Juniperus CHINENSIS

Juniperus CHINENSIS - Chinese juniper, Juniperus chinensis.

Juniper is a genus of evergreen plants in the cypress family (Cupressaceae), native to the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and North America. In nature, the plant occurs in mixed and pine forest belts, on mountain slopes or pastures. The genus comprises about 70 species growing in the Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic to tropical mountains. The average lifespan reaches 300 years.

These are evergreen coniferous dioecious or monoecious trees up to 10-15 m (33-49 ft) in height. Junipers are characterized by cone-shaped crowns. The needles are scale-like, pointed, and needle-like. Pollination occurs in March-April, and seeds mature in the autumn of the following year.

At the age of 4-5 years, the plant begins to bear fruit. The juniper produces scarlet-black berry-like cones, up to 10 mm (0.4 in) in diameter, with a glaucous sheen. Initially, small scales appear at the tips of lateral branches. A year later, they turn into green cones, and then into dark fruits with a bluish bloom. Each of them contains up to 10 seeds, which are dispersed by birds.

The Chinese juniper is an evergreen conifer with interesting foliage that is spreading and prickly on mature branches, yet closely pressed, like green scales, on young shoots.

At first, rather soft needles no longer than 3 mm (0.1 in) appear, and then, as the shoot matures, their length increases up to 12 mm (0.5 in). They stand out from the wood, become stiffer, and a pair of light, almost white bands appears on each of them.

Like all junipers, this native of China and other regions of the Far East is distinguished by unhurried growth and infrequent fruiting. The dark blue cones covered with a dense layer of glaucous coating and containing 2–3 seeds can have a rounded or elongated shape, varying sizes, but always mature in the second year after appearance.

In the Chinese juniper, not only the berries are variable, but also the plants themselves. In nature, these range from large trees with a pyramidal crown up to 20 m (66 ft) in height to creeping shrubs with slender shoots up to 2.5 mm (0.1 in) in diameter and a height of no more than half a meter (1.6 ft).

The seeds are relatively large, about 5–6 mm (0.2 in), oblong, dark brown, situated inside fleshy berry-like cones.

To increase germination capacity, preliminary scarification is required, altering the hard seed coat and enhancing the likelihood of uniform germination, followed by long-term cold stratification. The seeds are carefully slightly filed and placed in a container with a stimulator solution at room temperature for 12–24 hours, or immersed for 30 seconds in hot (80–90 °C / 176–194 °F) water, after which they are stratified. For this, the seeds are placed in a moist mixture of sand and peat or rubbed with ash, and kept for 2–3 months at 2–5 °C (36–41 °F) (on the lower shelf of a refrigerator).

Seeds are sown in containers with loose substrate to a depth of 1–2 cm (0.4–0.8 in), moistened from a spray bottle, placed in a mini-greenhouse or covered with film, and germinated in dim light, not in the sun, at a temperature of 20–27 °C (68–81 °F). Seedlings need ventilation. It is necessary to avoid waterlogging and drying out of the sowings.

Seedlings appear after 2–4 months; the minimum period is about 6 weeks, and the maximum possible reaches one year. After emergence, the cover is removed gradually. Pricking out is carried out after the appearance of the first pair of true needles. Young plants are kept under conditions of moderate humidity without waterlogging and gradually accustomed to brighter lighting.

Seedlings at the age of 4 years can be planted in open ground. Transplanting is carried out in spring in cool weather. An intact soil ball must remain on the roots. Juniper is preferably planted on sandy, calcareous, moist, and well-aerated soils. There must be a distance of 1 m (3.3 ft) between seedlings.

Sowing in open ground is carried out in October. The seed is placed in a hole prepared in advance in the soil with a well-compacted bottom no more than 2–3 cm (0.8–1.2 in) deep, covered with humus, and mulched with sawdust or peat, which contributes to additional moisture retention in the soil and prompt germination.

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Juniper prefers bright sunny lighting; in partial shade, it develops more weakly and loses crown ornamental quality. In open ground, the brightest possible location is chosen. Indoors during temporary maintenance, light shading from the midday sun is permissible. The best results are achieved on light, drained, calcareous or sandy-rocky soils with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

During the warm season, juniper tolerates heat and drought well; watering is moderate, with complete drying out of the soil between waterings. Water stagnation is excluded. In winter, the plant withstands significant temperature drops, although young specimens are recommended to be lightly sheltered during severe frosts. Optimal transplanting is in early spring, with the root collar left above soil level.

Fertilizers are applied once in spring using coniferous fertilizers with low nitrogen content. Frequent transplanting is not required, as the plant tolerates root system disturbance poorly. Shaping is minimal, limited to sanitary pruning of dry or damaged branches. Propagation is carried out by seeds or by rooting individual shoots.