How to propagate juniper by cuttings and layering at home

Juniper is a popular crop among gardeners, often planted in home gardens. To obtain new seedlings, gardeners often choose to undertake the entire process themselves.

Propagating juniper by cuttings in the fall is acceptable. In some ways, this period for cuttings yields better results than the standard spring and summer seasons. Spring and summer are often excessively hot and dry for junipers, which reduces the survival rate of cuttings.

Types of juniper for cuttings

Often, after planting a single conifer, people want to grow new plants without spending money. For such purposes, juniper cuttings are a preferred option. This way, a single mature plant can produce enough seedlings to landscape an entire property. However, junipers can be propagated not only by cuttings but also by other methods:

• seed material;
• dividing the bush;
• layering.

Cuttings are the simplest method, allowing you to obtain a young plant with all the characteristics of the mother plant. However, not all juniper species and varieties can be propagated by cuttings; for some, dividing the bush or layering is a more natural option. Cuttings are a good option for obtaining new planting material for the following conifer species:

1. Common – a shrub or tree 5-10 m tall, with a trunk diameter of approximately 20 cm. The crown is dense, bushy, or ovate in shrubs. The bark is brownish-gray. The needles are triangular, pointed, and richly green. The most popular varieties are Green Carlet, Montana, and Depressa.
2. Verginsky – the crown is ovoid and narrowed, becoming fluffier as the specimen matures. The bark is initially greenish and dark, but with age it acquires a brownish-scarlet or dark brown color. The small, scaly or needle-like needles are dark emerald in color. Popular cultivars include Robusta Green, Grey Owl, and Glauca.
3. Kazatskyi is a prostrate shrub. The bush never exceeds 1.5 meters in height, but it grows vigorously and rapidly. The needles are dark turquoise, needle-like in young plants and scaly in mature specimens. Tree-like varieties of Kazatskyi also exist, reaching heights of up to 4 meters.
4. Horizontalis is a prostrate shrub. Branches are elongated, and shoots are dark turquoise and tetrahedral. The needles are glaucous-green. In winter, the needles often turn brown. The fruits are bluish-black, with a bluish bloom. Popular varieties among gardeners include 'Andorra Compacta,' 'Lime Glow,' 'Prince of Wales,' and 'Plumosa.'
5. Chinese rhododendron is a tree-like plant, reaching 8-10 m in height. Its crown is pyramidal, though less commonly, it takes the form of a spreading, shrub-like bush. The bark is grayish-scarlet and exfoliating. The needles are needle-like and scaly. The most popular cultivars among growers are Olympia, Gold Coast (with green-golden needle-like leaf blades), Japonica, and Stricta.
6. The Middle variety is a hybrid of the Kazatsky and Chinese varieties. It has a bushy habit, with arched shoots. A mature specimen reaches 3-5 m in height. The most popular varieties are Gold Star and Mint Julep.
7. Scaly is a shrub up to 1.5 m tall. The bark is rich brown, the needles are tough and sharp. The berries are black. The most popular varieties are Blue Star, Roderi, and Meyeri.
8. Rock ash is a shrub- or tree-like plant, growing up to 18 m tall. Its crown is rounded, beginning almost at the base of the trunk. Young shoots reach 1.5 cm in thickness and are colored pale green or light turquoise. The leaves are needle-like, but more often scaly. Common cultivars include Skyrocket, Springbank, and Relens.

This is a general list of species that can be successfully propagated by cuttings.

Popular varieties for cuttings

Depending on the specific variety, juniper can be easily propagated by cuttings, but some common varieties produce better results when divided or when new specimens are created by layering. The following varieties are popular among gardeners:

• Mint Julep;
• Meyeri;
• Dream Joy;
• Holger;
• Hit;
• Lime Glow;
• Wiltoni;
• Gold Coast;
• Gold Mordigan;
• Kurivao Gold;
• Gold Star.

Full success in case of cuttings can be achieved by using juniper of the following varieties:

1. Meyeri has dense turquoise or dark steel-gray needles. Plant height ranges from 30 to 100 cm. Seed propagation is also possible, in addition to cuttings.
2. Holger – height up to 80 cm, leaf needle-like plates are painted in a bluish-gray color.
3. Kurivao Gold is a vigorous variety that can only be obtained with all the characteristics of the mother plant by cuttings.
4. Schlager – height up to 25 cm, crown up to 150 cm in diameter. Propagation by seeds, layering, and cuttings is permitted.
5. Mint Julep – mint-green crown color, new specimens can only be obtained vegetatively – by layering and cuttings.
6. Wiltonia juniper has a bluish-silver crown. When using seeds, the new plant loses the characteristics of the parent juniper. Only vegetative methods are suitable for producing new Wiltonia junipers.
7. Lime Glow is a dwarf with a bright greenish-yellow crown. In the fall, the foliage turns bronze-copper. New specimens are produced by cuttings.

