The Trautman Juniper is an upright growing deciduous shrub that is blue-green and can reach considerable heights, but it has a very thin and slender profile. These develop into slender pyramids that eventually get covered in silvery-blue berries. The berries are loved by the local birds and provide wonderful visual interest throughout the winter. Juniper berries can be used in a few different recipes.
This Chinese Juniper species thrives in full sun in a diverse range of climates due to its coarse texture as well as its color that remains consistent regardless of the temperature. This shrub has a casual yet distinguished appearance that can be enhanced by a light shearing.
Trautman Juniper Growth Rate
The growth habit of Trautman Juniper is columnar and narrowly upright, making it an evergreen shrub that possesses multiple stems. It provides the overall landscape composition with an exceptionally fine and delicate texture, which, alone, can make it a fantastic accent feature. It has a propensity to fill out right to the ground, and as a result, it doesn’t always need facer plants in front of it. Furthermore, it is appropriate for growing under power lines. It has a slow pace of growth and a maximum estimated lifespan of around 30 years.
This shrub can only be successfully cultivated in direct sunlight. It thrives in a variety of soil types and moisture levels but fails to grow in permanently wet areas. It grows in any soil and requires no pH requirements. It exhibits a high tolerance for urban pollution and can even flourish in urban environments.
Trautman Juniper Size
Trautman Juniper matures to around 15 feet tall and 3 feet wide. The columnar shape of the Trautman Juniper, a dwarf conifer, is the plant’s primary landscape value. During the entire winter, the bluish-green color of the scale-like sprays of leaves does not change. Over ten years, a mature specimen normally increases in height and width by six to eight inches (15–20 cm) and two feet (60 cm), respectively.
Trautman Juniper Zone
Trautman Juniper is a durable substitute for temperate Italian Cypress. The gardening possibilities for this tall, slender, coarse-textured, bluish-gray-green spire are practically limitless. It leaves a striking impact when grown as a single specimen because it has a modest overall footprint and towers above other garden plants. These plants require at least six hours of sunlight every day and can survive in USDA hardiness zones from four to eight.
Trautman Juniper Care
This is a shrub that doesn’t need much care, and the best time to prune it is in late winter after the fear of a severe winter is over. The Trautman Juniper, once established, can withstand dry conditions and needs little maintenance. Depending on the soil, maintaining a 3″-thick layer of nutritious mulch around a tree can eliminate the need for watering.
It is not necessary to wrap or protect a Trautman Juniper during the winter months. If winter burn is a concern, consider watering the foliage later in the autumn to keep it moist.
This plant does not require fertilization, and doing so can harm it. Inadequate fertilizer can weaken the plant and promote excessive growth. It is critical to remember that the faster a plant grows, the more likely it’s going to clash with other vegetation or structures. Instead, irrigate the plant only when necessary.
Trautman Juniper Problems
Trautman Juniper is not susceptible to disease, but several parasites and problems can harm an already stressed plant. There are a few of them that do not result in death, but the others are unavoidable with time.
The rusts (Gymnosporangium) that attack Juniper trees are the most common fungal disease they suffer from. This fungus uses Juniper as an alternate host, completing the second phase of its life cycle on a variety of Rosaceae plants. These include Hawthorns (Crataegus), pears (Pyrus), serviceberries (Amelanchier), apples (Malus), and others.
Juniper damage is typically confined to a few galls. The occasional dieback of twigs is easily dealt with by pruning them. The damage is more evident on those alternate hosts, resulting in unattractive leaf damage or strange fruit growth.
Junipers like acidic soil for optimal growth, but they gradually make their environments alkaline. The reason for this is the high calcium content of their leaves (and berries). The deposition of calcium that occurs seasonally as a result of needle drops can have the effect of making the soil in the surrounding area more alkaline over time. This means that gardeners must avoid placing any plants that require a high pH level underneath or close to a juniper tree.
