How to grow juniper from cuttings. Juniper: optimal breeding methods. The soil cannot be over-wetted.

Seedlings of this coniferous breed are sold in specialized garden stores, but if desired, they can be grown on their own. It is important to know how to properly propagate juniper so that the plant takes root and quickly grows. Most often, vegetative breeding methods are used.

Methods and features of reproduction

In the absence of a plant on the site, you can use seed material. But this method rarely used, because it is complex, takes a lot of time. The first shoots may appear only after a year, so stratification in the garden or at home in the refrigerator is necessary. Varietal characteristics are rarely transmitted by this method of breeding.

The most valuable varieties of juniper are propagated by grafting. The method is quite complicated, it requires certain knowledge and skills. For this reason, cuttings are carried out in most cases. The shoots of an evergreen perennial take root well, at first they are grown at home or in greenhouses. Creeping forms allow breeding by layering.

cuttings

When propagating juniper with this method, shoots growing upwards are cut off. Lateral branches can give a horizontal development of a new plant, used in the bonsai technique, but depriving the specimen of varietal characteristics. When grafting juniper, the deadlines for the work should be observed, and favorable conditions for rooting should be created for the seedlings.

Advantages of the method:

• preservation of varietal characteristics;
• the resulting seedlings are highly viable;
• a strong root system is formed;
• grow to the required size several years faster than when sowing seeds.

To obtain juniper seedlings, compliance is required necessary conditions- Properly prepare cuttings, build a mini-greenhouse, maintain heat and humidity at the required level. Planting material for growing sprawling bushes is recommended to be taken from the middle of the plant, and for vertical ones - from the top. It is permissible to store no more than 2 days, wrapped in a damp cloth.

For cuttings, one-year-old shoots from mature trees or shrubs aged 8-10 years are suitable. Cut so that a small heel separates from the main branch - a lignified piece of bark. The length of the cut shoot can be in the range of 10-25 cm, the lower part must be cleaned from the leaves.

The length of the cut shoot can be in the range of 10-25 cm.

The greenhouse will protect the juniper from drafts, sudden changes in temperature, dry air. The room should be warm and light. Direct sunlight on the cuttings should not be allowed. At the same time, it is important to periodically ventilate, before removing the package, gradually harden, accustom the seedlings to the environment.

On a note! Rooting juniper in water is undesirable, since peeling of the bark is possible, the viability of the cutting is reduced.

Work period

Breeding conifers in this way is desirable to produce in the spring. Collect planting material at the end of February in order to grow a viable seedling in 2 months. If you wish to plant a juniper in the fall, cut the cuttings in late July - early August. It is advisable not to transfer to open ground before winter itself, so rooted cuttings can be left at home until spring. Before planting in open field for such specimens, hardening is carried out.

Temperature regime

Optimal indicators for rooting juniper cuttings are 23-25°C, a temperature increase of more than 26°C negatively affects the process. After the appearance of the first roots and before the formation of the first buds, it is recommended to contain planting material at 18-20°C. It is especially important to comply temperature regime for cuttings cut from young growth.

Procedure

Step-by-step cuttings significantly increase the chances of getting a healthy plant in a short time.

Juniper breeding point by point:

1. Cut off the heel with a sharp knife.
2. Clean the lower part of the needles, trying not to damage the bark.
3. Treat the cut site with growth stimulator powder or paste.
4. Prepare a loose, moisture- and breathable, nutritious substrate. You can mix peat and river sand in equal proportions by adding charcoal and perlite.
5. Pour a drainage layer of expanded clay into the container. Fill the rest of the volume with the prepared soil mixture, leaving 2-3 cm to the edge.
6. Juniper cuttings are deepened by 3-4 cm, if necessary, put a support in the form of a stone or stick. It is permissible to root several cuttings in one flower pot, placing them at a distance of 6-8 cm from each other.
7. Transfer the container to the greenhouse or cover with a bag. Put in a bright, warm place.
8. Provide basic care - maintaining a microclimate, periodic watering.

Waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed, but drying out will also negatively affect young roots.

Waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed, but drying out will also negatively affect young roots. It is important to ventilate the greenhouse, remove the accumulated condensate. The cutting will begin to take root in 20-30 days, but it will take 2-3 months to form a sufficient root system. Further cultivation is carried out in open ground. The seedling of common juniper and other upright species should be planted vertically, varieties with a horizontal crown - at a slight slope.

layering

This method of breeding conifers is suitable for those whose plant is already growing on the site. The method is used only for juniper creeping along the ground, since the branches must touch the surface of the ground, for example, some varieties of the Cossack species. Reproduction of a shrub from a branch is carried out during the active growing season. Rooting takes 6-12 months.

Reproduction of a shrub from a branch is carried out during the active growing season.

Preliminary preparation consists in abundant watering of the mother plant, loosening and introducing peat, rotted humus and river sand into the soil. Bend the one-year-old shoot to the ground, fix with hairpins. Periodically loosen around the layering. Spud the rooting place, water it. It is allowed to separate the seedling only after it has grown the root system and developed the aerial part.

Rooting is desirable to do in the spring.

Juniper is most easily propagated by vegetative means. The choice of method depends on the type of culture. Breeding of creeping forms is carried out by layering, vertical varieties - by cuttings. It is desirable to do rooting in the spring, so that during the period of active vegetation the plant has time to adapt to the new environment.

Juniper can be called a durable and diverse plant, the use of which is actively used in landscape design. All types of this plant love light and warmth, often used for the construction of borders and hedges. They can be both a separate decoration of any garden, and a shading element for other plantings. That's why everything more people looking for ways to propagate this plant, wanting to know how to root juniper.

Selecting and obtaining cuttings

To grow healthy plants, you need to know which cuttings should be used for rooting.

Rooting cuttings are cut only from the top of an adult juniper.

There are a number of features and rules for choosing planting material:

1. The branch for planting should be cut from the middle of the upper part of the crown.
2. The use of semi-lignified cuttings is not allowed.
3. Each branch should be cut with a “heel”, which will contribute to faster and more fruitful rooting.

Important. If you want your future juniper bush to be sprawling, then the cuttings must be cut from the ends of the side branches.

Time to breed

Depending on the time when the juniper is supposed to be planted in the ground, reproduction is carried out at different times of the year:

1. To plant seedlings in the ground in spring, cuttings must be harvested in early February.
2. If planting is planned in the autumn, then the cuttings are harvested at the very beginning of summer.

How to prepare cuttings

Needles on harvested cuttings should be removed. For these purposes, use a sharp clerical knife. Work should be carried out as carefully as possible so as not to damage the bark.

Before proceeding with rooting, all needles are removed from the cutting.

For successful propagation of juniper, you will also have to resort to the use of root formation stimulants. These drugs are now available in every specialized store, so finding and choosing the right remedy will not be a problem.

It is worth mentioning separately that even with the help of a root former, it will not work to root juniper in water. Being in constant moisture, the bark at the cutting begins to delaminate, and this has a detrimental effect on the survivability of the planting material.

The best option is to use a root former in the form of a paste or powder. With these tools, you can lubricate the cut of the cutting. But experienced gardeners advise not to stop there and recommend adding a liquid stimulant to the substrate in which the twig will germinate.

Substrate preparation for germinating cuttings

To root a juniper branch, you need to prepare the appropriate soil.

It must meet certain criteria:

1. Breathability.
2. Fluffiness and lightness.
3. Moisture capacity.

All of these characteristics are available in a mixture of peat and sand. These ingredients must be taken in equal proportions, and the presence of ash or lime in the substrate is not allowed.

For cuttings, a specially prepared substrate is used.

Important. This soil will dry out quickly. This can be avoided with the help of a conventional film, which, after planting the cutting, will need to cover the container.

Planting cuttings

Planting cuttings is a fairly simple technology:

1. On the surface of the substrate, you need to make holes 4-5 cm deep. A pencil is suitable for these purposes.
2. Each hole (the future place for the cutting) should be located at a distance of about 5 cm.
3. The cuttings are inserted into the soil carefully, trying not to damage the “heel”.
4. Then the soil is slightly compacted, especially near the cuttings.
5. The next step is watering. In this case, you need to water as carefully as possible so that water does not fall on the bark of the branch. Therefore, it is better to refuse the use of a sprayer.
6. The final point is the shelter of the seedling with a polyethylene drained cap. In such a greenhouse, the cutting will be quite warm and humid.