At the beginning of autumn and almost in winter – at the end of the autumn season, the juniper propagation is no different from this process in the spring-summer period.

Planting time and harvesting rules

Cuttings are a low-cost way to grow young conifers. This method has many advantages:

• preservation of varietal characteristics;
• formation of strong roots;
• high viability;
• less susceptible to pests;
• faster maturation;
• rapid survival and active development;
• The survival rate of cuttings is 2 times higher than that of seedlings.

It is possible to use cuttings to obtain new conifers from spring until the beginning of winter.

Experienced gardeners prefer the autumn period. They explain this by the fact that water evaporation virtually stops with the onset of cold weather, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the planting material and its development.

When choosing a specific planting time, it's important to consider the local climate. For optimal rooting, the room temperature should be between 5 and 25°C. Lower temperatures, or temperatures above these limits, negatively impact the propagation process and may result in the death of the new plant.

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To obtain viable and resilient seedlings, only mature juniper specimens are used. The juniper should be at least 8 years old. However, it's undesirable for the juniper to be older than 10 years.

Depending on the location from which the cutting was taken, a young conifer can develop differently. When the apical part of a juniper is cut, the offspring will tend to grow upward, while side shoots will grow laterally. If the crown is vertical, the branches for cuttings are also cut vertically, while in the case of bushy conifers, side shoots are used.

Instructions for a plant grower

A plant grown from cuttings and planted in the ground acclimates more easily and adapts better to unfamiliar conditions. However, to ensure the plant retains not only the characteristics of the parent juniper but also all the benefits of cuttings, it requires a carefully calibrated approach and strict adherence to proper agricultural practices.

Preparation of material

Before propagating junipers, it's important to select the right planting material. This will ensure the cuttings grow into strong, healthy conifers. The main rules for preparing planting material are as follows:

1. To preserve all the characteristics of the donor cuttings, experienced plant growers use 8-year-old junipers.
2. For bushy varieties, the shoot for the cutting is often cut from the middle of the parent conifer. For columnar varieties, only apical shoots are used.
3. Select non-lignified shoots. Semi-lignified shoots are also acceptable, but young, still-green branches are more often used as planting material.
4. The shoot is cut into cuttings in the early morning hours, when all areas of the juniper are filled with moisture.
5. When pruning a shoot, you need to grab a portion of the branch where the cutting previously grew, creating a "heel." This will facilitate easier and faster rooting.
6. The optimal length of the cut shoot is 12 cm, but longer ones are also allowed – up to and including 25 cm.
7. All work is carried out with sharp, sterile gardening tools.

Preparing a cutting involves 3 stages:

1. The needles are cut with a sharp blade—the bark should not be damaged. Only the apical needles, which are necessary for normal air exchange, are left.
2. The lower cut is treated with a preparation that stimulates the growth of the root system.
3. After 1 day, the cutting is placed in the prepared substrate.

It is not recommended to root junipers in water. In a humid environment, the bark of this conifer begins to peel, which adversely affects the viability of the planting material.

Substrate

Successful rooting largely depends on the soil mixture in which the juniper planting material is placed. The substrate should have the following characteristics:

• high air permeability;
• high moisture capacity;
• good looseness.

First, prepare a nutritious soil mixture consisting of peat and sand in equal proportions. To increase the substrate's moisture holding capacity and air permeability, add a small amount of perlite and charcoal.

Stimulation of rooting

Gardeners can use this product to improve and speed up the rooting of cuttings. A wide range of such formulations is available:

1. Kornevin is a product based on indolebutyric acid. The solution is prepared at a rate of 1 g per 1 liter of water.
2. Epin improves immunity and stimulates root formation. A solution for application is prepared by mixing 0.5 ml of the product per 1 liter of water.
3. Heteroauxin is a phytohormonal preparation. Its base is β-indoleacetic acid. One tablet requires 1 liter of water.
4. Zircon is a complex, multi-purpose product based on hydroxycinnamic acids. The solution for use consists of 1 ml of the product and 1 liter of water.

It is prohibited to exceed the dosages specified by the manufacturer, as this will initiate the opposite process – inhibition of root formation and planting material in general.

But, it is also possible to use folk remedies:

• weak honey solution;
• composition based on potato tubers;
• willow water;
• yeast-based product.

The cuttings are immersed one-third in a solution of a store-bought or folk remedy to speed up the rooting process, and the remaining part is used to add to the water for future irrigation.

Planting cuttings in the ground

The process of planting a cutting in a soil mixture is as follows:

1. Make a hole 3-4 cm deep and 1 cm in circumference. Place the cutting in the hole, lightly compact the soil around it, and water. When placing multiple cuttings in a single container, leave a gap of 6-8 cm between each cutting.
2. Maintain a room temperature of 18-23°C. If the thermometer reading is lower, the cuttings will rot, while at higher temperatures, the soil will dry out and the roots will rot.
3. It is necessary to create a greenhouse effect - for this, containers with cuttings are covered with cling film or transparent glass.

