Juniper transplant

Juniper can be found more and more often in summer cottages. The beauty and simplicity of this plant, as well as the ability to give it interesting shapes by pruning, contribute to its popularity. But sometimes it is necessary to transplant a juniper to a new place in connection with the redevelopment of the site. And it must be done very carefully, since if the root system is damaged, the juniper will hurt for a long time, and in the worst case, it can dry out. Therefore, before proceeding with the transplant, you need to familiarize yourself with the information on how to carry out this procedure correctly, subjecting the plant to the least stress.

Juniper transplant: first about the juniper itself

juniper transplant

The juniper is sometimes called "juniper" or "veres" and belongs to the Cypress family. In nature, there are about 75 species of this evergreen coniferous plant that grow all over the world.

They can be found both in the northern regions and in the subtropics. Creeping varieties grow mainly in mountainous areas. And tall junipers up to fifteen meters can be seen in America, on the Mediterranean coast or in Central Asia.

Juniper and cypress are similar not only in appearance, but also in that both can be considered centenarians. The age of mature plants can be measured in hundreds of years.

Possessing bactericidal properties and releasing a large amount of phytoncides, juniper purifies and disinfects the air, therefore, it breathes so well in juniper forests and it is very useful to walk in them.

Juniper has always been used as a medicine and a spice (the main thing is to choose the right type of juniper, as some plants are dangerous). Very beautiful dishes and various other things are made from its wood.

The juniper that summer residents grow on their plots is usually not tall. In rare cases, it reaches three meters, more often these are small shrubs.

All species are dioecious plants, while female green cones have a pleasant aroma and taste, about a centimeter in size. Male spikelets are small yellow spikelets that are located in the leaf sinuses. Ripe cones are considered in the second year after emergence; up to ten seeds can be obtained from each.

When choosing a plant for your site, juniper has undeniable advantages. It is unpretentious and does not require painstaking care. Any species is quite compact and its growth and shape can be controlled by pruning. Well, he also feels good in the shade, not requiring a lot of sunlight.

Choose plants carefully, specifying its variety, "Cossack juniper" is poisonous, planting it on your site should be avoided. You may have come across the fact that an adult shrub planted in the autumn months stood green all winter, and after the snow melted in the spring, it gradually began to dry out and died.

This happened because the root system of the plant was severely damaged, and the plant was unable to take root in a new place. In winter, the stomata were closed, and moisture remained inside the plant, so outwardly the juniper did not change, remaining green.

And with the arrival of heat, the air warmed up, the stomata opened, and the bush began to lose moisture. And there is no way to make up for this loss with the help of damaged roots. Therefore, the plant dries up.

If you have ever tried to transplant an adult juniper dug out of the forest into your plot, then most likely you have witnessed just such a process. Conifers grow and multiply very slowly, and digging up plants without knowledge and preparation, you destroy them, causing damage to nature.

"Common juniper" - one of the most beautiful and useful, completely safe, but at the same time the most capricious when it comes to transplanting to a new place. When buying a plant, do it at a nursery or agricultural center.

So you can be sure that you have purchased exactly the variety that you planned, as well as that the plant is looked after and its root system is in good condition. It is also very important that the variety is suitable for the climate of your area, since the southern varieties will freeze out in the northern regions in the coming winter, no shelter will help.

Transplant the juniper to a new location. Stages

juniper transplant

Transplanting a juniper requires careful preparation, which includes preparing the plant itself, preparing a new place. Only after that you can proceed directly to the transplant. Only if you do everything right, the juniper will be able to take root and adapt.

In addition, certain deadlines must be observed, this will also affect the adaptation of the bush in a new place. The process is really complicated. Therefore, repot your juniper only if absolutely necessary.

It is necessary to start preparing the plant for transplanting in six months, and preferably in a year. Dig deep enough in a circle to cut through the roots, but leave it in the same place. The earthen lump should be very large, no less than the crown of a bush, and even better.