Further care of seedlings

Caring for seedlings at home is not a hassle. In order for the plant to quickly give roots, the container or pot must be placed in a place with diffused light. It is not necessary to additionally water the seedlings, only if the soil begins to dry rapidly.

The optimal temperature for growing juniper is from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius.

Important. The plant in the greenhouse should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

When germinating cuttings, it is important to maintain the optimum temperature in the range of 18-23 degrees Celsius. With a sharp increase in it, the seedlings will begin to rot; at lower temperatures, rot may develop.

Disembarkation to a permanent place

Planting seedlings in a permanent place is carried out 65-70 days after planting. The procedure should be carried out with caution, it is advisable not to disturb the earthen ball, so as not to damage the thin roots of young shoots.

If the planting takes place in the fall, then it is best to dig the seedlings in the garden directly with the container. Only this option is suitable for those who rooted in separate pots. Do not forget about the careful warming of such seedlings, which can simply freeze out in winter. Therefore, many gardeners recommend planting juniper in the spring, leaving it for the winter in the house.

The main rule when choosing a cutting is its size. Few people know that, due to its density, you need to choose a branch of the appropriate size - no longer than 25 cm.

In the video, the gardener shows one of the ways to root juniper cuttings.

Another point worth paying attention to is the slope of the juniper. Instances with a spreading or creeping crown are planted with a slope of 45 degrees. Upright species should be planted vertically for rooting.

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Valentina Bondar March 24, 2014 | 6746

This plant makes a wonderful hedge. However, not everyone knows how to properly and quickly propagate juniper.

Seed propagation is usually used to obtain species. Seeds germinate in 1-2 years, while seedlings grow slowly. Therefore, the most effective method juniper breeding - cuttings. Rooting depends on the species, cutting time and type of cuttings. Junipers are distinguished by high rooting ability: ordinary, horizontal, Cossack, scaly and their garden forms, as well as some others.

We prepare cuttings

cuttings should prepare from relatively young and healthy plants. The age of mother plants of most garden forms is 10-15 years. It is better to root specimens taken from the upper and middle parts of the crown. For cuttings cut off the main or side branches with all the shoots. In order to prevent them from withering and drying out during harvesting, as well as during transportation over long distances, the shoots are wrapped in a damp cloth and folded into plastic bags. With this packaging, they can be stored for 2-3 days. It is better to harvest cuttings in the morning or on cloudy days.

In the presence of heated greenhouses coniferous plants can cutting all year round . However, optimal rooting is observed in cuttings harvested in February-March, as well as in summer, during the end of growth and the beginning of secondary growth of shoots. Winter cuttings until planting are stored in plastic bags on the glacier or in refrigerators.

The cuttings must be apex point of growth, which allows them to maintain the growth pattern inherent in the cultivar. For most garden forms, coniferous cuttings are not cut off, but are torn off from the stem with a sharp downward movement (taken with a "heel"). The tip is carefully trimmed, removing only the burrs. The needles at the lower end of the cutting, immersed in the substrate, are usually cut off or cut off, but can be planted with it.

We select the substrate

Most versatile substrate for the rooting of most garden forms is a mixture of equal parts of coarse-grained (fraction 0.5-1.5 mm) sand and milled riding (sphagnum) peat. Often, low-lying peat and river sand are used to prepare the substrate, but these components are unsuitable, since when they are mixed, an acidic substrate with poor aeration is obtained. Under such conditions, cuttings of very few species are rooted. When using river sand, it must be washed through a sieve with a mesh of 0.5-1.5 mm to get rid of silt particles.

We root cuttings

Before planting, the surface of the substrate is well leveled, compacted and watered abundantly. The distance between the rows is 6-8 cm, depending on the size of the cuttings, in the rows it is 4-6 cm, the planting depth is 5-7 cm. The substrate around the planted cutting is slightly compressed and watered, preferably with a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide.

