Cuttings of juniper in summer. How to propagate juniper in spring by cuttings

Cossack juniper - propagation

Recently, many amateur gardeners, in addition to fruit and berry crops, have been planting ornamental plants, as they say, “for the soul and to please the eyes.” Among them special place allocated to coniferous evergreen trees and shrubs. Due to its unpretentiousness and frost resistance, Cossack juniper is the most popular among gardeners. But the trouble is, seedlings of these crops cost a lot of money. Okay, if you plant one plant, but if you want to plant hedge from conifers. In this case, you can try to grow seedlings yourself. Cossack juniper is a dioecious plant. male flower looks like an oval earring with numerous stamens: female flowers collected in an inflorescence. The cones are small, spherical, no more than 7 mm in diameter, brown-black with a bluish coating, drooping. Seeds ripen twice per season - in autumn and spring of the following year. Each cone contains no more than 4 seeds. Be careful they are poisonous and Cossack juniper cannot be used for medical purposes.

Propagation by seeds

The most difficult and time-consuming option for propagating Cossack juniper is by seeds. From the resulting juniper fruits - cones, you can get seeds for sowing; to do this, you need to remove the seeds from the fruit and wash them; for quick germination, they can be immersed in a sulfuric acid solution for 10 minutes. To grow a juniper bush from a seed, it is necessary to stratify it. The best way– autumn sowing of seeds in boxes with soil. Then natural stratification - the boxes are taken outside and stored under the snow during the winter for 4-5 months, and already in April the overwintered seeds are sown in the beds.

Junipers are a group of coniferous shrubs and trees with different appearance. They belong to the cypress family. The culture is often used in landscape design thanks to the abundance of forms and varieties. Many novice gardeners are interested in the peculiarities of growing juniper, in particular, how it propagates at home. This is not at all difficult to do if you know some features.

Description and characteristics of the plant

Junipers have an extremely long lifespan. They can grow up to 500 years. The crop is used to decorate parks, gardens, and personal plots. She is imprisoned:

The needles of junipers are mainly needle-type, awl-shaped, and rigid. The length of each needle varies from 1 to 2.5 cm. They are located 2-3 pieces in whorls along the shoot. Older plants have small, scale-like needles. The buds are similar to berries because they have a fleshy outer shell. They mature in 2-3 years.

The size of the bush depends on the variety. There are pyramidal, spreading or creeping varieties. The height reaches 1.5 m.

The culture is slowly developing. The only exceptions are a few types of fast-growing junipers, in particular, Cossack. It has many beautiful forms, which are most common in Russia, Europe and Asia.

Pay attention! Junipers are light-loving, durable and drought-resistant plants. Most species are winter-hardy, not demanding on soil quality and grow successfully even on poor soils. The root system is well developed. It improves the structure of the earth, loosening it and providing air circulation.

How does juniper reproduce?

Propagation of junipers is possible by several methods. Each of them has features and disadvantages.

How to plant juniper:

using seeds;
cuttings;
layering;
dividing the bush.

The last 2 methods are not suitable for all types of juniper. Layerings are obtained from creeping varieties, and only a young bush can be divided.

Seed propagation is a very labor-intensive process:

Because of this, the vegetative method is popular. Propagation by cuttings is the easiest and most effective way. It has a number of advantages:

varietal properties are fully transferred to the seedling;
a full-fledged bush is formed in 2-3 years;
seedlings quickly adapt to growing conditions;
cuttings demonstrate high growth rates.

Juniper has unusual feature. The direction of growth of a new bush depends on where the cutting was cut from:

from the top - the plant will stretch upward;
from the side - the bush will begin to develop in width.

Many gardeners have a logical question: how to grow juniper from a twig at home so that it quickly takes root and grows actively. And more on that below.

How to propagate juniper from cuttings

To successfully propagate juniper from cuttings, you must follow correct sequence actions. Mistakes made at any stage will affect further development bush.

Juniper cuttings

Selection and preparation of planting material

Before propagating juniper, you should wisely select planting material. Then healthy and powerful plants will grow from the cuttings.

There are several rules:

To take cuttings, juniper bushes that are at least 8 years old are used so that the seedlings retain the characteristics of the donor plant;
cuttings are cut from the middle part of the juniper if you want to get spreading bushes, from the top - vertical ones. This nuance is especially relevant for columnar varieties, because it allows you to completely preserve the qualities of the mother plant. From one bush you can collect as many seedlings as you need to improve the area;
choose green cuttings rather than woody ones. Work begins early in the morning, when all parts of the bush are saturated with moisture;
When pruning, they grab a small piece of the branch on which the cutting grew, the so-called “heel”. Thanks to it, plants take root faster;
the best cutting length is 12 cm. It is permissible to use larger branches, but not more than 25 cm.

