Juniper Tree Growth Rate: How Fast Is It?
While The Average Growth Rate of A Juniper Tree Is Slow To Moderate, There Are Some Exceptions!
Junipers are one of the most popular landscape plants, and why should they not be? They are tough plants famous for their needle-like evergreen foliage and hardy nature.
To understand how fast do junipers grow, you need to watch out for the variety you’re looking at. The growth rate varies widely depending on the cultivar and the species but overall the growth is slow to moderate at 4-8 inches per year. But you do have some varieties of Juniper that grow quicker than that.
Is Juniper Tree Growth Rate Slow?
Typically, the junipers have a slow to moderate growth rate for most of its popular varieties. There are fifty-year-old Junipers that are only five feet tall. Since Junipers are drought tolerant, they tend to conserve water and use it as the need arises.
Moreover, they also self-prune by pausing the nutrient supply to a branch to maintain the tree’s survival.
Now, not every Juniper grows slow. You can find some fast-growing varieties like the Rocky Mountain and the Skyrocket Juniper that grow about a foot per year.
Then there is Savin Juniper, known for its deep green leaves and stunted growth. There is also the eastern red cedar or the Juniperus virginiana, a beautiful, tall, attractive Juniper tree that grows approximately two feet or more.
How Fast Do Juniper Trees Grow?
Most Juniper varieties have a slowe growth rate and add four to eight inches to their height every year. There are just a few exceptions listed below that grow up to a foot or more on average annually.
Let’s look at the growth rate of some of the most popular Juniper varieties.
1. Blue Arrow Juniper Growth Rate
It is a beautiful Juniper variety with bright blue, tight foliage, and an upright, narrow form. Blue Arrow Juniper ticks all the boxes of a great addition to a garden. Its fast growth rate allows it to grow at least 12 to 18 inches annually.
The tree maintains its narrow structure sans any trimming, making it ideal for use as a narrow and tall screen where the space is tight.
2. Taylor Juniper’s Growth
Columnar, slender, and tall, the Taylor Juniper is a popular pick for those seeking to hedge a design element like a front door, pool, or driveway, create a lush privacy screen, or add a specimen plant to the landscaping or garden. It is a cold-hardy plant that adds a dramatic effect to any landscape as it grows to its height of about thirty feet with a small spread between three and five feet.
These are an ideal addition for tight areas where you have limited space and need fast growth. Taylor Junipers are fast growing and can grow between two to three feet per year without occupying much space.
3. Spartan Juniper Growth Rate
Spartan Juniper is a fast-growing, handsome, columnar Chinese Juniper, which develops densely branched and a bushy conifer. It has a fast growth rate of about 12 inches per year.
Its dark green foliage only makes it more appealing. You can use them as a windbreak, formal accent, or privacy screen. They self-prune them and need no pruning to maintain the pyramidal shape.
Hence, they are the ideal pick for a stately topiary. The plant can withstand drought, cold, and heat conditions.
4. Skyrocket Juniper Growth Rate
Skyrocket Juniper, one of the narrowest varieties available, is a columnar, evergreen tree. It is a fast-growing Juniper that grows around 2 feet per year.
You will spot them in USDA hardiness zones two through ten. The cultivator has scented foliage with a scale-like texture and bluish-green color.
It resembles the Blue Point and Blue Arrow Juniper cultivators. This cultivator comes from the Eastern Red Cedar and shares several characteristics with the Juniperus genus of shrubs and trees.
How Fast Do Juniper Bonsai Trees Grow?
Typically, the growth speed of junipers is almost steady for all the varieties. They grow between four and eight inches per year. However, since some of the Junipers are low-lying ground cover shrubs, they can double as excellent cascading bonsai, courtesy of their downward growing habit.
Related: Juniper Bonsai Types
How Can I Make My Junipers Grow Faster?
Proper care, nourishment, and offering the plant the necessary growing prerequisites can help the plant thrive at a fast pace. On the contrary, it will stunt the tree’s growth and may even kill the plant if you deprive it of its conditions. So, here are some tips for amplifying your plant’s growth:
A. Expose It To Bright Sunlight
Junipers need direct, bright light to thrive for at least eight hours daily. The plant may not blossom if you keep it indoors where its lighting conditions are poor.
B. Plant It In A Well-Draining Soil
Juniper demands a commercially available soil mix to achieve good results. Ideally, the soil mix you use should be well-draining, allowing water and air to travel to the roots.
One of the best potting mixes you can pick to foster plant growth is a fine mix of pumice, organic potting compost, akadama, fine grit, or gravel. It is easy to find and is vastly available at plant stores or garden centers.
C. Do Not Deprive It Of Water
Though Junipers are drought tolerant, they like moist soil. Of course, you do not have to leave them in a water-logged situation because that can cause root rot and kill the plant. So, when you rewater the plant, allow the soil to dry and then water it deeply.
D. Please Keep It In The Ideal Temperature Settings
In addition, juniper tree growth rate also depends on the environmental conditions available where you plant them. Typically, all Junipers are frost-tolerant and hardy, capable of withstanding temperature drops to 10 degrees Fahrenheit sans any guarding.
They love the outdoors, and you will cut short its life by planting them indoors. However, please know that when the temperature in the winter drop below 10 degrees and you do not offer the plant the required protection, you will kill the plant.
E. Provide It With The Suitable Feed
Fulfilling the plant’s nutritional requirements are also necessary for promoting good growth. All bonsais like a good feed now and then, especially during the growing season. It can foster strong growth but remember not to add any fertilizer during the winter.
Typically, adding a slow-release fertilizer in the growing season once a month is ideal for the plant. Alternatively, you can use liquid fertilizer and add it every week you water the plant.
But, if you expect rapid growth from the plant, reach out for a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, but use it only in the spring months.
F. Prune To Motivate New Growth
Regular and proper pruning not only helps with adding to the plant’s aesthetic appeal, it also quickens juniper tree’s growth. It can also help eliminate dead branches and promote the growth of fresh, new trunks.
Care Considerations For Juniper Trees
Juniper trees belong to the Cypress family and are native to Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa. But, given the several varieties of Juniper trees, they are found in every corner of the world. So, if you want to care for the plant, mimic the environment where it typically grows.
Once you have taken care of the plant’s location, ensure that you plant it in well-drained soil with the required pH balance. Water it judiciously, and do not underwater or overwater the plant.
Underwatering can result in wilting while overwatering can cause root rots. Fertilize it during the growing season, and prune it to maintain its shape. Juniper trees live for centuries with proper care.
Juniper Tree Informational Facts
Ques 1. What Is The Fastest-Growing Juniper?
Ans. Considering how fast do junipers grow on average, the Skyrocket juniper is the fastest growing Juniper. It has a rapid growth rate, adding up to two feet per year.
Ques 2. How Tall Do Juniper Trees Grow?
Ans. Depending on the specie, the Junipers can grow from as small as four inches to fifty feet tall with a spread between six to twenty feet.
Ques 3. Which Plant Food Do Junipers Like For Good Growth?
Ans. Established Junipers benefit from a complete fertilizer, such as NPK 12-4-8 or 16-4-8, applied at a rate of half a pound for every 100 square feet. You can add the fertilizer in late summer or early spring.
Final Word
So, Juniper is a cluster of approximately 50 to 60 varieties, and each plant is different. But, we have, broadly, tried to give you a gist of juniper’s growth rate, its care instructions and how to make it grow quicker and healthier.
