Many people who plant a privacy hedge or windbreak need it yesterday. Spartan juniper trees (Juniperus chinensis ‘Spartan’) may be the next best alternative. Spartan is an evergreen that grows extremely quick and can be used to create an attractive hedge or screen. For additional information about Spartan juniper trees, including tips for growing and care, read on.
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Spartan juniper trees are a narrow cultivar of Chinese juniper, Juniper chinensis. The original tree is native to northeast Asia, including China. The Spartan cultivar is also known as Chinese Spartan juniper. Juniper has been grown in China for hundreds of years, well before western gardeners “discovered” the tree. This cultivar grows to some 15 feet (5 m.) tall but remains slender, between 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m.) wide. Its dense foliage is dark green and can be clipped into different shapes. Even without being sheared or trimmed, the plants have a uniform shape.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Lighting is essential whether you plan to mass plant outside or plant your Spartan juniper trees in containers. The best place is to grow your trees in full sun to partial shade. Your tree can thrive in full sun for six hours but cannot take extreme heat.
Watering
When the Juniper trees are young, they need water to help establish the root ball. Once the root systems are established, they can go without water for a while. When gardening and using an automated irrigation system, set the time for early morning hours and not later at night.
The reason is that it can lead to the onset of foliar and fungus diseases. The ground needs to be moist but not soggy to prevent root rot. After planting your trees, please give them a deep soak at the planting site.
You can also water your young Juniper trees with a Root Stimulator to help with early root formation to make them stronger. Yet, you need not water your indoor plant every day during the first active growing season.
If you notice the absence of rainfall, you can water the root ball and surrounding soil to keep it damp. Still, it is better to let the soil dry out between watering to prevent fungal diseases.
Soil
When you grow your Spartan juniper outdoors, the only requirement is that it is well-drained soil. Your tree prefers sandy soil but can tolerate other soil types that most trees can’t, like clay soils.
Still, it is possible if you want to grow your Spartan juniper in a container. The same rule applies to providing the plant with moist yet well-drained soil. We recommend a potting mix using a 50/50 combination with enough drainage holes.
You can 10-20 percent perlite or pumice to your soil mixture to help with drainage. Also, choose a container that can last up to three years before you need to shift your tree. We also recommend lining the bottom of the pot with some shade cloth or porous landscape fabric.
Doing this will help prevent the drainage holes from clogging up with soil. Still, if you use gravel or other soil types at the bottom, lay the fabric over it.
Fertilizing
Chinese juniper ‘Spartan’ grows very slowly and doesn’t require much fertilizer. Too much can result in spindly branches and leaves ruining the plant’s good looks. To make the plant lush, healthy, and robust, use base fertilizer at planting. Add diluted organic fertilizer 2-3 times every spring, and 1-2 times every fall.
Planting Instructions
When selecting a spot to plant your Spartan juniper, it helps to remove and clear away weeds, debris, and turfgrass. We recommend digging a planting hole three times the width of the pot your tree arrived in.
Remove your trees from their containers and gently pull the root mass apart. Next, place the root ball in the center of your dug hole. Ensure that the soil is at the same level as the tree’s container.
Backfill the hole and tamp it down to remove the air pockets in the soil. For a privacy screen, space your trees five feet apart and to form a solid wall three feet apart.
Pruning
For growing juniper trees with enough space to grow to a mature size, they need no pruning. Yet, you can prune them to remove damaged branches or do shaping to get a uniform shape. Conifers and juniper trees produce new growth in spring and fall.
You can prune them in early spring living in warm regions. But prune your plant in early summer living in cooler areas. You can remove the branches to attain a compact yet controlled growth.
You will need to trim individual stems, and please do not use a hedge trimmer. Doing shearing can ruin the growth habit leading to foliage drop. Another thing is to avoid cutting too much back of bare wood as new leaf buds form on the older stems and branches.
Propagation
Chinese juniper ‘Spartan’ can be propagated by cutting. Cutting can take place at any time except in the winter and is best performed at 20 to 30 ℃. Overly high or low temperatures can cause the branches to rot or make it difficult to grow roots.
Choose robust new branches that sprouted in the current year, and trim them to 5 to 15 cm-long segments, each with more than 3 buds. The top of the branch segment should be cut level, with the incision 1 cm away from the first bud. The bottom of the segment should be cut obliquely, with the incision 5 mm away from the last bud. Use sharp gardening scissors that can make flat, smooth incisions, minimizing harm to the branches.
Transplanting
Chinese juniper ‘Spartan’ thrive when transplanted in the transitional seasons of early spring or from early to late winter, ensuring robust root development. Opt for a sunny, well-drained location to foster healthy growth.
Pests and Diseases
Junipers are often prone to twig blight and needle blight. They also act as hosts for cedar-apple rust and similar rust diseases during part of their lifecycle. In wet, poorly drained soils, root rot can be a problem. Bark and main stems may be affected by canker. Additionally, they may occasionally suffer from insect pests like aphids, bagworms, webworms, and scale insects.
III. Uses and Benefits
Ideal for privacy screens, hedges, windbreaks, foundation plantings, or as a specimen plant. Its narrow growth makes it suitable for small gardens or as a vertical element in landscaping.
IV. Harvesting and Storage
When chinese juniper ‘Spartan’ branches are harvested and placed in vases for viewing, they can last for 2 months. Early-morning harvest is best to avoid branches withering due to dehydration. Cut the branches off at a 45° inclined angle with a pair of sharp gardening scissors and quickly put them in clean water to prevent water loss.