Important! For cuttings, sharpened and disinfected instruments are used.

If transportation of the cutting is required, then after cutting it is wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in plastic bag. This way you can store it for a couple of days.

How to prepare a cutting

Preparing the cuttings for rooting takes place in three stages:

The needles are carefully removed with a sharp knife, being careful not to touch the bark. Only the topmost ones are left for breathing.
The lower part is treated with a growth stimulator to increase the likelihood of rooting. Some gardeners place the cutting in nutrient solution. To this end, in warm water you need to dilute the sugar in a 2:1 ratio. But with this method, the bark may peel off, so it is better to use a stimulating drug in the form of a powder or paste. In exceptional cases, it is permissible to simply water the substrate in which the cutting will grow with a solution to improve root formation.
After 24 hours, the cuttings are moved to the prepared soil.

The more responsibly the gardener approaches the preparation, the higher the likelihood of successful rooting.

Important! Junipers cannot be rooted in water. From a long stay in a humid environment, their bark peels off, which negatively affects the viability of the cutting.

How to root a cutting

To answer the question of how to propagate juniper quickly and the easy way, you should familiarize yourself with some tricks for rooting cuttings. Success largely depends on this stage.

First prepare nutrient substrate. The soil mixture should be:

loose;
breathable;
moisture-intensive.

The substrate is made from sand and peat mixed in equal proportions. To ensure good air exchange and moisture retention, add a small amount of charcoal and perlite.

Soil mixtures

How to properly propagate juniper:

A hole is formed in the soil mixture with a depth of 3-4 cm and a diameter of 1 cm. A cutting is placed in it, the surrounding soil is pressed down with hands and watered. If several cuttings are planted in one pot, then leave a distance of 6-8 cm between them.
For speedy rooting, maintain a temperature of 18-23°C. At higher rates, the roots succumb and the soil dries out, and at too low rates, the cuttings begin to rot.
The pots are put into the greenhouse. If this is not possible, then they are simply covered with bags.

After planting, care comes down to maintaining optimal lighting and periodic watering. The soil is moistened as it dries, avoiding excess water. Seedlings require diffused light; in direct sun they develop much worse. When grown in a bag, systematic ventilation is required. If you do not open the plants in time, condensation will begin to collect and the seedlings will die.

Important! The plant should last 2-3 months in the pot. But the first roots appear after 25-30 days.

When growing Cossack juniper, propagation is used not only by cuttings, but also by layering. In varieties whose crown should spread along the ground, the lower shoots are rooted. They are not cut from the bush, but tilted towards the soil. The future seedling is fixed on the ground surface using metal hook, and the place of contact is covered with earth.

This procedure is carried out in the spring. Around August, roots will form on the cuttings. After this, it is separated from the mother bush and moved to permanent place growth.

Timing of cuttings

Juniper can be propagated from spring to autumn. However experienced gardeners note that the procedure carried out at the beginning of the season gives better results.

Juniper

The timing of cuttings largely depends on when the cuttings are planned to be planted in the ground:

Propagation of juniper by cuttings is carried out in the summer if it is planned to plant the plant in the fall. But they are prepared no later than June. Otherwise, they will not have time to take root and will freeze out in the winter;
planting material is prepared in early February for planting in the ground in the spring.

In order for a plant to take root in a new place, you need to let it form root system. This takes about 70 days. It is not worth planting it earlier, because there is a high probability of death.

Cuttings collected in late autumn or late winter are moved into the ground in the spring. If they were cut in summer time, then it is important to have time to carry out the procedure before it gets colder. When advancing early frosts seedlings continue to be grown at home until the next season.

Note! Replanting is carried out immediately after the snow melts. In hot weather, the needles burn out, so there is no need to wait for strong warming.

Means for stimulating rooting

The modern market offers gardeners a huge number of preparations to stimulate root formation. Previously, folk remedies were widely used:

willow water;
potato tubers;
yeast.

Now there is no need to waste time preparing solutions with your own hands. Store-bought drugs are easy to handle and inexpensive.

The most popular are:

Do not exceed the dosage specified by the manufacturer, because the opposite effect will occur - inhibition planting material.

The cuttings are immersed in the solution by about a third. The remaining liquid is used for irrigation.

Rules for planting cuttings in the ground

A lighted area is allocated for the juniper; partial shade is acceptable. The cuttings are moved into the ground along with a lump of earth and try not to damage the still fragile root system.

