In the gardening of the garden and the adjoining territory, Cossack juniper is one of the first places among ornamental conifers. The variety of its varieties allows you to create a hedge, decorate an alpine hill, build an ensemble of group plantings.
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Description and homeland of the plant
Juniper Cossack belongs to the Cypress family. It is a creeping coniferous shrub whose branches can reach up to two meters in height. The decorative needles of juniper attracts attention. Male specimens have needle needles, and female varieties have scaly needles. The main sign is the harsh smell from the needles when rubbing it. Shrubs are decorated with fruits - drooping small cones of 5-7 mm. In their immature form they are green with a bluish tint, and when ripe, they become black and purple. Seeds ripen in the autumn and spring of next year.
The motherland is considered the mountainous regions of southern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and southern Siberia. The culture has been known since 1884, now its cultivars are widely used.
In the natural environment, this species of juniper lives about 100 years, in culture, its life expectancy is more than 30 years, depending on the growing conditions.
Outdoor landing
Landing must be carried out in the spring. When choosing a place to land, it is necessary to give preference to a dry, well-lit area.
Growing Cossack juniper in open ground provides for a well-conducted planting, which includes the following operations:
- Dig indentations several times the size of the roots.
- At the bottom of the holes pour drainage - gravel, crushed stone or broken brick. In the presence of acidic soil, add lime or dolomite flour.
- Place the plants in the prepared pits, horizontally laying out the roots, while the root neck should remain open. To fill up with sand, to compact and form a trunk circle.
- Water the planted shrub and mulch the soil using sawdust, tree bark. This will retain moisture and prevent the growth of weeds.
Juniper planting is a strength for every gardener. It is important to know certain rules, recommendations for choosing a site, planting time, soil composition.
Care for the Cossack juniper
Care is to carry out activities aimed at ensuring the survival of the tree after planting and creating favorable conditions for growth. To do this, you need:
- organize high-quality watering throughout the entire growing season, since a lack of moisture can cause the plant to wilt, which will lead to its death;
- mulch the soil around the trunk to reduce evaporation and maintain the maximum amount of accumulated moisture;
- to form a crown by removing dry, yellowed, twisted, growing inward branches. This allows you to control the lush growth of juniper and give it the desired shape;
- provide plants with nutrients, adding a complex of mineral and organic fertilizers over the entire area of the root system;
- protect young specimens from freezing in the winter, covering them with special materials that allow moisture and air to pass, which will ensure a normal microclimate.
Caring for juniper Cossack is simple and does not require much time. Carrying out all the care activities, you can find an approach to this coniferous culture. And she, feeling care, will begin to actively grow and develop, creating coziness, grace and a unique look of any local area.
How to care in winter?
The coniferous culture is characterized by resistance to frost, but young plants should be covered for a successful wintering and protection in the spring from the bright rays of the sun. During the winter months, plant growth is practically stopped, so there is no need to replenish the supply of nutrients through photosynthesis, if it is under the snow.
Bush propagation
The plant propagates by cuttings, seeds and layering.
- Cuttings. Varietal juniper propagates using cuttings. Only with this method all the characteristics of the variety will be repeated. Cuttings should be rooted in the last decade of April, at the time the juniper was at rest, and in August, when part of this year’s growth is lignified below. Cuttings from 15 to 30 cm in size need to be carefully separated from the uterine specimen. Then remove all the branches located at the bottom of the handle. To get the expected result, use stimulants to accelerate root formation. Plant the prepared material in a soil mixture that contains black soil, river sand and coniferous sawdust (1: 1: 1). Cuttings will take root for about 2.5 months. At this point, it is necessary to constantly water and spray the plants, as well as protect from the sun. In a permanent place, it is better to plant seedlings at the age of 2 years, having a strong root system that has formed.
- Seeds. Propagation of wild species occurs by seed. This method involves collecting cones that were formed on female samples, followed by sowing them in loose soil. Shoots are formed in an open area 2-3 years after sowing. To accelerate seed germination, it is necessary after collection to separate them from the shell and put in sulfuric acid for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
- Layering. During the growing season, the culture can be propagated by layering. To do this, bend the branches to the ground, spud and systematically irrigate.When vertical branches begin to form on the lay, it, together with the shoots and roots, must be carefully separated using a secateurs and planted in a permanent place.
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Protection against diseases and pests
In the process of growing, gardeners are faced with diseases such as rust, tracheomycosis, drying out of branches and juniper jute.
| Title | Description | Control measures |
|---|---|---|
| Rust | The presence of saturated orange growths on the shoots, as a result, the branches of the plant dry out, which leads to the death of the culture | Infected specimens cannot be treated; they need to be cut and destroyed, and the remaining branches treated with fungicides. |
| Tracheomycosis | The appearance on the roots of the plant of light spores of a gray hue, which grow into the vascular system of the trunk, shoots and clog bundles, which leads to impaired transmission of nutrients | Remove diseased branches, and treat the shrub and soil under it with fungicides |
| Schütte | Change of color, death and decay of needles | Remove fallen needles and dry branches, treat with fungicides |
To juniper Cossack was not the center of the accumulation of diseases during the whole season it is necessary to carry out protective procedures, which include:
- set of care measures;
- sanitary cleaning of the garden, by removing dry and diseased shoots, digging the soil around the shrub;
- processing in the spring and autumn of the plant and soil under it.
Varieties and varieties of Cossack juniper
Among the many species of plants, popular are:
- Juniper Cossack Tamarystsifolia. The coniferous shrub is distinguished by a horizontally directed crown, the branches of which grow up. Forms a domed shape. The culture is decorated with needle-shaped, slightly curved needles, light green or bluish-green, with a white strip. The main advantages of this variety include drought resistance, immunity to smoke, frost resistance and undemanding to the soil composition. Disadvantages - poor resistance to fungal diseases and intolerance to stagnant moisture.
- Juniper Variegata. An evergreen bush with a branched crown and cone berries with a blue tinge of wax. Its shape is quite unusual and looks like a fire. Ideal as a decoration for any landscape composition. The variety is valued for its unpretentiousness, ease of propagation and disinfecting effect, since there are fewer harmful bacteria and insects nearby. The main disadvantage is the slow growth of the bush and its small size.
- Juniper Rockery jam. Evergreen shrub of low stature, with thick main branches that grow unevenly and are located horizontally on the surface, and brown cones with a bluish coating. The crown is usually thick and widespread, and thin and short needles have a blue-green hue. The advantages of the variety include excellent resistance to frost and drought, undemanding to soil and fertilizers. The disadvantages are the pungent odor during grinding and the poisonous essential oil in the composition of the plant.
- Juniper Mas. A tall lush bush, 2 m high, 8 m wide. The density of branches raised upwards and small, prickly needles, which are bluish in color above and painted green below, attract attention. The plant is masculine, therefore it almost does not have fruits, single berries can rarely appear. It does not require soil fertility and moisture. It is used for landscaping large areas.
Many varieties with a variety of habitus, the shape of the crown and the color of the needles will allow any gardener to find a plot in the garden for this luxurious coniferous tree, which, with its sophisticated appearance and grace, will make the garden area stylish and original.
