Junipers (Juniperus spp., USDA plant hardiness zones 2 through 9) make up a large variety of evergreens encompassing everything from ground covers to upright or spreading shrubs and trees. If you're looking to add additional plants to your juniper collection, you can do so by taking juniper cuttings. Regardless of the type of juniper, you can start new plants by taking semihardwood or hardwood cuttings. The process for successful juniper propagation is relatively simple, so even novice gardeners will have rooted cuttings before they know it.
Things You'll Need
Rubbing alcohol
Seed-starting tray or small containers
Coarse sand or vermiculite
Plastic milk container
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How to Propagate Cuttings of Juniper
Step 1: Sterilize the Pruning Tools
Use sharp pruning clippers to remove the juniper cuttings. To prevent the transfer of a diseases or pests to your cuttings, wipe off the blades with rubbing alcohol before use.
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Step 2: Take the Juniper Cuttings
Take semihardwood cuttings early in the morning in midsummer through early fall. After a flush of growth, cut off about a 6-inch-long juniper cutting from the current season's growth of wood that is partially mature. Make sure the bottom portion of the cutting is slanted and not cut straight across.
Take hardwood cuttings early in the morning in late fall through early spring. Prune off a 6-inch-long juniper cutting from a section of mature wood. Make sure the bottom portion of the cutting is slanted and not cut straight across.
Step 3: Trim Off the Bottom Leaves
Using pruning clippers, snip off the bottom third of foliage. The bottom portion of the cutting will be planted in the soil, and if the foliage remains, rot can occur.
Step 4: Prepare the Containers
Use either a seed-starting tray or small containers with bottom drainage and fill with a sterile, fast-draining rooting medium. You can make your own mix by using 1 part coarse sand and 1 part peat or by mixing 1 part peat and 1 part vermiculite. Fill the container with the mix and moisten it with water.
Step 5: Use Rooting Hormone on the Juniper Cuttings
Assist the juniper cutting in forming roots by dipping the cut end in rooting hormone. Pour a little rooting hormone into a separate container, dip the end of the cutting into it, and shake off the excess. Discard the used rooting hormone after treating the juniper cuttings.
Step 6: Plant the Cuttings
Stick about the bottom third of a juniper cutting into the soil and gently firm the soil around its base. Water the soil again.
Step 7: Create a Humid Environment
Cut out the bottom of a plastic milk container and then place the container over the pot of cuttings. This will help seal in moisture, creating a humid environment and assisting the juniper cuttings to root. Place the container out of the full sun, keep the soil moist, and mist the cutting several times weekly. If you gently tug on the juniper cuttings and they remain firm in the soil, then roots are forming, which can take several months.