To plant juniper, dig a hole the size of which is 2-3 times larger than the volume of the roots. Drainage must be laid down.

The location of the seedling depends on the variety:

columnar juniper is placed vertically;
bushy - with a slight slope.

The plant is buried to the root collar, watered and mulched.

Note! In the first years of growth, young bushes are covered for the winter and protected from bright sun. Juniper is drought-resistant and does not tolerate waterlogging. It is watered approximately once a month.

At the beginning, it is advisable to fertilize with nitroammophos (50 g per 1 m²). In summer, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied.

To decorate your garden, you should know how juniper propagates. This is not a complicated process, but it requires compliance with certain rules. If you strictly follow the instructions, the cuttings will definitely grow into a powerful bush that will retain the varietal qualities of the mother plant.

Due to the fact that juniper is very unpretentious plant, it is very popular among amateur gardeners. This shrub can decorate any corner of the garden or flower garden, and it will become an excellent companion for others. Reproduction of a juniper bush occurs in three ways - grafting, layering and cuttings.

Vaccination is used extremely rarely in our country due to the poor survival rate of the scion. And it is needed only for elite varieties that are grafted onto an ordinary bush. Spreading creeping forms, whose branches are located very close to the ground, are propagated by layering. To do this, needles are removed from a suitable branch at intervals of 20 centimeters and dug into the ground at this point, watering periodically.

But most often, propagation of juniper at home is carried out by cuttings - cut suitable size and age of the branches and take root in temporary soil until strong roots appear.

Propagation of juniper by cuttings

If you cut juniper in autumn or summer, there is a risk that the young plant will not survive the cold, even with good shelter. It is best to propagate juniper bushes by cuttings in the spring. This is also done at other times of the year, but it is at the end of winter that the survival rate of young plants is almost one hundred percent. And in order for cuttings to be successful, you need to follow some fairly simple rules.

It is not always possible to begin the process of juniper propagation; it all depends on weather conditions. The best weather for cutting cuttings is cloudy. If we neglect this rule, then bright sun rays ki will have a bad effect on both the planting material and the mother plant, causing its disease and drying out.

Some gardeners recommend soaking young cuttings in a root former solution. This is completely false, because the layer of bark on the branches is still very loose and tender, and excessive wetting can lead to its peeling, which will ruin the cutting.

It is best to shed it after planting in a container or soil. young plant root and humate solution. This will certainly speed up the emergence of roots and will not negatively affect the bark.

U different types and varieties of juniper there are various tricks when cutting cuttings; not all branches are suitable for this. Thus, in pyramidal and columnar plants, for successful cuttings, only shoots that look vertically upward are cut off. And for spreading bushes, you can use any suitable shoot, except vertical ones. From bush and spherical forms, you can cut cuttings from absolutely any even branches.

It is important that the cutting is cut with a “heel” with which it is attached directly to the trunk. The work is done delicately and sharp knife so as not to jam the wood and not disrupt the circulation of nutrients in the cutting.

Having stripped the cutting of needles 4 centimeters from the cut, it is placed in the ground or, if it is not possible to root immediately, wrapped in a damp cloth. It is desirable that the time interval between cutting and planting be minimal.

The cuttings can be planted directly in open ground if it was cut off early spring, or in a wooden box - in the cool season. The soil for young plants should consist of a mixture of river sand with peat, because the plant loves it.

After planting, a small greenhouse is formed over the cuttings, where a fairly low temperature of 16-19°C should be maintained until the first buds bloom. As soon as the buds open, it will already be 23-26°C. The greenhouse is placed in partial shade, because direct sunlight is destructive for young juniper.

Roots begin to appear on the plant after three months. But you should wait to transplant into the ground while the roots are still fragile. At this age, juniper is sprayed up to 5 times a day - it needs moisture now more than ever.

Juniper is a member of the cypress family. This is an evergreen coniferous bush (there are tree-shaped varieties).

Grows in the European part of the CIS, prefers sandy soils. Given the juniper's lifespan, some cultures consider it to represent immortality.

The plant has a characteristic pine aroma. Its branches are known to have been used to ward off evil spirits. All parts of the juniper have healing properties. Many people prefer to make bath brooms from this plant.

Some types of juniper can reach a height of 12 meters, and the lifespan of some varieties is several thousand years. Juniper has many varieties and species. All of them are unpretentious to grow and are characterized by excellent decorative properties. (You can read the article with a description here).

Juniper is ideal for landscaping work. (Read about the features of using juniper in landscape design). In the article we will look at the ways in which it reproduces. amazing plant.

How to propagate

If you have it on your own property, you will definitely want to propagate it. Of course, you can buy a plant that is ready for planting.

