Rocket juniper is a special cultivated form of the cypress juniper native to North America. The 'Blue Arrow' descends from the original species Juniperus scopulorum. The focus of this variety was on the columnar growth habit. You can promote this shape by selectively cutting back.
The rocket juniper inspires with its steep growth
growth
Like many conifers, the rocket juniper grows mainly on the tips of the shoots. The old wood inside the crown loses the ability to sprout over time. With this property, the trees have adapted to the lack of light that prevails inside the crown. They are green on the outside and bare on the inside, which is something to keep in mind when trimming.
time
You can cut back the columnar juniper from May to September. Ideally, you should set the date for the second half of July, because then the tree has completed its main shoot. Since the growing season is not over yet, cuts heal better during this time. In addition, a slight afterglow makes the open interfaces disappear.
Choose an overcast day for pruning, because periods that are too hot result in drought stress. Refrain from interventions on wet autumn days or during periods of frost. Corrections are possible at any time during the vegetation phase.
cutting measures
The rocket juniper naturally develops a straight shape that appears unreal. The coniferous tree has proven to tolerate pruning well and can be brought into almost any desired shape through targeted interventions. You should prune the crop carefully and no more than once a year so that growth does not suffer.
Benefits of cuts:
- ensure healthy growth
- protect against infestation by fungi and pests
- support the natural form of growth
plant cutting
Start pruning early if you want to bring the columnar juniper into a slight pyramid shape. To do this, go from bottom to top and pinch off the side shoots by a few centimetres. Follow the natural shape given by the tree. This promotes dense growth and prevents balding from the inside out.
topiary
If you regularly trim the rocket juniper with scissors, you emphasize the columnar shape and the wood stays young. In principle, this intervention does not differ from pruning after planting. They shorten all branches to an even length and also remove aging, diseased and dead branches.
Avoid radical interventions
Despite some positive experiences with a radical cut, you should not cut the conifers back into the old wood. Due to the special growth, there is no guarantee that the 'Blue Arrow' will sprout again afterwards. There is a risk that brown spots will remain and the tree will grow asymmetrically on green branches. For all pruning measures, you should only approach the perennial branches as a precaution.
tips
You can pinch off specimens that have grown too tall. The trees then branch out heavily below the cut surface and develop a kind of head.