Chinese juniper Stripta: planting and care

Juniper is very popular in garden gardening and is often used by landscape designers. Due to its high decorative qualities, it easily fits into any composition, especially in Japanese or Chinese style. And this is not surprising, because the birthplace of junipers are Japan, China, Korea and Mongolia. One of the varieties of the bush has an amazing green-blue hue of the needles - this is the juniper of the Chinese Stricta. Care for him requires some effort and careful approach, but in general it is quite simple. Juniper has a number of useful qualities. First, they clean and disinfect the air, like many other conifers. Secondly, its roots, berries and shoots are actively used in folk medicine. This is an evergreen plant, therefore branches, for example, for a sauna or a bath can be used all year round. Juniper brooms are very popular and useful, they promote good blood circulation.

Species of Chinese juniper

There are not so many species, they differ mainly in the shape of the crown and in height, which is reached in conditions of our climate. Juniper people prefer a natural environment and a clean atmosphere, but among them there are varieties adapted to urban gassed air: Blauve (has a gray-green needles, a column shape), Blue Alps (silver-blue needles, high enough - up to 4 m.), Plumoza Aurea (color varies depending on the season, in summer - golden green, and in the autumn - bronze yellow). There is also a very unusual grade of Globose, which has a spherical shape, it is short and reaches a height of only one meter. Juniper of the Chinese Stricta Variegata is a variety with an unusual color of needles.

In height, the shrub can grow to two meters. Color mottled, among the green shoots abundant blotch of cream-colored branches. It looks very interesting and unusual. It is easy to reproduce by means of layers. The Spartan variety is large in size and grows up to 6 meters in height, has a beautiful pyramidal shape of the crown and a bright, deep green pine needles.

Juniper Juniper: description of species

This is one of the many species of the genus Juniperus, united in a large family of Cypresses. It unlike many of the brethren is very miniature, it grows to a height of only 1.8-2 meters, and in diameter about 80 cm. The branches are thin, but very densely covered with needles of bluish tint. Therefore, the juniper of the Strict has a very thick, even crown with a conical shape. "Miniature" size allows to use it both as a living low hedge, and on alpine hills, for stony gardens in the Japanese style. He grows very slowly, the growth is only 5-7 cm per year. Berries or, as they are called botany, pine cones, have a rich dark blue color with a white coating.

In dried, whole or grinded form, they are actively used in cooking as a seasoning for marinades, meat, fish and sauces. If you want to combine useful qualities and beauty, then choose Strikt juniper. Care for him is simple, but thorough. But decorativeness compensates for all efforts doubly.

Juniper Juniper: Planting and Care

A place for him to choose the sun, but keep in mind that the young plant in the first time will have to cover from the scorching rays. If your site is weakly acidic or neutral soil, then you are ideal for planting a juniper Chinese Strict. Planting of seedlings can be carried out in both autumn and spring. If you buy a young plant that has an open root system, it is best to plant it in the early spring, before the buds begin to bud. As the experience of many gardeners shows, it is best to buy Juniper juniper in containers, then it can be planted at any time, except for intense heat.

In addition, such plants adapt much better to new conditions and move faster to growth. You need to plant a meter apart from each other, if this is a group composition. The pit is excavated depending on the size of the root system, on average 70 to 70 cm, or twice the earth coma. At the bottom, it is necessary to fill the drainage from a brick crumb or large river sand. Experts in the field of horticulture advise the following universal composition for junipers: land turf, peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1. After planting, the plant must be watered, and the upper parasitic part of the soil should be covered. Use for this can be chopped pine bark, cones, chips. This will improve the growth conditions and give even more decorative to the plant.

Watering and top dressing

Juniper Juniper is not picky about watering. And only in the driest and hot summer it can be watered three or four times for the whole season, water consumption from 10 to 30 liters for an adult plant, depending on the size and age. But it does not tolerate dry air, so it will be nice if it is periodically sprayed, only do it after sunset or early morning. Juniper is not too zealous to feed, it will be enough to introduce nitroammophoski in the period of active growth.

Pruning and shelter for the winter

Pruning juniper does not require, it is already growing slowly enough. Therefore, only dry or diseased branches need to be removed. The plant is frost-hardy, but the youngest specimens of the first 2 years of growth for the winter are best concealed. The only thing you need to do with large trees is to tie a string so that the branches do not break from the abundant snow. If you are still afraid for an adult plant, then you can cover the circumferential circle with spruce or pine lapnik.

Reproduction by cuttings

Many plants reproduce by cuttings, including Strikta juniper. Planting and caring for them is very easy. This quality, incidentally, favorably distinguishes it from the total mass of coniferous plants, which are extremely difficult and almost impossible to propagate by branches from the parent specimen. Cuttings must be cut in the middle of summer, in June, from the branches of the juniper crown. All lateral processes need to be removed and the lower part to remove the bark with a sharp knife. Root them in a mixture of peat with river sand. To sustain young seedlings should be in a dark room, and only after rooting gradually accustom to the sun.

Reproduction by layers

This method is most suitable for creeping species of juniper. In the spring, you need to dig a shallow groove near the plant, fill them with a moist mixture of peat with soil and sand. In them, spread out the shoots that lie on the ground, lightly sprinkle the soil, and pinch the top of the branch. In spring next year it is separated from the mother plant and transplanted to a permanent place.

Diseases and pests

The most dangerous fungal disease for juniper is rust. It is possible to fight with it and it is quite successful, if it is time to apply preparations like "Arzerida", sprinkles should be carried out with a periodicity of ten days.

Of pests, juniper often damages the spider mite, juniper and aphid. For timely treatment of the plant, it is necessary to closely monitor it and, if necessary, immediately treat it with insecticides. Sprinkle it is necessary and adjacent to the juniper trees and shrubs. Apiary of aphids is most often garden roses.

A place in the garden

It is possible and even necessary to use in the design of your site a juniper of Strict. The comments of landscape designers about this plant are positive, due, first of all, to unpretentiousness to soil, watering, cold resistance and high decorative. Having a developed and powerful root system, juniper will keep the soil well - this can be used to prevent erosion in certain areas.

Application in the landscape also depends on the variety. If you choose high grades, they will look great both as group plantings and as solitary ones. Juniper Juniper is used in solitary and heathy plantings. Rolling forms are good for use on alpine hills or in rockeries. Shrub forms are suitable for creating a hedge. All junipers look good in group planting with other coniferous plants, for example, dwarf, mountain pine or fir tree.

Bonsai from the juniper

Many people know about the technique of bonsai, it is quite a labor-consuming and long process, as a result of which an exact replica of a large tree in miniature is obtained. Very often they receive miniature copies of a very unusual and amazingly beautiful form. Juniper Juniper is perfect for this, and it's no wonder: they have the art of bonsai one Homeland - China.

The main task is to restrain growth by cutting roots, scanty soil, small volume of earthen coma, minimal additional dressings. To give the plant a bizarre shape, it is pricked, pruned during the growing season, and uses wire to give the trunk the necessary shape. Buy already grown bonsai - juniper Strikta. Care for him is much easier. Remember that this is still not a house plant, and the best place for it will be a terrace or a greenhouse. Someone considers this an art, but there are those who regard this way of growing as mockery of the plant.

In Asia, it was believed that the smell of burning juniper branches frightens off evil spirits, and according to feng shui this plant perfectly "cleanses" the space of negative energy, so it is advised to plant it around the perimeter of the site. And if you plant a tree under the windows of the bedroom, it contributes to finding peace and harmony in family life. True or not, but juniper is really one of the best ornaments of the garden.