But why spend money if you can make many seedlings from one bush yourself? In addition, you can get so much planting material that it is enough to improve your plot and make money from it.

Juniper can be propagated:

cuttings;
layering (creeping species);
seeds.

Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. The most preferred method of propagation is cuttings. This method can be implemented throughout our country.

Expert advice: juniper prefers to grow in a well-lit place, so it is best to plant it in an area that receives maximum direct sunlight.

Cuttings

The method of propagating juniper by cuttings is considered the most effective.

This is the only option that allows you to root planting material as quickly as possible.

Moreover, the rooting process directly depends on the type and variety of the plant, and on the type of cuttings available.

The most unpretentious cuttings for propagation are the following types of juniper:

common (including Irish and Swedish forms);
short;
Cossack;
Siberian.

Specialist's note: juniper fruits belonging to ordinary appearance, have medicinal properties and are actively used in folk medicine, and the raw berries of this plant are indicated for consumption by people suffering from stomach ulcers.

Work period

Juniper can be propagated by cuttings all year round, but only if all the necessary conditions are available for this.

The optimal period is spring, when rooting of cuttings is carried out in greenhouses.

If you decide to do this at the beginning of summer, then you can root in beds covered with film.

You can also use a greenhouse, but it should not be hot - you need to control and maintain a cold temperature regime. As for winter, they begin to harvest cuttings after severe frosts and root them in greenhouses.

Optimal temperature conditions

The best temperature to start rooting cuttings is considered to be 23-26 °C. This temperature is especially important to maintain when planting material is taken from new growth.

Before the first buds appear on the cuttings, the temperature can be 16-19 °C. At the same time, you must always remember that temperatures above 26 °C are extremely undesirable for planting material.

The substrate in which the cuttings are rooted must always be moist. To do this, planting material is sprayed or devices are installed that create a fog effect.

Procedure

For propagation, cuttings 10-15 cm long are taken. When separating them from the parent plant, you need to ensure that a piece of wood remains at the end of the cutting.

You also need to clear the trunk of the separated cuttings from the needles (no more than 3 cm, starting from the bottom). To obtain high-quality working material, shoots for cuttings should be taken from the upper part of the parent plant.

The cuttings are placed in a solution of a growth stimulator for a day. They are then planted in boxes filled with river sand, for rooting. The sand is first neutralized and spilled with potassium permanganate (3% solution). When planting in sand, the planting material is buried 1.5 cm and the soil is compacted around its trunk.

After the cuttings have roots, they are transplanted for subsequent growing, which lasts at least two years.

Seeds

In the literature, practically no attention is paid to the propagation of juniper by seeds. The fact is that in this way it is very difficult to obtain decorative forms of this plant. But in order to obtain its usual types, this method is quite suitable and does not cause difficulties.

Obtaining seeds

The first fruits on juniper appear in plants that are 3-5 years old.

At the top of a short side shoot you can see scales that, when ripe, resemble something between a cone and a berry and are green in color.

Fruit ripening occurs after 1-2 years. They turn black and blue. Each cone contains 2-12 oblong seeds. Propagation by seeds makes it possible to obtain strong plants that grow for many years.

Sowing

Juniper seeds have a very low germination rate. For 1 sq.m. Sow approximately 20 grams of seeds. If sown in open ground, then this should be done from September to the end of November.

The grains are embedded in the ground to such a depth that it is equal to five times the size of the seed itself. You will have to wait a long time for seedlings; sometimes grains germinate only after three years.

If you plan to grow juniper through seedlings, the seeds are first kept in a growth stimulant solution for 1 hour. Then they are placed in a substrate consisting of sawdust of pine needles and leaf soil.

After seed germination and the formation of developed seedlings, the plants are planted and grown for 2-3 years.

Expert advice: You need to store juniper seeds in a dry place that is well ventilated (at a temperature of no lower than three and no higher than six degrees).

Seedling care

Water seedlings sprouted from seeds when they dry out. top layer substrate.

The soil should not be over-moistened.

You need to constantly loosen the soil, pay attention to weeding and mulching.

In winter, seedlings must be protected from frost.

By layering

It is quite easy to propagate juniper by layering. This method is mainly used for creeping species this plant.

Juniper branches are tilted towards the ground and secured with pins. In places of fixation, the soil must be periodically hilled up and watered. Young shoots are used for rooting.

In order for the juniper shoot to take root as quickly as possible, the soil around the rooting site is prepared. It is dug up, loosened, mixed with peat and coarse garden sand.