Winter cuttings are planted in May in a greenhouse when the air temperature outside reaches 17-20ºС. The optimal air temperature in the greenhouse is 20-27ºС during the day and 16-21ºС at night. The cuttings of most plants take root better when the substrate temperature is 3-6ºС higher than the air temperature. To increase the temperature of the substrate, biofuel, water or electric heating is used.

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The neighbor has a gorgeous juniper, but you don't. If you want the same - take a cutting from him. If you do not know how to plant, read the details about the propagation of juniper.

The best way to propagate juniper

All cultivars of junipers can be propagated by cuttings. According to experts, this method is the most effective and superior to seed. Plants obtained by this method have high viability and actively develop. They have a high resistance to negative phenomena and diseases. They do not react to temperature changes and take root well.

According to statistics, seedlings from cuttings are 50% more successful than others in transplanting. 80% better adapt and climate. And they do not require special attention and care. Cuttings are used by landscape designers and experienced gardeners.

How to choose a favorable time?

Everyone wants to get a good result, for this you need to follow the rules. Best time considered when temperatures drop in autumn. The nights become damp, with abundant dew and frequent rain.

AT middle lane manipulations with cuttings are carried out from the third decade of September to the last days of November. Why? At high humidity and cooling of the soil in the plant, changes occur that are favorable for reproduction. Many gardeners recommend choosing April-May, explaining this time with active growth, which is favorable for root formation. It is not recommended to consider the summer months.

Each region has its own climate. You can focus on temperature indicators. Successful rooting occurs at +5 ... +20. Deviations from these values ​​negatively affect the cutting and lead to "shock fading" or death.

Cutting rules

The success of the event depends on properly prepared soil and the choice of cuttings. Quality material there will be a branch of an adult plant whose age is not less than 8-10 years. You can get 90% rooting of juniper when using ordinary and undersized varieties.

How to cut a cutting

Using the bush form as a “donor”, ​​only side branches are suitable for cutting. On a crown growing vertically, consider only vertical shoots. Regardless of the variety, the length of the cut branch should correspond to 10-15 cm.

Harvesting for planting cannot be long-term. Try to perform the "operation" within 3 hours after cutting.

How to prepare a cutting

The resulting copy must be prepared: remove the needles from the bottom. This is necessary to eliminate the possibility of their decomposition in damp soil and the appearance of rot. We clean the entire part that goes into the ground from the needles - a segment of 4 cm. We do not touch the upper part, this is important for future growth and aeration of the seedling.

The stalk needs to be enriched with moisture. Put in water for a day or wrap with a damp cloth. It is better to use the well-known stimulant "Kornevin" or folk remedy: sugar solution (1:2).

Soil preparation for juniper

It is important to create soft planting soil. The best way is to mix sand with peat. Stick to a 3:1 ratio. Pour the resulting mixture with a dark solution of potassium permanganate. Mix thoroughly.

juniper planting

Create a hole in the chosen place, fill it with prepared soil, put sand (2 cm) on top. It is not necessary to deepen the cutting much. It is enough to put 4-6 centimeters into the soil. Moreover, the direction of the seedling depends on the variety. Columnar plants are planted strictly vertically. Creeping - it is better to root in an inclined position.

For safety net, it is always better to plant several branches. Therefore, if you want to get a guaranteed 100% result, make 3-5 landings at once. Place the holes in 70 cm increments. Having deepened the cutting, squeeze the ground and moisten. Then mulch with ash and chopped pine bark. Create a film cover for a greenhouse effect. If the place is sunny, you need to create shading.

The rate of formation of roots depends on the moisture content of the soil. Regular watering is required: as it dries, usually twice a week. Rooting takes 2-3 months. There is no need to rush to land at the designated place. Let the plant get stronger and come into force. If the cuttings were carried out in the spring, then it is reasonable to plan the landing only for the next autumn. In any case, it is better to wait for the annual growth to appear.

Juniper: reproduction, distribution and development of these plants has its own characteristics. This specificity is based on the genetic similarity of all conifers adapted to special environmental conditions.

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taxonomic position

Junipers are coniferous plants belonging to the genus of the same name of the Cypress family. This group includes representatives of two life forms - trees and shrubs.

