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Juniper in the fall requires some attention. In order for the bush to please you all year round with its rich, juicy greenery and pleasant aroma, it should be properly prepared for winter. If for some reason the plant turns yellow and does not take root, you should listen to the advice of experienced gardeners. By following simple recommendations, you can achieve good results.
When to plant juniper in the fall
Not everyone knows that autumn is a good time of year for planting juniper. If the seedling has a powerful rhizome, then if planted before November, it has every chance of taking root and successfully adapting to low winter temperatures. Caring for juniper in the fall and preparing for winter is an undertaking that requires a serious approach.
Important! The end of winter is not a reason to relax. A coniferous tree can also die in the spring, when the rooting process is completed: at this time, recurrent frosts occur.The cause of the trouble may be a weak, diseased root or a disturbance in the earthen coma. It is worth noting that it is recommended to start small specimens in the spring. This way, before winter frosts, they will be able to take root and withstand bad weather.
How to plant juniper in the fall
Before planting a juniper seedling in a new place, in the fall, a year before replanting, the plant is dug deep: the diameter should be no less than the diameter of the crown. Next, the rhizome is pruned and the juniper seedling is given time to recover.
You should also know that mature plants are also unsuitable for moving to a new location. Even if ideal conditions are created, a mature specimen will not tolerate stress. If, nevertheless, replanting an adult plant is inevitable, it is worth trying to plant juniper in winter, when the root ball is sufficiently frozen. When performing this procedure in February, you can count on the probability of survival of the seedling.
Preparing the landing site
The structure of the soil does not play a decisive role. When it comes to land, juniper is undemanding, but when choosing a location, preference should be given to light and loose soil. An exception may be clay soil - the seedling will not take root on it. Only the Virginia juniper bush can evaluate the properties of clay.
If you scrupulously adhere to the rules, then the Central Asian and Cossack varieties take root best in alkaline soil. Siberian - loves sandy loam and sandy soil. For others, acidic soil is more acceptable.
In spring or mid-autumn, a new place is selected for the plant. Juniper thrives in sunny areas. It is important to have sunlight throughout the day. If the seedling is placed in the shade, it will not be possible to form a beautiful shape from the scanty branches. Moreover, the color of the plant will become pale and uninteresting. The dimensions of the recess for planting are twice the size of the earthen ball; a drainage layer consisting of broken bricks, pebbles and sand is added. The thickness of the layer varies from 15 to 25 cm.
Seedling preparation
Before plunging the seedling into the ground, it should be treated with a growth stimulator. When planting in dry soil, the bush is pre-soaked in a container of water and protected from direct sunlight.
The hole is filled with water and the soil is thoroughly moistened. To prevent insect attacks, juniper seedlings are watered with special chemicals after planting. This action must be carried out repeatedly until the plant “gets sick” in a new place.
Step-by-step guide to planting junipers in the fall
If you follow the recommendations of experienced gardeners and follow a step-by-step algorithm of actions when preparing juniper for winter, the growing process will not create difficulties. Correct organization of actions:
- In the prepared soil, planting sites are marked. The interval between seedlings is maintained at 1.5 – 2 m.For varieties of dwarf species that do not tend to grow, the distance is reduced to 0.5 - 1 m.
- Prepare the holes, focusing on the root system. They should be twice the size of the earthen clod. The approximate dimensions of the hole for a three-year-old seedling are 50x50 cm.
- A drainage layer of broken bricks and sand (15–20 cm) is added to the bottom of the pit. A mix of soil, turf, sand, and peat is also poured in.
- Before the autumn planting of juniper for the winter, it is recommended to add up to 300 g of a nutrient - nitroammophoska - to the hole. The drug is considered universal, it is suitable for all types of garden plants.
- The pit is allowed to stand for 21 days. This way the soil will settle, and when planting a juniper seedling, the rhizome will not suffer additionally.
- The seedling is immersed in the hole, covered with soil, and no fertilizer is applied.
When planting young and small seedlings in the fall before winter, it is necessary to control that their root collars are located at the same level with the ground surface. If the juniper is large, they should rise 5–10 cm above the ground.
After completing all the steps according to the technology and a step-by-step description of planting juniper in the fall, the plant is well watered and the surface is mulched.