Rooting of cuttings occurs within 6-12 months. It is possible to separate a shoot from the mother plant only if it is well developed and grows vertically. The separated shoot, along with the root system, is transplanted into a place designated for further growth of this plant.

Juniper has been decorating human gardens for thousands of years. Its beauty allows you to rest your soul, and healing properties cured from a number of diseases.

Reproduction of this plant is a lengthy procedure, but does not involve any difficulties. Each person, if desired, can propagate as much planting material as is enough to create a personal plot a true work of art from the field of landscape design.

Watch the video in which a specialist explains the features of juniper propagation by vegetative means (layering):

Juniper is a popular and decorative species of shrub. The question of how to plant juniper is asked by many gardeners. Why has juniper gained such popularity? The answer lies in its unpretentiousness to soil composition and climate changes. This shrub tolerates low temperatures, periods of drought, and is light-loving. The various forms of the bush and the color of the needles are also attractive in juniper. Juniper also has a light and pleasant aroma.

The main methods of propagation of this bush include:

cuttings;
propagation by seeds;
layering;
by dividing the bush.

How to grow juniper from seeds? The end of August - the first days of September is the best time to plant juniper seeds. This happens when the berries begin to ripen, at which point you need to collect juniper seeds. In some types of shrubs, scales from the cones should be removed. The seeds themselves take a very long time to germinate, about a year, so it is not recommended to sow them directly into the soil.

A wooden box is lined with a film in which holes are made to drain water. Soil is sprinkled on top, into which the seeds are planted. Then the box must be buried in the soil so that its top is visible above the ground. IN winter time the snow will cover your seedlings and create a thermal effect. After spring comes, the box must be placed in a warm place for the seeds to germinate. Sprouted sprouts can be transplanted to their permanent location no earlier than after 2-3 years.

Propagation of juniper by cuttings (video)

Cutting propagation method

To preserve the varietal characteristics of the shrub, juniper is planted using the cuttings method. This method takes a lot of time, but is also the most effective. Cultivation should be carried out in the spring if last year's woody shoot is used, or in the summer if this year's shoot is used. It is best to choose a shoot that grows vertically and has a vertical crown shape.

The reproduction technology is as follows:

A box with holes for drainage is filled with peat and sand in a ratio of 3:1 and buried in the ground at shady place.
Then the cutting with pieces of bark is carefully torn off.
If there are branches on the cuttings, they need to be cut off. This will prevent new roots from forming and the needles will not rot. Don’t worry, the broken areas will quickly heal due to the release of resin.
Aeration of the cutting is achieved by leaving the needles on the top of the branch.
We plant the cuttings vertically into the prepared hole.
Do not use film for cutting propagation. It is poorly ventilated, which can lead to an increase in temperature and death of the cutting.
Follow temperature conditions and humidity level. Suitable temperature is from 15 to 18°C. And after the buds have blossomed, the temperature is increased to 20°C. Provide moist soil for the cuttings.
Several times a day the cuttings should be opened and sprayed with water.

Reproduction by layering

This method uses shoots that grow horizontally and closest to the ground. First, you need to slightly scratch the bark of the shoot at the base of the cuttings, then plant the shoot in a pre-prepared shallow hole. Wet peat is used for dusting. The upper parts of the layerings should be tied with pegs.

It is important to maintain a certain humidity in the place where the cuttings were planted.

You can lay a small piece of film and secure it. However, the ideal option would be to use moss. It is very important to trim the junction of the cuttings with the mother plant throughout the rooting process.

The rooting process itself lasts about a year. During this time, water and hill up the bush. Once you notice new shoots appearing, they should be separated and transplanted to a permanent bed.

How to care for juniper (video)

Reproduction by division

Only a young juniper bush can be grown by division. At the very beginning of May, the bush is carefully earthed up. The lower part of the branches is covered, and adventitious roots are formed. Do not allow the soil to dry out in the summer.

At the end of summer the bush is dug up. Branches that have taken root are separated from the previous plant and planted in containers. Provide drainage holes in these containers to allow water to drain away. It is important to know that waterlogging of the soil leads to the death of juniper. It is recommended to plant new branches in the ground with good sunlight. But this is done only in winter for better transfer low temperatures. And in the spring, transplant the plant to a permanent place so that the root ball is not damaged.

There are solutions that allow roots to grow faster. Juniper branches should be placed in such a solution for a day. For better root germination, honey with added water is also used. After planting the bush, do not forget to spray it with Zircon solution, which is used to regulate growth and flowering.

Reproduction of juniper on the site involves several nuances. Many varieties of juniper have a wonderful healing effect. Therefore, propagate this amazing plant correctly and enjoy its beauty in your dacha.