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Juniper is a popular coniferous culture for decorating a garden or park. Reproduction of juniper in spring cuttings allows the fastest and easiest to get strong young plants.
Features of the structure and reproduction of juniper
Evergreen coniferous junipers are recognized long-lived vegetation. The average life expectancy of the shrub reaches 500 years, and individual specimens have already been celebrated for thousands of births. For such longevity the genus was paid off by slow growth rates, late arrival at the time of flowering and fruiting. The first bumps on junipers appear closer to 10 years of age. In the future, the ripening of the pineal gland takes two years, and the seeds themselves need a long stratification and hard to germinate.
Because of the nature of the structure and reproduction of junipers in nature, these plants are difficult to renew, and in nurseries and in ordinary suburban areas, to obtain new specimens, vegetative ways.
However, it must be remembered that juniper shoots have an interesting feature. Even after rooting, becoming independent plants, they retain the "habits" obtained on the parental bush. Juniper shoots, located in the upper, central part of the crown, tend to develop, grow up. Peripheral branches eventually turn into bushes with a flattened, squat crown.
At home, multiplication of juniper with cuttings has many advantages. The plants obtained in this way:
- retain all the varietal properties of the parent specimen;
- 2-3 years earlier seedlings reach the size of an adult shrub;
- better adapted to local conditions than large nursery saplings;
- in comparison with seedlings show the best growth rates.
When and how to harvest the planting material? What is necessary for rooting juniper, and what are the characteristics of care for seedlings?
How to propagate juniper cuttings in spring
Cuttings can be cut from early spring, that is, from the time of cutting the plant, and until the fall. However, experienced gardeners prefer to harvest cuttings in the spring, when there is a feast of growth. From April to May, from the already formed part of the crown, the semi-mature shoots are cut with a sharp knife so that the thickened base of the branch remains on the cuttings.
The lower part of the cuttings is cleaned 3-4 cm from side shoots and needles, and then the bare tip is treated with a rooting stimulator. Good results are achieved by immersion of a shrub intended for reproduction of a juniper in a jar of water, in which a little sugar is added. In a day, the future seedlings can be transferred to a previously prepared soil mixture.
The roots of the conifer are faster and better developed in an aerated, loose substratum of equal parts of sand and peat. Perlite and chopped charcoal can be added to the mixture. Shrub is not afraid of high acidity of the soil, so it is not necessary to deoxidize it.
Before the juniper is propagated by cuttings in spring, a small greenhouse or a film greenhouse should be organized on the site or at home. For the plant, well-lit places are suitable, where cuttings will not be feared due to stagnation of moisture and cold wind. With due diligence, the bush forms roots even in a pot, which is covered in a package.
Cuttings are planted in separate pots or in a common container at a distance of 5-8 cm from each other, inclined to the ground. The planting material is buried 3-4 cm, i.e. no more than the length of the shoot cleared from the needles. After planting, the soil near the cuttings is compacted and watered abundantly.
Juniper likes light, but direct sunlight inhibits the development of the seedling. Therefore, for the greenhouse is to provide for shading.
Care of cuttings during spring reproduction of juniper
Further care for the cuttings during the reproduction of juniper in spring is regular, as the moisture evaporates from the soil surface by spraying with warm water and ventilation. Excessive soil moisture is dangerous! Uneven root system of a juniper may bend, and the plant will die. Airing will help balance the humidity and prevent condensation.
A detailed video on how to propagate juniper cuttings, will help not make mistakes and independently obtain a strong planting material for the suburban area.
Rooting of most varieties of this coniferous culture takes at least 50-90 days. However, you should not hurry with the planting of shrubs to a permanent place of residence.
Usually, the seedlings are left at home or in the greenhouse until the next spring or transferred to the open ground with a clod of earth to protect the not yet branched and strong roots from damage. Such plants must be sheltered for the winter and protected from penetration by rodents.
The time for planting the juniper is chosen so that the young shrubs before the arrival of colds had time to adapt. If spring cuttings for the reproduction of juniper harvested in the early period, strong seedlings can overwinter. Otherwise, the plants are grown at home until next April.
This method of reproduction of conifers is suitable for all species and varieties. But if you want to grow young specimens of juniper with a flattened or crooked form of the crown, you can try to root low-lying shoots, not cutting them off from the mother's bush. Semi-lignified branches are bent to the ground, pinned with a strong wire hook and sprinkled with soil. This is done, as in the propagation of juniper shoots, in the spring. In the second half of the summer, a proper root system is formed on the layer. Such shrubs after separation from an adult plant can immediately be planted in the ground.
