Juniper Meyeri: description, features of growing and care

One of the popular evergreen bushes in landscape design is the Meyeri juniper, which is distinguished by the elegant shape of the crown and the original gray-blue needles. High decorativeity inspires professionals and simple gardeners to create unique compositions in the garden, parks and city streets. But to get the expected result, the creeping shrub requires attention and proper care.

Juniperus Meyeri: description

Very often it is called one-seeded, since ellipsoid fruits resembling berries contain only one seed. The native land of the plant is the mountainous regions of Taiwan, China and Afghanistan. It grows sparse and is a ground cover shrub.

A characteristic feature - spiky, awl-shaped needles of a gray or blue-green hue, the location in the whorls - three pieces, each has a longitudinal silvery-white strip. The bush attracts with its thick needles and its unusual shade with steel blue.

Winter resistance Juniper Meyeri has an average. The height reaches from 30 cm to 1 m. Shoots that are hanging, creeping. It grows fast enough, the annual increment is about 10 cm. The plant is often used as a potter to create bonsai (see photo below in the article).

Place on site and soil

The plant is sensitive to the factor of illumination, therefore it needs to pick up a place in the garden bright, sunny. In the shade, the decorativeness of the needles and its bluish color are lost, and the crown becomes sparse and uneven. The composition of the soil does not impose special requirements, it has the ability to adapt to a wide range of soils. Meanwhile, it is best to develop under conditions of medium moisture and a well drained substrate. Dampness and excessively humid air, combined with the heat of the shrub tolerate poorly.

Juniperus Meyeri: planting and care

In the case of heavy clay soil, a mixture of peat, sand and garden soil should be added to the planting pit in equal proportions, and a drainage layer of broken brick or expanded clay should be placed on the bottom. It is advisable to introduce mineral complex fertilizers, for example, "Kemira-universal", plus 300 g of nitrofoss.

For better survival, experienced gardeners use the drug "Epin". The size of the landing pit depends on the size of the root system of the juniper Meyeri. Planting is done quickly to avoid drying out, but carefully, to avoid damage to the earth coma. After that, the bush should be watered abundantly and for the first time covered from direct sunlight.

Further care for it is watering in case of drought and hot weather and shelter for the winter in the middle zone of Russia, in the suburbs it can not be done. As a rule, pruning is not carried out, but to control the height you can slightly shorten the branches. Juniper Meyeri is responsive to the application of fertilizers. If they were added during planting, then it is best to carry out top dressing 2-3 years later. Do not use strong organic fertilizers (manure, chicken droppings), since the probability of root burn is high. The roundabout is best covered with chips, pine needles or peat.

Diseases and pests

Juniper is quite resistant to various diseases and pests. If they arise, then the cause must first of all be found in the erroneous care. Of the few pests, it is worth noting the spider mites, scutellum and running moth. Carry out prophylactic treatment of the plant with insecticides such as "Aktara", "Iskra", "Fitoverm", etc. Of the bacterial diseases, rust is the most dangerous. In order to protect the juniper Meyeri (see photo above), do not plant fruit bushes and trees near the ground, especially the currant, and also remove the dried and diseased branches in time to treat them with preparations containing copper ("HOM", copper sulfate, etc.).