Subsequent care involves maintaining adequate lighting and periodic watering. The light should be diffused, and direct sunlight should be avoided. Regular ventilation is necessary to prevent condensation from forming under the cover, which will kill the planting material.

Propagation by layering

Juniper is fairly easy to propagate by layering. This method of producing young conifer specimens is most often used for creeping varieties. The juniper branches are bent toward the ground and carefully secured to it. This is often done with specialized pins or staples.

Where the juniper shoot is attached to the soil, the soil should be periodically hilled and moistened. To ensure successful rooting, only young shoots that have not yet developed lignification should be used for layering.

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To accelerate root development on juniper cuttings, the soil must be prepared in advance. To prepare the soil, follow these steps:

• the ground is dug up;
• the dug soil is loosened;
• Peat and coarse sand are added to the soil.

The cutting takes six months to a year to root. Cutting the cutting from the parent conifer is permissible only after the juniper has developed and is actively growing. The separated cutting, along with its roots, is transplanted to a separate, permanent location prepared for it.

Care

Active rooting of cuttings begins only 2-4 months after planting in the ground. This timeframe is rather arbitrary, as it depends on the juniper variety. It should be noted that during the summer, root formation may be delayed until the cool autumn weather sets in. During this time, the root system is unable to gain sufficient strength for outdoor use, so it is recommended to leave the cuttings in a greenhouse until the next warm spell.

To prevent water stagnation near the juniper's root system, water spacingly, allowing the soil beneath the plant to dry. For irrigation, use settled water that matches the ambient temperature. To prevent fungal diseases, add fungicidal compounds to the watering several times a year.

Once the cuttings have formed the bulk of their root system and new growth begins to develop, hardening is performed. This requires opening the greenhouse briefly and thoroughly ventilating it. During the winter, it is recommended to cover young plants with burlap, synthetic covering materials, or fallen leaves.

In the spring, young junipers need to be transplanted to a permanent growing location. For this, the plants are moved into prepared holes along with a lump of earth, taking into account each step of the process.

Landing at a permanent location

There's no need to rush planting young junipers. This should be considered in light of a full range of factors and guidelines:

1. The planting period for rooted plants is chosen based on the adaptation time. If the cuttings were taken in late winter or early spring, the planting material can be planted immediately—the optimal time is 70 days after placing them in the greenhouse. If harvested later, the juniper can overwinter indoors until the following spring, provided all the necessary precautions are met.
2. If you root the cuttings separately in a pot, you can plant them in the fall. However, in this case, you need to move the plant along with the soil and use additional insulation. Until it has fully adapted to the open ground, junipers are highly susceptible to frost damage, which will most likely lead to their death.
3. Maintaining the root ball is crucial, as the roots of young plants are easily damaged. The planting hole should be approximately 1 m² in size, and should be two to three times larger than the root ball. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the hole—this is taken into account when determining the depth, ensuring that the cutting reaches the root collar.
4. Choosing a location for juniper planting Requires bright, diffused light. The only acceptable light is light shading on one side. This characteristic also determines the exact timing of the procedure—if daylight hours have already increased, there is a risk of scorching the coniferous vegetation.
5. While the plant is still small, the conifer needs to be protected from direct sunlight and winter frosts. The type of protection chosen depends on the overall conditions: for the winter, the juniper can be covered or completely wrapped in insulating materials, and in the summer, simply provide temporary shade on excessively sunny days.

Immediately after planting, junipers need to be watered—one bucket of water without additives is sufficient. Subsequently, water the conifer no more than once a month. Fertilizing junipers in the spring requires the use of mineral fertilizers, such as nitroammophos. With this fertilizer, it's best to limit the application to 45 g per square meter. In the summer, use organic matter such as compost or rotted manure. Fertilizing is also recommended if the plant is growing excessively slowly.

Watering

Under general conditions, juniper cuttings take 60-80 days to root. This period requires constant soil moisture maintenance. Water through agrofibre at least 3-4 times a day.

In fact, the cutting should not dry out. However, rooting conifers in clean water is not recommended, as this can cause the death of the new plant.

Adviсe

The main rule when choosing cuttings for cutting and propagating juniper is size. Due to the dense structure of this conifer, choose cuttings no shorter than 25 cm.

It is also necessary to focus on the variety - in the case of creeping and shrubby species, the plant is planted at an angle of 45°, and for upright (columnar) varieties, a vertical position is maintained.

Conclusion

The best way to propagate juniper is by cuttings. When properly managed, propagation doesn't take long. The result is fully viable seedlings suitable for growing on your own plot.