How to propagate juniper in winter: instructions for planting cuttings
Junipers alone can make a beautiful decoration for your garden, as different species come in different shapes - from a squat, spreading bush to a pyramidal tree. If you want to experiment with the evergreen, winter is a good time to get started. After all, it is during this season that junipers can be cut for propagation.
OBOZ.UA asked gardeners for their advice on this matter. They claim that it will be relatively easy to do, but it will take a little patience.
Choose the right donor plant
Inspect the bush from which you want to take a cutting. It should be a healthy adult plant with no traces of pests. Find a one- or two-year-old growth on it and tear it off with your hands. If you cut the cutting with a tool, it will be less effective. Also, remember to do it in such a way that a piece of wood from the trunk remains on the branch - the so-called "heel".
Prepare the cutting
The bottom 2 cm or so of the cutting should be cleaned of needles so that they do not rot during the rooting process. You can also thin out the rest of the needles a little so that the plant loses less moisture in the process. But do not touch the tip - it is from this end that the branch will grow.
Plant it in prepared soil
For rooting juniper cuttings, it is better to use special soil for conifers - it is available at gardening stores. Pour it into a container of a suitable size and dig the cuttings in to a depth of about 2 cm - the same depth that is cleared of needles. If you have several branches, place them in such a way that their needles do not touch each other. This will give space for the development of the root system of the plants and protect them from stagnant water - conifers do not like too wet soil.
Create a greenhouse for the plant
Effective rooting occurs in the right microclimate, so it is better to cover the cuttings with a small greenhouse. It can be made from a cut plastic bottle or cling film. The structure will maintain a stable level of humidity and temperature around the young juniper.
Planting
The best time to move the plant outdoors is in the fall. Before that, it is better to keep the cutting in a pot. During this time, the juniper will develop a sufficiently strong root system. All it has to do is adapt to the place. Therefore, the young plant should be transferred to the ground a few weeks before the onset of cold weather. This way, it will not grow too fast, but it will not suffer from the cold before it has time to take root.
Earlier, OBOZ.UA told you how to grow a new zamioculcas from a single leaf.
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