How To Properly Prune Cossack Juniper

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How To Properly Prune Cossack Juniper
How To Properly Prune Cossack Juniper

Video: How To Properly Prune Cossack Juniper

Video: How To Properly Prune Cossack Juniper
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Cossack juniper is a coniferous shrub that will decorate the garden area and purify the air. In order for the plant to grow well and look pleasant, it is necessary to carry out a number of procedures, including regularly pruning the branches.

How to properly prune Cossack juniper
How to properly prune Cossack juniper

Cossack juniper pruning methods

The specific trimming method is selected based on the shape of the crown. There are two main types - point and blind.

With pinpoint pruning, each shoot is shortened separately, while the formed bud is removed. This method is often used in the early stages of shaping a young bush. Also, the method is resorted to when they want to preserve the natural, natural look of the shrub. Pruning is done at an angle of 45 degrees 2-3 cm above the kidney.

With the blind method, young shoots are massively trimmed using garden shears or a brush cutter. The location of the kidneys is not taken into account. This method is used in the design of living juniper hedges to create a design form.

Formative and sanitary pruning

Cossack juniper grows very quickly, so you need to cut it regularly. A shaping haircut is needed to maintain an aesthetic appearance.

Since the Cossack juniper belongs to the creeping varieties of shrubs, it is cut in a special way. For this, a few of the most well-located stems are selected and all excess branches are cut out, leaving only the upper shoots. Then only young growth is cut annually, no more than 20% per season.

In addition to forming it is also necessary to carry out sanitization of the juniper. It is better to do this in the spring or in the first half of the summer. If you cut the shrub in the second half of the summer, it will not have time to get stronger before frost and in winter it will be unprepared. In autumn, only dry, diseased and damaged branches are removed.

Cutting is stressful for the plant, so first you need to make sure that the shrub is healthy and can tolerate the procedure painlessly. If in doubt, the haircut can be postponed for a year.

When and how often to cut Cossack juniper

Pruning is carried out as needed, but no more than 2 times a year. Cossack juniper is one of the fastest growing species. If you form a figure out of it in advance, caring for it will take a lot of effort and time. The topiary frame is suitable for this type of juniper. Then you can cut off only the extra shoots that hang from the frame.

In some cases, the formative pruning of the Cossack juniper is not carried out at all, stopping at the obligatory sanitary one. These shrubs are often seen in urban public spaces and parks.

You need to cut any juniper on a cool and cloudy day. It is recommended to refresh the crown of the bushes with a small amount of moisture the day before. In dry and hot weather, a haircut cannot be done. The moisture will evaporate very quickly from the cuts, as a result, the tips of the trimmed shoots will dry very quickly. Wet coniferous shrubs are easier to trim without dulling the pruning shears.

Pruning tips

For a successful pruning, you must follow the basic rules. Remember that there are no dormant buds on bare juniper branches that are not covered with green needles. Therefore, whether it is necessary to cut it off completely, from the trunk, or vice versa, leaving most of the greenery. Otherwise, the branch will remain bare.

Only a third of the green needles can be removed in one haircut. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the shrub to recover.

Cossack juniper resin is very difficult to wash off. Therefore, you need to work with garden gloves and clothes that you do not mind throwing away.

Slices should be as subtle as possible. To do this, cut off the branch from the fork, not just the tip. If you cut the shrub across, the wood will heal more slowly, and the trimmed shrub will not look so aesthetically pleasing. Fresh cuts should be treated with garden varnish to kill bacteria and speed up the healing of the cuts. Keep your garden pruning tool sharp and clean and wipe it down regularly. If the cuts are torn, it will be more difficult for the plant to heal them.

The crown will look dense if you cut off a third of the fresh growth of young needles, which can be distinguished by color. Feed the Cossack juniper regularly with mineral fertilizers, giving preference to nitrogen fertilizers. An epin solution is also useful, which stimulates the growth of the crown. It is also important to provide enough moisture, otherwise the plant will not recover from the shearing.

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