Juniper Blue Carpet (Blue carpet) - creeping needles with a small height. It is one of 70 varieties of scaly juniper growing in mountainous areas.
Juniper Blue Carpet
The plant was bred from the Meyeri variety in 1972 in Holland. Its name translates as "blue carpet" and comes from its appearance: bluish needles and horizontal growth.
Brief information about the species
- Colour: from blue-green to silver with a blue tint.
- Height: up to 60 cm.
- Crown width: up to 2 m.
- In which regions is it growing: Taiwan, mountainous regions of China, Eastern Himalayas.
- Landing features: soil - neutral, fertile, well-lit place, without water accumulation. The crowding is small, the minimum distance between plants is from 1 to 2 m.
- Immunity: weak against rust. Of the pests, one should be wary of spider mites, aphids, miner moths and scale insects. All insects are fought with insecticides.
- Life span: over 200 years old.
Growing regions
In nature, Juniperus squamata, otherwise squamous juniper, prefers rocky soil: it grows in the region of the Eastern Himalayas, Taiwan and in the mountains of China.
It is widely used in landscape design because of its decorative properties and low maintenance requirements.
In the gardens, Blue Carpet is grown everywhere. The main conditions for good growth are plenty of light, neutral soil and no stagnant water.
Description of the plant
Blue Carpet is classified as an evergreen creeping plant with a very slow growth: up to 10 cm per year. By the age of ten, the shrub has about 50 cm in height and up to 2 m in crown width.
The crown, if not specially shaped, looks like a pillow. The needles are sharp, scaly, green with a blue tint. Shoots are blue and tough. The cones are dark blue and have a white coating.
Sowing seeds
The cones on the tree are round, about 0.8 cm in diameter. The period of appearance is autumn.
As they mature, they change color from green to blue, acquire a white bloom. Their aroma becomes strong and spicy.
There are 3 seeds each inside the bud. The material collected in the fall is stored outdoors in boxes. They are planted in the ground in May, but the first shoots appear only the next year.
Landing
It is much easier to use a seedling purchased from a nursery.
To plant a juniper in open ground, you must go through three stages: prepare the seedling itself, choose and prepare a suitable place and properly care for the plant after the procedure.
Seedling preparation
Juniper needs a lot of light
Bushes up to 4 years old with a whole earthen lump take root most easily.
The preparation of the seedling consists in watering the soil abundantly about 2-3 hours before planting in open ground, so that the earthy clod grasps and does not crumble during the procedure.
Site preparation
For planting needles, choose a place with good lighting. It also grows well in partial shade, although it prefers a lot of light.
The soil is neutral or slightly acidic.
It is important to make sure that there will be no stagnation of water on the site: in such conditions, the juniper quickly begins to rot and die.
Landing technology
For quick rooting, juniper is planted in the spring, immediately after the snow melts. Planting later can result in sunburn and death.
The planting pit is about 70 cm deep, about 20 cm is occupied by a drainage of brick chips or sand.
In general, the size of the depression depends on the earthen coma: it should be about 3 times larger than it. The optimum distance between juniper and other plants is from 1 m to 3 m.
A little earthen mixture is poured onto the drainage, consisting of:
- peat - 50%;
- sod land - 25%;
- sand - 25%.
After rooting, sprinkle the hole. The root collar is not buried.
The first week requires frequent watering and protection from the wind.
Care
Blue Carpet requires minimal maintenance. This quality of the variety allows landscape designers to use it for landscaping urban parks.
Watering
In dry periods, the plant is watered 2-3 times a week; in normal weather, 3 waterings per season are enough.
Since the Blue Carpet does not tolerate dry air well, it is useful to spray it from a spray bottle twice a day before dawn or after sunset.
Top dressing
The plant is fertilized twice a year
For strong immunity and good appearance, juniper is fed twice a year:
- in the spring they bring nitroammofosk; it is permissible to use mineral fertilizers;
- in the fall potassium-phosphorus agents are added.
Mulching and loosening the soil
Blue carpet refers to creeping plants. Mulching allows you to prevent the debate of the lower branches. The height should not exceed 8 cm.
For mulch use:
- gravel;
- pine bark;
- chips.
