Common juniperis a popular conifer shrub with many interesting varieties.Juniper usecan be found in the moorland garden, on slopes and in places difficult to develop. See whatcommon juniper cultivation looks like , choose the most interestingcommon juniper varietiesfor your garden, and in case of problems with cultivation - see how to recognize and combat pests andcommon juniper disease
Common juniper
Common juniper(Juniperus communis) is a very variable species, it grows as a large shrub or tree up to 15 m tall, with a columnar or conical shape and a thin, reddish bark.The common juniper has characteristic prickly needles. At the top, the needles have a wide, gray-white band of stomata, and under the spot they are shiny green. Black-blue pine cones with a diameter of 5-6 mm do not mature until the second or third year after flowering. Junipers are dioecious plants, which means that there are both female and male specimens in nature. Interestingly, male plants can be seen to change sex, because they form cones. The seeds are eagerly eaten by birds, which contribute to their dispersal. In the gardens you can find many very interestingvarieties of common juniper
Common juniper - application
Common juniper is used inboth in gardens and parks. Low varieties of common juniper with an upright habit and varieties growing creepingly are suitable for heath gardens, slopes or graves. These shrubs look good when planted in groups on low walls or large lawns.The common juniper is also suitable for planting in pots and bowls.
Howevercommon juniperis used not only in the garden. In the past, the wood of common juniper was used for the production of carpentry. Extremely hard, it worked great as a material for hangers, caskets, boxes and decorative lamps and lanterns.
As it maturescommon juniper fruitturns dark blue or black and is an excellent spice for meats and soups. Juniper's Szyszkojagoda is also a great addition to sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers, and marinades for venison dishes and fish. Common juniper berries are also included in alcohols, e.g. gin.
Common juniper - varieties
Common juniper varietiesmay have a columnar or creeping habit. Columnar shrubs are often used for hedges, andCreeping juniper varietiesare excellent ground cover plants.
Common juniper - columnar varieties
Common juniper 'Gold Cone'- a narrowly conical variety of the common juniper which grows slowly, reaching 1.5 m in height after 10 years, its needles are golden yellow, prickly.
Common juniper 'Arnold'- narrowly columnar, very compact variety, after 10 years reaches 1.5 m in height. Juniper shoots are arranged vertically, the needles take a steel green color.
Common juniper 'Bruns'- Common juniper variety that grows at a relatively fast pace compared to other varieties, because after 10 years it grows up to 2.5 m in height. The shoots are stiff, upright, and the needles are steel blue.
Common juniper 'Meyer'- is one of the best common juniper varieties. It grows strongly and reaches 3 meters in height after 10 years. Juniper shoots are stiff, vertical, strongly prickly, steel green.
Common juniper 'Sentinel'- a slowly growing variety of the common juniper with a narrow columnar habit reaching 1.5 m in height after 10 years. The branches of the bush are erect, steel-green.
Common juniper 'Horstman' - a very interesting variety with overhanging shoots
Common juniper - creeping cultivars
Common juniper 'Green Carpet'- dwarf, slow-growing shrub with a creeping habit, reaching only 10 cm by 1.5 m at the age of 10. Light green foliage, needles soft, not prickly. This popular variety of common juniper should be planted in the amount of 3 pieces per 1 m °.
Common juniper 'Repanda'- dwarf variety of the common juniper reaching 0.2 m in height and 2.5 m in width after 10 years. The shoots are tiled, the needles are green, not prickly. To obtain an interesting turf effect, it is best to plant 2-3 pieces per 1m °.
Common juniper 'Spotty Spreader'- creeping form, slow growth after 10 years, reaches 0.2 m in height and 2 m in width. The needles are non-prickly, green with an irregular white color.
Common juniper - cultivation
Common junipergrows best in sunny, dry and permeable acidic soil, but also tolerates calcareous soils. Therefore,common juniperdoes not cause many problems, its selection will be a good start in the management of the entire garden. Juniper adapts easily to all conditions. This popular coniferous shrub is resistant to low temperatures, it withstands adverse environmental conditions, drought and air pollution.
Incommon juniper cultivationit is worth focusing on two treatments - mulching the soil under the plants and fertilizing. The mulch limits the drying of the substrate, hinders the development of weeds, protects the roots against freezing in winter, and most importantly provides junipers with humus.Fertilization of common juniperis carried out from spring to the end of July with multi-component mineral fertilizers intended for conifers.Later, only the so-called autumn fertilizers that make it easier for plants to prepare for winter but do not stimulate their growth anymore so that the shoots have time to lignify.
Cutting of common junipercan be performed from April to July. However, many garden varieties of juniper do not require pruning, but they naturally retain their interesting habit. If, however, pruning of the common juniper turns out to be necessary, both the species itself and most of its varieties endure the pruning procedure very well.
Common juniper - diseases
Common junipercan be attacked by both fungal diseases and pests. Graying, yellowing and, consequently,browning of single shoots on common juniperare symptoms of phytophthora, which slowly spreads over the entire shrub and causes it to die. There is rot on the juniper roots. When fighting this dangerouscommon juniper diseasethe best solution is to dig up the diseased bush and burn it, and decontaminate the contaminated soil with Proplant 722 SL at a dose of 4 liters per 1m °.
Another dangerous disease of the common juniper is rhizoctoniosis of the shoot base. Its symptoms are single brightening of the shoots and browning of the tops, which gradually goes down. A small brown spot can be seen at the base of the shoot. Infected shoots should be removed and bushes should be sprayed every 10 days with Topsin M 500 SC, preferably alternately with Rizolex 50 WP.
The whitemycelium bloom on the shoots of the common juniperthat appears in spring, covered with yellow spots, is a symptom of the common juniper disease which is juniper rust. Affected shoots stop growing, turn gray and die. The fight against rust consists in removing infected shoots and burning them, as well as spraying the bush with Saprol Hobby long-acting and Scorpion 325 SC preparations.
Dieback of common juniper shootsmay also be caused by the presence of the common juniper pest - juniper meal. The pest's larvae hibernate in cracks in the bark, in spring the females lay eggs, and the larvae that emerge from them feed until September.A characteristic element of the foraging of thiscommon juniper pestis honey dew. If you want to destroy the juniper meal in July, spray the bush with Sumi-Alpha 050 EC in a concentration of 0.04%.
Juniper shield is another pest of the common juniper, which can cause juniper shoots to bend and turn brown, and consequently die. In mid-May, the female lays eggs under the so-called shield. After a month, lava hatch from it and feed until July. After the pest is feeding, the bush should be sprayed with Fastac 100 EC.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
