excellent ornamental evergreen shrub, and many gardeners would like to plant it on the site. However, this is often not easy to do. In nurseries, planting material is expensive, and not always available, and juniper taken from the wild is very likely to die. There is a way out of this situation. This is the reproduction of juniper cuttings. It is possible, but doing it at home is quite difficult.
Is it possible to propagate juniper cuttings
Coniferous plants are rather difficult to cut, and juniper is no exception here. Even if all the necessary conditions are met, the percentage of rooting of cuttings does not exceed 50, which is a good indicator. Growing juniper from cuttings is the only way to propagate ornamental species of this evergreen shrub. This can also be done with the help of seeds, but in this way it is possible to obtain only seedlings – plants that have not retained varietal characteristics. The propagation process of juniper seeds is difficult and time consuming, so most gardeners prefer to use the well-established vegetative method.
Some gardeners are trying to transplant juniper bushes transferred from the wild to the site. However, in most cases this ends in failure. It is better not to dig up the forest juniper, but to propagate it by cuttings, cutting several promising branches from a wild bush.
Features of juniper cuttings
You can cut juniper throughout the season, but early spring or autumn is considered the best time for this. This is usually not done in the summer. At temperatures above + 25 ° C, the vital activity of the plant slows down greatly, and the cuttings can simply die. Low temperatures also have a negative effect on this process. Therefore, rooting juniper in winter is possible only at home.
Juniper cuttings have one interesting feature. If you take them from the top of the plant, then the future tree will tend to grow up and form a narrow crown. If the cuttings are taken from side shoots, the crown of the future bush will grow in breadth. Therefore, for propagation of tree-like junipers with a narrow crown, you need to use twigs taken from the top of the tree, and for bush and creeping varieties – from the side. In varieties with a variegated crown, planting material is taken from the sunny side.
When is it better to propagate thuja and juniper cuttings
Reproduction of thuja and juniper with green cuttings can be started in early spring, as soon as the snow melts, and continue until the end of May. At this time, there is a peak of active growth of the plant, the maximum of its vital energy. However, not all gardeners consider these terms to be correct. There is an opinion that the best time for planting cuttings is the period from September to the end of November. During this period, the stomata of the plants are closed, and moisture loss is minimal.
Propagation of juniper cuttings in spring
Planting juniper in the spring with cuttings is carried out in early April, when the temperature confidently reaches positive values. At this time, shelters are already being removed from the bushes, so visually assessing the quality and choosing the necessary material for grafting is not difficult.
Cuttings are taken from semi-lignified shoots, cut off with a knife or torn off by hand along with a piece of old wood – a heel.
Juniper cuttings in winter
You can also cut juniper at the end of winter. At this time, there are no severe frosts, and conifers are already preparing for the start of the growing season. It is important that during this period there are no pests or diseases on the trees. After harvesting the cuttings, winter shelters should be returned to their place, since frosts and the bright spring sun can severely damage the needles.
Propagation of juniper by cuttings at home in autumn
Planting juniper cuttings in autumn can be carried out from September to November. During this time, they are rooted in separate containers, and in the spring they are transplanted into greenhouses for growing. When the seedlings reach the age of 3-4 years, they can be transplanted into open ground.
How to propagate juniper cuttings at home
Growing juniper from a branch at home is a rather difficult task. This is a lengthy process that takes several months. To carry out the work, the following materials will be required:
- Epin (plant growth stimulator);
- Kornevin (root formation stimulator);
- knife;
- a piece of clean cloth;
- moss-sphagnum;
- plastic bag.
Unlike thuja, when propagating juniper by cuttings, jars of water are not used. Prolonged exposure to a humid environment does not lead to root formation, but only to rotting of the branches.
Rules for cutting cuttings
Semi-lignified shoots 8-15 cm long can be used as cuttings. It is better not to cut them, but to tear them off with your hands, since with this method a piece of old wood is also torn off – a heel. Prepared cuttings should be wrapped in wet moss.
