Juniper Cossack.

Juniper is an evergreen, coniferous, shrub and woody crop from the cypress family. There are about a hundred different varieties around the world. They can decorate any garden that you like, whether it's a limited area or an unimaginably vast one. In this article, we will describe such a variety as the Cossack juniper, also known as variegata.

Briefly about the representation of the species "Cossack juniper".

According to the description, the Cossack juniper is unpretentious and is often used in the works of landscape designers. If you plant a plant on your site, it will decorate it and your eyes will always fall on an evergreen shrub. Variegata can be planted as a single plant, and can also be planted as an alley. The number of plants depends solely on your capabilities and on the territory in which the juniper will grow.

The juniper in question belongs to the cypress family. It is believed that the variety was bred in 1855, the variety is quite low and its branches spread horizontally, parallel to the surface of the earth.

The shoots are covered with needles that look like scales, and the leaves on them resemble needles. The crown is similar in shape to a funnel, it is rather small in size.

The average crown diameter for this variety is only one and a half meters, the height of the bush is about one meter. The shoots of variegates are most often green, sometimes creamy.

The branches resemble arcs, quite fluffy.

The shrub is neutral to various changes in climatic conditions around, such as drought or a decrease, an increase in temperature.

Light is important for Cossack junipers, so it is better to choose an open area for planting.

The average age of such a juniper in suitable areas is about four decades.

In rock gardens and rose gardens, the Cossack juniper will look very good.

How to properly plant and care for a variegat?

To grow a good and beautiful Cossack juniper, you need not only a high-quality seedling, but also proper preparation for planting it, as well as adherence to the necessary care rules.

How to prepare a seedling and territory for planting?

It is recommended to plant variegated Cossack juniper in the open ground in early spring.

As mentioned above, the plant loves light, in the shade it can lose its decorative effect, so it is better to choose sunny areas.

It is recommended to refrain from places where groundwater runs near the surface of the earth, they can cause the juniper to rot and die.

Important. The minimum distance between all seedlings should be one and a half meters. This is necessary for the best development of plants.

Preparing the soil for planting juniper.

You need to dig a hole based on the root system of your seedling. Whether you bought a seedling that is in a factory container, then the hole for the plant should be twice as large as it.

It is important to remember that in an ideal planting location, the roots will be free to settle in the ground. Drainage should not be forgotten, especially if the groundwater runs close to the surface of the earth. Coarse gravel or expanded clay can be used as drainage. The drainage is poured into the pit before the juniper planting, the minimum layer should be thirty to thirty-five centimeters. In order to place the drainage layer, the hole needs to be dug a little more than mentioned in the first recommendation.

For the plants to grow better, you need to put nutritious soil in the hole. It can be prepared at home from a layer of earth and various fertilizers, both organic and mineral.

First you need to take humus and earth in different proportions and mix. Mineralized fertilizers are then added to one liter of soil, five grams of fertilizer are required. If the soil is too hard, for example, there is a lot of clay in it, then you can add another part of coarse sand to the soil mixture.

Tips for planting Cossack juniper.

• Consider a few recommendations for planting this species.
• The root collar should remain at ground level when planting.
• The entire juniper, its roots, is spread over a hill poured in a hole. After that, the sprout must be covered with earth and tamped from above.
• Then it is important to water. And fill everything in a circle of the main trunk with mulch.
• Bark or wood chips can be used as mulch. The process of mulching is needed so that the moisture necessary for the plant remains, and the weeds cannot grow.
• You don't have to worry about the quality of the soil when planting this juniper variety, it is unpretentious and can normally exist even on stony and too acidic soils.

How to choose the best watering regime.

An excessive amount of moisture is detrimental to this plant, so it should not be constantly watered. Too much moisture leads to the fact that the plant loses its decorative appearance, and its root system also begins to hurt.

In very hot and dry summers, watering is needed only four times per season.

In order not to worry about the plant, you can carry out the sprinkling procedure every seven days. Sprinkling can be carried out only in the morning or in the evening, so that at this moment the sun is not too bright.

Fertilizers and feeding.

The Cossack juniper will need the largest amount of fertilizers at the very beginning of its life. The first fertilization is applied one year after the direct planting of plants in the ground.

Adult plants need one top dressing about once every thirty-five to thirty-six months.

How to feed are used: superphosphate, humus. It can also be various mineralized fertilizers, phosphoric, potassium-containing or complex, ammonium nitrate can also be used.

As a rule, fertilization is recommended to be carried out in late April - early May.

Root fertilization is the introduction of various nutrients into the ground directly around the bush. The distance from the fertilizer to the trunk should not be less than twenty to twenty five centimeters. Top dressing is applied to a depth of ten to fifteen centimeters.

After the fertilizer has been laid, the tree circle should be watered.

In the summer, you can feed this shrub variety with substances that help the color of the needles not to fade and maintain their decorative effect; fertilizers are also applied that help to increase the immunity of the plant. During this period, fertilizers are suitable that contain: 1) copper., 2) iron., 3) phosphorus., 4) potassium., 5) zinc or 6) manganese.

To feed the plants in the fall, you should choose substances that have little nitrogen in their composition. Since nitrogen causes the shoots to start growing quickly, and before winter this is not very good for the plant.

Newly grown shoots will not be able to stiffen in such a short period of time, so they begin to freeze and die.

Fertilizer with magnesium is needed if the shoots are at the top, the plants begin to change color to yellow. Magnesium can be applied in the fall.

In order for the plants to strengthen well in the soil, or rather, its root system grows well, you can use liquid fertilizers that have been obtained from vermicompost. Also, the positive effect of this fertilizer is that it enhances the process of photosynthesis and the needles become more attractive.