The geography of junipers is extensive. Members of the genus are distributed in a variety of natural areas- from the arctic latitudes to the mountainous regions of the subtropics. Most of the species of this genus are confined to small regions and mountain systems, which determines their small areas of distribution. The only exception to this rule is the common juniper, which has a large range in the Northern Hemisphere.

All junipers can be divided into 2 large groups - shrubs and trees. Shrub forms usually do not form large thickets. They grow high in the mountains, often in the subnival zone, on rocks, talus, treeless peaks, free from glaciers.

In the lowlands, they are confined to the edges and clearings of coniferous forests, most often spruce forests. They can be seen at the edge of raised bogs, on steep slopes with stony soil.

Pure thickets on large areas of shrub junipers form only if the trees of the upper tier are cut down. However, over time, with the renewal of the forest, these coniferous shrubs again go to the edges and to the lower tiers.

Trees of this genus form forest communities in the mountains of the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and the Middle East. In America, such forests have survived in the dry regions of Mexico and the southern United States.

For the most part, these plants are photophilous, drought-resistant, withstand severe frosts and winds, and are highly tolerant to soil conditions.

The decorative appeal of these plants is based on the fact that they can delight with their greenery all year round. different shades. At different types there is a crown shape. Combining several species in one area, you can create very peculiar combinations.

The only drawback, and perhaps an advantage, is slow growth, which is quite understandable if we recall the conditions to which most species of this genus are adapted.





Distribution specifics

Under natural conditions, junipers can reproduce as follows:

• seeds with long period germination;
• cuttings, that is, with the help of additional rooting of a shoot or a shrub stem;
• layering, when the creeping form of the plant releases additional roots from lodging branches.

These three methods allow junipers to settle over relatively long distances mainly with the help of birds and mammals, as well as form dense thickets that increase the competitiveness of this species in this area.

AT artificial conditions a person carries out another method of reproduction - vaccinations. This is when especially rare, valuable, but poorly adapted to life in given conditions, species and forms are grafted onto specimens of similar varieties that are distinguished by good adaptive qualities.

When forming artificial plantings with the participation of junipers, all types of reproduction are used. Each of them has its own disadvantages and advantages. A skillful combination of the advantages of each method of reproduction allows you to achieve a quick and desired effect.



Planting seeds

Propagation of juniper by seeds is one of the most reliable and cheapest ways. Many plants combine sexual and vegetative reproduction in order to capture space faster and more reliably. With the help of seeds, they can spread far. In addition, the sexual mode of reproduction provides the species with a variety of genetic information, which greatly increases its resistance to adverse environmental conditions, and also increases its competitiveness.

For those who decide to grow a good, strong and healthy juniper specimen on their site, it is best to plant with seeds.

Seeds can be bought in specialized stores, you can take it from people you know - happy owners of an adult juniper. And you can collect mature cones from a wild specimen of a tree or shrub. The last two options are preferable, because you can imagine what exactly will grow in the end. However, in the store you can buy varietal material.

Planting juniper seeds consists of the following steps:

1. 1. Collection of seed material. Having chosen a suitable copy, collect from it a sufficient number of black-and-blue cones. Do not pick green fruits - they are not yet ripe.
2. 2. Next, the cones should be soaked in water for several hours. This is necessary in order to clear the seed itself from the fruit shell. Then the seeds must be thoroughly washed and placed for 30 minutes in weak hydrochloric acid.

This is done in order to destroy the strong shell of the seed. It is because of this hard shell that juniper seeds take so long to germinate. When the shell is destroyed, seed germination is accelerated.

You can also destroy the shell mechanically. It should not be pricked with a hammer, but you can wipe it with two strips of sandpaper. There is another way. It is used in the taiga by pine nut pickers. They rub bumps on the washboard (if anyone else remembers what it is). So the cones themselves are destroyed. So you can damage the strong shell of the cone.

1. 1. Cleaned seeds are planted in a box with soil. This should be done in the middle of autumn. The depth of planting seeds is small - 2-3 cm.
2. 2. Next, the seed box must be taken out into the street. There, in the cold and in the snow, they will undergo the so-called stratification.
3. 3. If everything is fine, the seeds not only survived the winter, but also rose together, in May they are planted in the garden. Landings need to be mulched and at first protected from direct sunlight. Here the small junipers should form roots and shoots.
4. 4. After 2-3 years, seedlings can be planted at their permanent place of residence. Transplantation must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the roots and growth point.