In the spring, during the rainy season, gardeners recommend removing mulch from the bark and chips to prevent root rot.
Young plants often need to loosen the soil shallowly to allow air to flow to the roots.
Haircut and trim
Pruning is done in the spring to remove dead branches. A curly haircut is also permissible to give the plant a certain shape or direction of growth.
The procedure is performed with gloves, since juniper juice is poisonous and can irritate the skin.
Preparing for winter
In order for the tree to endure the winter well, the main points must be remembered.
- In the cold, the juniper can die or change the color of the needles to brown. To prevent this, the plant is covered with a special material when cold weather approaches.
- If a large number of snowdrifts are applied in winter, then to preserve the needles, columns are installed under a well-stretched shelter. They will support the weight of the snow and prevent branches from breaking off.
- Peat is used to protect the root system: it is poured up to 10 cm high.
- If in a landscape composition the juniper is located next to a deciduous plant, then all fallen leaves must be removed before the shelter. A decaying leaf under a canopy during the winter can provoke rotting needles.
Reproduction
Like any other decorative species, Blue Carpet is traditionally propagated by cuttings.
- Cut off a stalk of at least 12 cm from an adult plant.
- They clean it from the lower branches, remove the old wood.
- Placed in water with the addition of a growth stimulant for a day.
- They are planted in a container to take root. For the soil, a mixture of peat, earth and sand is used.
- Cover with a film, send to the shade.
- About once a week, the film is removed, and the cutting is watered and sprayed. After it is re-covered.
The root system will develop in 40-45 days. After 3 months, the bushes are transplanted to a permanent place.
To increase survival in open ground, they are sent only after 2-3 years of growth in a container, when the plant is strong.
Diseases and pests
Arcerida treatment will help cure the plant
The real trouble with culture is rust. To get rid of it, the plant is sprayed with Arcerida. To get rid of the disease, you will have to carry out the procedure 4 times with an interval of 10 days between sprays.
Of the pests it is worth fearing:
- Spider mite. Karate is used against him, following the instructions.
- Shields. The pest is afraid of Karbofos.
- Aphids. They fight it with the help of Phyto-farm, which is sprayed on the bush. It is necessary to do 2 procedures with an interval of 2 weeks.
- Miner moth. The pest cannot tolerate Decis. The treatment scheme for the bush is similar to that used in the fight against aphids.
Use in landscape design
Blue Carpet Scaly Juniper is a favorite of landscape designers because of its appearance and low maintenance requirements.
It can be found in a wide variety of landings.
- Single groups. Several plants are planted, which eventually grow into a real blue carpet. In this case, they are isolated from others so that the Blue Carpet attracts all the attention. The disadvantage is the inconvenience when mowing the lawn.
- Decor of reservoirs and paths and roofs.
- A combination of junipers. With this variety, taller trees are used, which are planted behind. The result is a gradual transition from a creeping plant to an erect plant.
- Complex compositions. Conifers and deciduous shrubs are mixed. Herbaceous perennials and one-season flowers can be used. In this case, it is important to maintain the distance between plantings so that the plants do not overwhelm each other.
- The decor of alpine slides, slopes and flat rockeries.
Blue Carpet does well with roses and garden geraniums. You can plant it next to spring bulbous plants and grass-type ground covers. When planting with peonies and clematis, it is necessary to observe an indent of at least one meter.
This juniper is used to strengthen the soil on the slopes and plant large parks in many cities.
Reviews
Scaly juniper Blue Carpet is planted both in the open field and in containers. The small size of the plant and low maintenance requirements make this variety an excellent choice for decoration.
Reviews of the variety are extremely positive: gardeners like its miniature, unpretentiousness and appearance.
Juniper scaly Blue Carpet. Description.
Juniper scaly Blue Carpet. Brief overview, description of the juniperus squamata Blue Carpet
Juniper scaly "Blue Carpet" | Plante.md
According to the description of landscape designers, Blue Carpet is great for landscaping gardens and rooftops, it can be used to create complex compositions and strengthen the soil.
Many people note the cleansing properties of the culture: in the areas where it is planted, the air becomes cleaner and acquires a light coniferous aroma.