Loosening and use of mulch.

How to carry out the loosening procedure.

The root system of the Cossack variegat juniper is close enough to the topsoil, so deep loosening cannot be carried out. Only the outermost layer of soil can be dug.

How to carry out the mulching procedure of this variety.

As mulch, located near the main trunk of the plant, you can use chopped bark, wood chips, coniferous branches.

How to prune and shape a bush correctly?

There are several rules to follow when pruning juniper. Consider a few recommendations for carrying out the procedure for pruning and shaping a bush of this variety.

The branch is cut into a ring. This means that it is cut either at the root, or, leaving a little needles. If a branch is bare, then there are no buds on it, which means that the greenery no longer turns green on this branch. When pruning to form a plant, no more than thirty percent of the greens should be removed. Cossack Juniper grows rather slowly, so you need to save most of the crown so that the plant is not bald next season.

When working with Cossack junipers, it is important to keep various precautions in mind. You need to wear special work clothes and gloves. The resin of plants is only difficult to wash, and poisons are also needed because of which irritation may appear on the skin.

To prevent plant diseases, including infectious diseases immediately after cutting, it is better to cover the cutting sites with garden pitch.

Before pruning, it is important to monitor the tools, they must be sharpened and disinfected so that lacerated wounds on the branches heal faster. Nitrogen fertilization before shaping will help the plant to recover its shoots faster.

What has been cut can be used as mulch. The cut branches must be crushed and dried, then they can be brought into the trunk circle.

About shaping.

Forming is not necessary for this variety. Sanitary pruning is very important and necessary, both for all Cossack junipers and variegates.

About sanitary pruning.

Sanitary pruning is done in order for a person to remove damaged, frozen and dead branches.

About topiary pruning.

If for some reason the natural form of juniper does not suit the owner or designer, then it can be formed. Topiary pruning is carried out, which can give the juniper almost any shape.

Plant wintering.

Juniper Cossack, variegata tolerates winter well enough, so there is no need to cover them. In the middle of spring, it is important to ensure that the plants are well watered. Each bush will require about two to three buckets, that is, twenty to thirty liters of water.

Watering is mandatory before the onset of frost so that the water does not freeze.

An important process before winter is the use of mulch. She is covered with a trunk circle, especially where the weather conditions are not. She is covered with a trunk circle, especially where weather conditions are not entirely stable, it is better to use spruce branches.

To protect the crown from direct and strong exposure to sunlight, you can cover the plants with a light-colored net or cloth.

For what closure of the bush can not be used polyethylene.

To prevent the branches from breaking under the weight of the precipitation, you need to shake the snow.

Reproduction process.

For breeding Cossack juniper use three main methods. Let's consider each of them.

Can be propagated using the seeds of the plant collected from shisho berries in the fall. There are several guidelines for using this method for this variety.

First, the seeds need to be soaked and disinfected, then planted in boxes. When the first snow appears, the boxes need to be taken out into the street and buried under the precipitation. In the spring, you can plant prepared seeds in the ground.

The second way is with layering.

To propagate a plant by layering, you need to jump one branch to the ground and dig it in. The place of the escape, which will be underground, can be slightly incised. The incision must be treated with a powder or solution, which will facilitate the early formation of new roots.

And the last way is grafting. There are several guidelines for using this method for this variety.

At the beginning of the spring period, you need to cut the cuttings about fourteen to fifteen centimeters long, and place them in water. In order to root the cuttings as quickly as possible, they can be treated with indole butyric acid.

When planting the cutting, it must be deepened into the soil by six to seven centimeters. The process of root formation can last up to seventy-five to eighty-five days.

When the roots begin to form, it is necessary that the plant is not entirely in the sun, but in partial shade. This is necessary so that young cuttings do not burn out in the sun.

What are the dangers for the Cossack juniper variegat ...

The first possible disease of this species is rust.

Frequently, this variety can develop rust that has been caused by fungi. These fungi affect not only junipers, but also various fruit trees. Due to this, the proximity of juniper and possible pathogens of the fungus should be avoided.

The second possible disease of this species is fusarium.

Juniper can get sick with fusarium, this leads to the beginning of rotting of the roots and to the fact that the crown begins to dry.

The third possible disease of the present species is Alternaria.

Another fungal disease is Alternaria. If you notice that the needles begin to become brown and a black bloom appears on it, then this is the first sign of the disease.

The fourth possible disease of this variety is brown shute.

Such a disease almost never occurs in the Cossack juniper.

The next possible disease of the present species is nectriosis of the bark.

This disease is almost never found in the Cossack juniper.

The sixth possible disease of the present species is biotrell cancer.

This disease is almost never found in the Cossack juniper.

Potential insect pests in this species.

Various insects can attack the variegat. For example, it can be aphids, scale insects, mealybugs, moths, galitsa and Oregon barnacle mites.

Prevention and disposal measures.

If you find that your plant has been infested with red tinder fungi, then the shoots must be cut and burned.

With fusarium. If the plant has been badly damaged, then it is dug up along with all the roots.

With fizariosis. If you notice the disease at an early stage, then you can treat it with phytosporin or gamair. To carry out prophylaxis against a disease such as fizariosis, use a drug such as basezol.

To get rid of attacking pests, you need to use poisonous chemicals. Insecticide treatment is carried out about three times, every ten to fifteen days.

Conclusion.

Cossack juniper variegata is an ornamental plant. She can decorate any site, as well as rockeries and rock gardens.It can be used to strengthen rocky slopes. As I think you understand, from this article the shrub is quite easy to care for and unpretentious. You grow Cossack junipers at home, they are very beautiful, they will delight you and your loved ones.