Propagation with cuttings

Reproduction of juniper by cuttings allows you to speed up the process of growing a new plant for several years. A cutting is a piece of a stem that, under certain conditions, is able to release roots and new shoots. As a result, a new plant is formed with the genotype of the one from which the cutting was taken.

How to propagate juniper cuttings? The best time for this is spring. To get a new plant from a piece of an adult juniper, you need to do the following:

1. 1. Take a young stem that is just starting to woody. If a vertically located stem is taken, then you need to cut a branch from the middle and above. If a juniper with a creeping crown is taken as the basis, then you can take any shoots, except for those that decide to grow vertically.
   Harvesting should be done in cool cloudy weather, and preferably during rain. Otherwise, the mother plant will get sick, and the cutting may die.
2. 2. You need to cut the stalk with a very sharp knife. A branch, the length of which does not exceed 25 cm, is cut so that a little old wood with bark gets into the stalk. At the cut branch at a height of 3-4 cm from the cut point, all needles and branches are removed. It is desirable to plant such blanks immediately. If this is not possible, then the cut and prepared branch can stand in the water for no more than three hours. To do this, wrap the stalk in a wet rag and put it in a cool place.
3. 3. Cuttings must be carried out in a substrate, which consists of equal parts of peat and humus. Peat can be replaced with sand. This mixture is placed on the bottom of the container, from above it is covered with a layer of sand 3-4 cm thick. The cuttings are deepened by about 20 cm. The distance between them should be at least 7 cm.
4. 4. Stimulants should not be used during this period, as they can damage the delicate skin of the cuttings. You can apply detailed chemistry already at the stage of transplanting them into the soil mixture. In this case, the cuttings of the creeping juniper must be placed horizontally, all the rest must be immersed vertically in the ground.
5. 5. A container with cuttings is placed where diffused daylight exists. Direct sunlight to rooting cuttings is harmful. Watering seedlings is rarely necessary, because they do not tolerate waterlogging.
6. 6. Cutting time can be chosen at will. If you start the breeding process in early spring, then by the end of summer, the cuttings will already have good roots. In autumn, young junipers can already be transplanted into the ground, forming a light shelter where they will winter. If the cuttings are planted in the summer, then the roots will not have time to grow to the right extent, so such cuttings will overwinter indoors until next spring.

Thus, propagation of juniper by cuttings is a complex multi-stage process that requires some patience. However undoubted advantage of such reproduction is fast obtaining results.

How to make withdrawals?

This method of obtaining a new plant, which is an exact copy of the old one, is a variant of cuttings. The only difference is that the stalk is not cut from the mother plant, but is dug in with earth.

This should be done from early spring to mid-summer. Later, the roots will no longer have time to grow. You need to take a young branch of juniper, located near the ground, make an oblique cut on it. Carefully insert some kind of stick into this incision, securing the layers with it, and then sprinkle it all with earth.

After new roots appear, you need to cut the new plant with pruners and plant it in a separate hole. You need to plant immediately at the place of permanent growth, since now it is a completely independent plant.



As a rule, the desired valuable variety is grafted onto the most common, and most importantly, hardy juniper. To do this, cut off the shoot, making a scion. It is tightly pressed to the stock, tightened with a rope, and preferably with electrical tape. The junction of the scion and stock is wrapped with polyethylene and again tightly wrapped with electrical tape. The better you attach the rootstock and scion, the more likely it is that branches of a completely different type will begin to grow on one juniper.

Usually bushes subjected to this procedure grow slowly. Vaccination should be carried out on adult, but young plants. The optimal age of the "receiving" juniper is from 3 to 5 years.

Vaccination should be carried out during the maximum physiological activity of both species, that is, during sap flow. Grafting material is usually young shoots from the tops of the bush.



After the vaccination is carried out, the places of the "operation" must be sheltered from the bright sun for a while. If everything went well, then after 2 months the buds will blossom on the grafted branch, and growth will begin due to the roots of another plant.

Thus, juniper can be bred using 4 propagation methods. However, cuttings and layering are the fastest and most reliable methods.