How to root juniper cuttings
Before rooting, juniper branches are kept for 12 hours in water with the addition of a growth stimulator – Epin. In the absence of such, you can also use its natural substitute – sugar or honey water (proportions of 1 liter of water and 1 tsp of sugar or honey). The lower 3-4 cm of the cutting must be cleared of needles. It is also necessary to remove berries from the branches, if any. Together with the removal of the needles, several notches are made on the bark in the lower part of the cuttings, it is in such places that the juniper branch will give roots in the future.
A layer of wet sphagnum moss is laid out on a piece of clean cloth. Then cuttings are placed on it, having previously powdered their lower part with Kornevin. The fabric is folded into a pocket and rolled into a roll, which is fixed with several elastic bands for banknotes. The roll is placed in a plastic bag. When tied, it is hung between wooden window frames, while it is important that direct sunlight does not fall on it. Periodically, the cuttings need to be taken out and inspected. After a few months, when they have their own roots, they can be planted in separate peat cups, and after the final rooting they can be planted in open ground.
Rooting juniper at home can also be done in containers filled with a mixture of sand and peat. The cuttings prepared and processed by Kornevin are buried in a moistened substrate by 5-7 cm. Then the containers are placed in a tight plastic bag and placed on the windowsill. In this way, greenhouse conditions are simulated. You don’t need to tie the top of the bag. The nutrient substrate must be moistened from time to time. After the stalk forms its own root system, it is transplanted into open ground.
Cutting Care
Planted cuttings must be periodically inspected, and the nutrient substrate in which they are located must be loosened and moistened. It is very important that the air temperature does not exceed + 25 ° С, + 20-22 ° С is considered optimal. There is no need to feed the cuttings, however, for insurance, you can use a solution of heteroauxin or sodium humate, prepared in accordance with the instructions for use.
Transplanting a seedling in open ground
The best time to transplant a grown seedling into open ground is spring, the period from April to May. Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted in autumn, in September-October, but spring planting is still more preferable.
Junipers are demanding on lighting, so the place for their landing should be open and not in the shade of large trees and buildings. Light penumbra or constant illumination with diffused sunlight is allowed. It is desirable that the site does not have strong winds, especially the north. The soil is preferably loose, well-drained. Common juniper and its Chinese variety do not tolerate dry air, they will grow well if there is a natural reservoir nearby.
Different types of juniper prefer different types of soil. For example, Virginian will feel better on slightly acidic clay soils, Cossack prefers calcareous soil, and Siberian juniper should only be planted in sandy soil. The acidity and composition of the soil must be checked before planting and, if necessary, adjusted to the required ones.
Before planting, it is necessary to prepare a sufficient amount of universal soil substrate, which will fill the planting hole. To prepare such a mixture, a mix of soil taken from under an adult juniper or other coniferous plant, coarse-grained river sand and peat is best suited. All components are taken in equal proportions and thoroughly mixed together.
It is better to prepare landing pits in advance so that the soil has time to settle and soak in air. Their size must be guaranteed to exceed the volume of the earthen clod on the roots of the seedling. At the bottom of the pit, a layer of drainage is poured from broken brick, expanded clay or crushed stone. Then a layer of nutrient soil is poured on top. In this form, the pit is left for several weeks.
For planting choose a cloudy cool day. Containers with seedlings are spilled with water in advance so that the roots are not damaged during extraction. The seedling is installed vertically in a hole on an earthen hill, and then covered with a nutrient substrate. The earth around the trunk is slightly compacted to prevent the formation of voids. The root neck of the seedling is not deepened, it should be at the level of the soil. After planting, watering is carried out, and then the root zone is mulched with peat, bark or sawdust of coniferous trees.
Over time, the juniper grows quite strongly, therefore, when carrying out group plantings, it is necessary to observe certain intervals between neighboring plants. Dwarf species are planted at a distance of 0,8-1 m from each other; when planting larger varieties, it would be advisable to increase this distance to 1,5-2 m. This measure will allow plants to avoid competition and develop normally without oppressing each other.
Conclusion
Propagation of juniper by cuttings is an excellent way to increase or diversify the species composition of coniferous plants grown in the backyard. It may not always end successfully, however, thanks to him, you can gain invaluable experience in such work. Many garden plants are much easier to propagate from cuttings. If you learn how to cut conifers, then working with other shrubs will most likely bring a positive result.