How to Start a Japanese Juniper From a Branch

Japanese juniper (Juniperus procumbens) is a low growing evergreen groundcover, typically reaching 8 to 24 inches tall depending on the cultivar. It grows best in full sun and moist to dry soil conditions. Like most evergreens, it can be propagated from branch cuttings. A low-growing juniper, such as a Japanese juniper, roots quickly when you purposely wound or strip off some of the bark. Select a branch of a young, healthy Japanese juniper in the spring or early summer for cutting.

Garden clippers
Knife
Potting soil
Rooting hormone
Pencils or sticks
Plastic container or bag

Instructions

- 1
  Cut off 6 to 10 inches of a branch tip with a clean, sharp pair of hand clippers. Choose a branch that is healthy and has new growth at the tip. The cutting should also include at least 2 inches of old wood of growth where it is cut.
- 2
  Slice off the leaves and thin layer of bark on both sides of the cutting. Do this on the bottom 2 inches with a sharp, clean knife.
- 3
  Moisten the potting soil with water. A high quality potting soil that contains peat, sand or perlite works well for rooting evergreen cuttings.
- 4
  Poke a 2-inch deep hole in the soil with a pencil. Dip the wounded end of the cutting in a powdered rooting hormone and plant it in the hole.
- 5
  Cover the cutting with a clear plastic container or lid. Alternatively, place two pencils or small sticks on either side of the cutting and cover with a clear plastic bag. The bag should sit on top of the pencils or sticks, not the cutting.
- 6
  Place the cutting in indirect light and keep the soil moist. In four to six weeks, gently tug on the juniper cutting and if it resists, it’s successfully formed roots and you can take off the plastic and replant the cutting in a larger pot.

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