Content
Cossack juniper Variegata is an unpretentious coniferous seedling used in landscape design. The evergreen plant attracts the eye and creates a cozy atmosphere in the garden. You can plant one bush or a whole alley - it all depends on the size of the area and the imagination of the owners or designers.
Description of the Cossack juniper Variegat
Cossack juniper Variegata (Latin name Juniperus Sabina Variegata) belongs to the Cypress family. It was bred in 1855. The plant is low-growing, creeping. The branches are covered with scaly needles with needle-shaped leaves. The crown of the Cossack juniper is compact, resembling a funnel. The crown of the Variegata variety reaches 1.5 m in diameter and about 1 m in height.
The color of the Cossack juniper Variegata is mostly green, but there are cream-colored shoots. The branches are arched and dense. Juniper Variegata is light-loving, so it grows better in open areas, is unpretentious to the soil, and resistant to drought and low temperatures.Under suitable conditions, it grows in one place for more than three decades.
This type of Cossack juniper will fit well into a rose garden or rock garden. An example of the use of Cossack juniper Variegata in landscape design is shown in the photo.
Planting and caring for Cossack juniper Variegata
In order for the Cossack juniper to grow beautiful and ennoble the territory with its appearance, it is necessary not only to choose a good seedling. It is important to properly prepare it for planting and then follow the rules of care.
Preparing seedlings and planting area
The best time to plant Cossack juniper Variegata in open ground is early spring. Choose a sunny site, because in the shade the plant changes and loses its decorative qualities.
Groundwater should not be too close to the surface. If the area turns out to be swampy, the Cossack juniper will quickly rot and disappear.
The preparation of the planting hole is as follows:
- Dig a hole, its size depends on the root system. If the seedling is purchased in a container, then the hole should be 2 times larger than it. For Cossack juniper with an open root system, the planting space should be sufficient for the roots to be freely located.
- If the groundwater in the area lies very close to the surface, it is necessary to consider a drainage system. At the bottom of the planting hole, you can fill a layer of gravel or expanded clay with a thickness of at least 20–30 cm. Consequently, the hole is dug a little deeper.
- The planting hole is filled with nutrient soil mixture.It is prepared from the top layer of soil, peat and mineral fertilizers. The soil is mixed with peat in a 1:1 ratio, and fertilizers are added at the rate of 5 g per 1 liter of soil mixture. If the soil is clayey, add one additional piece of sand to the hole.
Landing rules
The roots of the Cossack juniper variety Variegata are spread over the mound poured into the hole, without deepening the root collar; it should be at ground level. The hole is filled with earth and compacted thoroughly. The seedling is watered with water. The tree trunk circle is mulched with tree bark or wood chips. This helps retain moisture and also inhibits growth weed.
Cossack juniper Variegata is unpretentious to the soil, so it can grow even on rocky and acidic soils.
Watering and fertilizing
Cossack juniper Variegata does not tolerate excess moisture, so the bush does not need regular watering. Excess water leads to deterioration in appearance, rotting of the root system and diseases. If the summer is hot and dry, you can water 3-4 times per season.
Once a week, you can sprinkle water by spraying water on the Variegata bushes early in the morning or late in the evening, so that the scorching rays of the sun do not lead to burns of the needles.
A young seedling of the Cossack Variegat juniper needs soil fertilization. Top dressing is applied the next year after planting the shrub in the ground. Adult seedlings do not need frequent feeding. It is enough to apply fertilizer once every 2–3 years.
The following are used as fertilizers:
- rotted manure;
- superphosphate;
- ammonium nitrate;
- other mineral fertilizers (phosphorus, potassium, complex).
The best time to fertilize is spring. Usually this work is postponed until the end of April - beginning of May.Root feeding involves adding nutrients to the soil around the bush. The distance from the trunk is at least 20 cm, the depth of fertilizing is 10 cm. After laying the fertilizers, the soil in the circle near the trunk is watered with water.
In summer, Cossack juniper Variegata can be fed with a complex fertilizer containing several elements (copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, potassium). These substances affect the color of the needles, give them brightness and strengthen the bush’s immunity.
When fertilizing in the autumn, choose substances with a low nitrogen content. This microelement, introduced in the fall, leads to active growth of shoots, which is undesirable before wintering. Young shoots do not have time to prepare for winter and become woody, which leads to their freezing.
If the top shoots of the plant turn yellow, it means that the Cossack juniper Variegata needs magnesium supplementation. This component can be added in the autumn.