Juniper care in autumn
There are no special requirements for caring for juniper in the fall. It is distinguished by good endurance, surviving low winter temperatures and drought in the heat, but provided that the root system has completely taken root. The transplanted plant needs watering, since the weakened root cannot always go deep into the bowels of the earth to recharge. It would be useful to irrigate the seedling.
How to water juniper in autumn
Only a year after successful planting, juniper can not be watered in the fall and even in the summer.If the heat is aggressive and dries out the soil, water the plant abundantly, but not more than once every 14 days.
How to properly prune juniper in the fall
Pruning of common juniper in the fall is carried out if the plant is grown for the purpose of decorating the site. They are formed figuratively or simply remove excess shoots. It is also necessary to eliminate dry, broken, limp branches. The rules for cutting seedlings are universal for all conifers. The plant must be rooted, without signs of disease. For some varieties it is impossible to form a crown.
Pruning juniper in the fall is not always carried out according to the plan. The choice of shape should correspond to the type of landscape. Sometimes gardeners leave a natural crown.
What to feed
When planting juniper in the fall, before winter, the plant should be saturated with fertilizers. Thus, before the cold weather, the easily vulnerable root system of the seedling is supported.
For fertilizer, humus that has been left in a pile for at least 1.5 years is used.
If humus was added to the soil during planting, the manipulation is not repeated for the next three years. The fact that there is an excess of nitrogen in the soil will be indicated by the yellow color of the needles and dry branches.
To add compost, the top layer of soil above the roots is dug up, watered and mulched.
How to care for juniper in winter
Juniper is resistant to low temperatures, so in winter there is little work to do to care for the tree - all the main preparatory measures are carried out in the fall, before the arrival of winter. To prevent snow drifts from breaking the crown, the bushes are tied. It is especially common for juniper plants that have undergone formation to “crumble”.
Is it possible to prune juniper in winter?
The best time to form a bush is considered to be spring and summer. If we are talking about the middle zone, then the second half of summer is no longer desirable for haircuts. Juniper may not have time to “get over it” before the onset of cold winter.
Pruning of juniper in the fall is carried out for sanitary purposes, to remove dry and damaged branches, without touching living ones. Before you begin the procedure, you should make sure that the plant is healthy. If there is any doubt, the formation of the bush should be postponed until spring.
In winter, you can also use sharp garden shears, but only cut off dry branches, without touching living fragments.
How to water juniper in winter
In winter, juniper is watered only if it grows at home, on a windowsill. The frequency of watering does not exceed twice a month. Coniferous crops like to be irrigated every other day. This way you get thick, lush greens.
Is it necessary to cover juniper for the winter?
The bush can withstand low temperatures, but if the juniper has not reached three years old, it must be covered for the winter in the fall. Some varieties tend to react negatively to temperature changes in spring.The fact that juniper is not comfortable when changing from minus to plus and back will be indicated by the faded shade of the plant and the yellowish-brown color of the branches.
How to cover juniper for the winter
Sheltering juniper for the winter is carried out at the end of autumn using any of the proposed methods:
- In regions characterized by snowy winters, the easiest way to cover the root system is to use snow. After the first snowfall, the pre-tied bush is insulated with a snowdrift. Only freshly fallen precipitation is suitable for these purposes. The procedure requires care, as it is important not to damage the branches and trunk.
- Young, bulky shrubs are perfectly insulated with pine spruce branches. Large ones are tied with pine needles, small ones are covered on top.
- In regions where snow does not fall consistently, agrofibre or burlap is most often used to cover juniper plants. The crown is wrapped in such a way that the bottom of the tree is open. How to properly organize the process of saving juniper in winter is clearly shown in photos of websites and forums of gardeners on the Internet.Important! The film is not considered as an insulation option, since under it the seedling may become damaged or get sick.
- An interesting and effective way to insulate juniper is to install a reflective screen. By placing it on the side of sunlight, they ensure that the rays shine on the crown.
If the seedling is not planted permanently, it can be brought into greenhouse conditions for the winter in late autumn. Thus, it is easy to avoid additional maintenance hassle. Particular attention should be paid to preparing juniper for winter in regions where temperatures drop to -30 oC.
Conclusion
Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, juniper is planted especially often in the fall, since due to high air humidity, the autumn period is optimal for preserving the green crown. Subsequently, this will have a positive effect on the presentability of the plant and ensure good reproduction.