On the one hand, you injured the plant, on the other hand, you left it in the same place, which means that the injury is not as great as it might seem. After that, the juniper will begin to form new roots, after a year they will not go beyond the boundaries of the earthen coma, this will help speed up further adaptation.

Next, you should prepare a new place. The juniper is not original. He, like many other plants, prefers loose, nutrient soil with a low level of acidity. So prepare the soil in advance, but dig a hole just before planting.

The hole must be made much larger than the earthen lump of the plant (at least twice). Next, lay a drainage layer on the bottom. To do this, you can use broken brick, sand, gravel or expanded clay - as they say, what is rich. The main thing is to exclude the possibility of stagnant water.

As a rule, the most suitable soil composition for junipers is a mixture of peat, sand and turf. But some species of this plant have different requirements for the soil.

For example, "Cossack" juniper grows well on alkaline soil, so dolomite or slaked lime is added under it. And for "Virginia" juniper, organic matter (manure, bird droppings, compost) and clay are added if there is too much sand in the soil.

Now that everything is ready, you can start the transplant itself. Dig in the shrubbery and carefully move it onto the burlap or tarp. Do not do this work alone. Firstly, it is physically difficult, and secondly, two people are much less likely to injure the plant.

Transfer the plant to a new location by the edges of the tarp and treat its roots along with an earthen lump with a growth stimulant. Proceed as carefully as possible - the earthen lump should not fall apart. Do not plant the plant deeper than it was before.

After finishing work, set up some pegs to tie and fix the plant until it is fully rooted. For creeping junipers, the support can be omitted.

Young plants, which are sold in pots with a volume of three to five liters, take root best. With older specimens, there will be more trouble.If you are planting several plants, then be guided by their "adult" size. Do not place specimens that are expected to grow large more than two meters apart.

For lower and more compact junipers, a distance of half a meter to a meter is allowed. If you bought a juniper in a pot, then you can plant it at any time, except for winter and hot summer days.

Plants with an open root system can only be planted in spring or early autumn, as it must have time to take root before frost.

When planting, make sure that all the roots are horizontal, then fill the hole with earth, water and lay a layer of mulch in the trunk circle - you can use bark, coniferous litter, cones.

How to care for your juniper after transplant

After the juniper transplant has occurred, the plant's immunity is significantly weakened, which means that there is a high risk of developing diseases and the appearance of pests. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to periodically carry out preventive treatments with fungicides and insecticidal preparations.

If you need to apply fertilizer, do foliar dressing. And when watering, make sure that the water falls on the ground, and not on the trunk and branches of the plant. In addition, it is necessary to protect the juniper from the direct rays of the sun, to prevent the soil from drying out and the appearance of a crust. This means that after each watering it is necessary to loosen the soil in the near-trunk circle.

If you follow all these rules of care, then the plant will quickly take root and begin to grow.

What time is juniper transplant

The time of transplanting a juniper to a new place is determined by the timing in which the plant is able to vigorously form new roots.

The best period for this is in March or April, after the juniper emerges from its dormant period and begins to grow.

In the summer, experts do not recommend replanting plants, since in the heat it is difficult for them to take root and take root.

In the autumn months, you can transplant, but this must be done long before frost, that is, no later than September.

So the most suitable period for transplantation is obtained - these are the spring months. If, nevertheless, circumstances have developed so that it is necessary to transplant summer, then adhere to the following rules:

• Place the excavated juniper in a suitable container.
• move it to the shade and cover with plastic (the container can be covered with earth).
• wait 1.5-2 months, during this time new roots should begin to grow. Remember to ventilate the plant.
• at the end of August, plant the juniper in a prepared place, but at first continue to cover it with foil.

Juniper transplanting an adult plant

It is necessary to transplant an adult plant only when it cannot be done without it, since the percentage of survival of adult junipers in a new place is extremely small.

In this case, the best time for the procedure is the end of August or the beginning of September. Transplant very carefully. After planting, use growth promoters and be sure to install supports for the plant.

Interestingly, if a juniper grew on loam, then it tolerates transplanting much better than a plant that grew on sandy soil.