Liquid fertilizers obtained from vermicompost promote the growth of the root system, which allows the plant to become well established in the soil. This feeding enhances photosynthesis, therefore, the plant pleases the eye with a more saturated shade of needles.
Mulching and loosening
The Cossack Variegat juniper has a shallow root system, so deep loosening can harm the seedling. Shallow digging of the soil is allowed.
Mulching the tree trunk circle can be done using chopped bark or tree chips, as well as coniferous soil brought from a coniferous planting.
Trimming and shaping
Sanitary pruning is necessary for all Cossack junipers, including the Variegata variety, and shaping is carried out at the discretion of the owner of the site.
If the shape of the crown does not suit the owner of the site or does not correspond to the designer’s idea, it is formed. Topiary pruning allows you to give the Cossack juniper Variegata an interesting shape.
General rules for pruning Cossack juniper Variegata:
- cut the branch into a ring, i.e. completely or shorten it a little, leaving part of the needles. There are no buds on the bare part of the branches, so when cutting off all the greenery, the branch will remain dry and will not turn green again;
- During formative pruning, more than 1/3 of the green branches should not be removed. Cossack juniper does not grow fast enough to please the eye with a young and densely growing crown in the new season;
- When working with Cossack juniper, precautions should be taken: wear work clothes and protect your hands with gloves. The resin of the plant is difficult to wash off, and the toxic components can cause skin irritation;
- It is recommended to cover fresh cuts with garden varnish, this will help protect the plant from infectious diseases;
- gardening tools should be sharpened well, as torn edges of branches take a very long time to heal. The pruning shears or knife must be disinfected before pruning each bush;
- before formative pruning, it is advisable to carry out nitrogen fertilizing;
- green waste after pruning can be used as mulch. The shoots are crushed and dried, and then introduced into the trunk circle.
Preparing for winter
Cossack Variegat juniper bushes are distinguished by good winter hardiness, so they do not require shelter. In October, it is necessary to water the juniper bushes well. You will need 2-3 buckets of water for each specimen.Watering is carried out before frost, otherwise the water will only do harm and the wet roots will freeze. Mulch the tree trunk circle with peat; in regions with unstable weather conditions, it is recommended to cover the roots with spruce branches.
To protect the crown from sunburn, special breathable materials (mesh) of light color are used. Polyethylene cannot be used to protect the crown.
Reproduction
Juniper Cossack Variegata can be propagated in three ways:
- using seeds collected in the fall from ripened cones. The seeds are soaked and then planted in boxes. When the first snow appears, the boxes are taken outside and buried under the snow. In spring, the seeds are planted in the ground;
- layering. To do this, bend the branch to the ground and dig it in. You can make an incision in the place that will be underground. The incision is sprinkled with powder that promotes rapid root formation;
- cuttings. At the beginning of spring, cuttings about 15 cm long with old bark are separated from the plant and placed in water. To speed up the root formation process, the cuttings are treated with indolylbutyric acid. When planting a cutting, it is buried 5–6 cm into the ground. Rooting can take about 3 months. During rooting, it is advisable to create partial shade for the plant, otherwise the cutting may burn from the scorching rays of the sun.
Diseases and pests
One of the common diseases of Cossack juniper is rust caused by a fungus. These fungi affect not only Variegata juniper bushes, but also pear, apple, and quince trees. Therefore, they should not be planted close to each other on the site.
Shoots affected by red polypores are removed and burned away from the site.
Fusarium Variegata juniper blight, caused by the fungi Fusarium oxysporum and F. Sambucinum, leads to rotting of the roots and drying out of the crown. A severely damaged plant is removed along with its roots. At the first symptoms of the disease, the soil is watered with Fitosporin or Gamair. For prevention, spraying with Fundazol is used.
Alternaria blight is also caused by fungi. The first signs of the disease are brown needles and a black coating resembling velvet.
The following diseases are much less common:
- Biatorella canker of Cossack juniper;
- bark nectriosis;
- brown shutte.
Shrubs can suffer from pests:
- juniper aphids;
- scale insects;
- mealybug;
- juniper moth;
- common gall midge;
- Oregon flat beetle mite.
Conclusion
Juniper Cossack Variegata is used for decorative purposes. It decorates rockeries and rock gardens, and is also able to strengthen the slopes of the site. The shrub is unpretentious and frost-resistant, which makes it easier to care for.
