The Spartan juniper tree is a deciduous tree best suited for the intermingling of dry and moist habitats.
It is also known as S-juniper, which is the common name for the species. The tree occurs naturally in the north-central mountains of Michigan and Minnesota and is an evergreen shrub that prefers full sunlight.
The bark of the tree is gray, oval, and very sharp, while the leaves are dark green, wide, and oval with cream-colored throats. The tree flowers in the spring, producing small yellow roses.
Planting a Spartan Juniper Tree
The very best time for planting the Spartan juniper tree is spring, but any season will do for this deciduous plant. They grow to about 50 feet in height with a wide spread of about 3-foot, making them ideal additions to small spaces. They do not need any fertilizer and will keep their evergreen shape without being clipping frequently.
Types of Juniper trees: Choosing a Tree
There are three broad categories that distinguish S-juniper species:
- The columnar cultivar, which means the root system is column-shaped.
- The needleleaf cultivar, which has an upright trunk with spreading branches.
- The Spartan juniper tree, which has a slanted trunk and spreading leaves. These three types should all be taken into account when planting the Spartan juniper tree.
Spartan Juniper tree: Disease and insect problems
The tree has no special threat to local insects and generally does well with minor pest and disease problems.
Occasionally, though, certain diseases can affect the foliage and the stem of the tree, and you should inspect and identify any unusual health problems as soon as they occur.
Pruning a Spartan Juniper tree
We’ll deal with pruning later, but just an overview here. Although the tree grows up to be quite large and may reach three feet in height, the vigorous growth spurts create a short height growth habit.
If you want, you may prune the tree during the spurts of foliage growth, though. Otherwise, the evergreen foliage will likely not re-grow to the original length.
As long as the tree has pruned and trimmed its growth habit, it should do fine in the garden.
However, don’t prune more than one-third of the length of the foliage at one time, as this encourages the fungal disease known as needle blight, which kills trees by producing tiny needlelike black spots on the tree’s foliage and needles.
Certain types of fungi, notably cercosporium, are able to infect and damage junipers woods. You should check for fungal disease from time to time. Look for spots or dark spots that may have been caused by cercosporium.
To eliminate this problem, you can rub the affected area with bleach and water, or you can spray the affected area with an insecticide and fungicide.
If you suspect cercosporium, you should pull infected plants, soil, or foliage, and spread the spores to another plant.
Prevent new cercosporium from infecting trees in your garden by making sure you regularly inspect your plants for fungal diseases.
How Big Does a Spartan Juniper Get?
So you’re wondering, how big does a Spartan Juniper get? If you are and have been wanting to build a tree house for fun or maybe for money, then you should know that these things can be big.
And the great thing about them is they can be built with less materials than some people would think. Here’s what I found out about building these things.
I’ve heard that people will go as large as they can just because they want it to be a tree house. The problem with this is they don’t have a place to put all the stuff that they will need inside of it. Unless you’re going to build a small one, they’re not going to be able to live in one.
However, if they try to get a smaller one then they will end up with more problems. I wouldn’t recommend going any larger than 50 ft in diameter.
Once you know how big you want it to be, you can start to get some ideas. What size and what kind of foundation are you going to need? These are some great questions that you have to ask yourself before you can make any final decisions.
When you are looking at different plans for a tree house, you should keep in mind that a big tree is going to be harder to work with. I know that sounds like a cliche, but if you’re going to be using your bare hands to climb up and down the tree, then you need to make sure that the surface you’re climbing on is going to hold you and your tools.
If you’re using leverage, you’re going to find that it becomes extremely hard to do any real climbing, because you could potentially break your ankle or whatever. That’s why I would recommend having a plan where you have a route to the top of the tree that you can follow. You can set a path to the top, so that you know exactly what you’re going to do and where you’re going to need to get to.
It’s also important to know just how much room you’re going to need inside of a tree house. Are you building a room above the ground, or are you going to be sleeping in a tunnel?
There are different levels of tree houses where you can build them, so you have to make sure that you are planning these things out before you start. If you know what the dimensions of the tree house are, you can more accurately figure out how much room you will need. This is very helpful in the end because you can build something that will fit.
As you can see, there are a lot of different factors that go into making a tree house. Knowing the size of a Spartan Juniper should not be one of them, but if you are interested in one, you should know how big it is so you don’t get one that won’t work for your needs.
There are plenty of tree house plans out there for you to check out and decide what you want to do. There are even options where you can get different sized ones so you can choose the one that fits best.
How Fast Do Spartan Juniper Trees Grow?
The speed that a tree grows depends upon many factors. One of the most important factors is the type of root structure, the tree has.
If you are looking for a fast tree then you will definitely want to make sure that you are getting a root system that is designed for speed. The best types of root systems are ones that grow in a tight cluster near the base of the tree.
The smaller the cluster the faster the tree’s growth. A cluster that is one inch in diameter is good but anything under a foot in diameter will provide adequate growth. The second factor that affects the speed of growth is the height of the tree.
Trees that are at least three feet tall are considered fast. If the tree is more than three feet tall, the roots are spread too thin and do not support the tree’s rapid growth.
It is also very important to know how deep the roots are when you are determining a tree’s speed of growth. Roots run down the length of the tree just below the surface. A tree that has deep roots helps the tree’s roots develop at a faster rate.
Any tree with roots that are too close to the surface develop slow and clumpy roots which are much more susceptible to diseases.
The type of tree also affects how quickly a tree grows. Do remember that trees take a long time to mature and they are not produced fully until after two years of age. Trees that are mature and growing at a fast rate develop their roots deeper than those of a slower-growing tree.
As the tree’s roots to penetrate deeper into the ground, they create channels that transport more water, nutrients, and oxygen to the root system. This is what keeps a tree alive and growing for a long period of time.
Keep in mind that the grow rate of any tree depends on several factors including the tree’s root system, the amount of sun the tree receives, and the health of the tree. If the tree has healthy roots and a strong root system, it will be able to survive longer and develop roots at a faster rate.
If the tree is suffering from a disease, it will likely die off before it reaches its full height.
On the other hand, a tree that is developing slowly and getting enough sunlight will remain relatively small and will not need to extend its roots as much to keep it alive and growing for a long period of time.
How to Care for Spartan Juniper Trees
Spring and summer are the best times to prune and train your Spartan Junipers. Pruning is an integral part of caring for and maintaining any type of tree.
As a tree so, I know how important pruning can be. A well-trained tree is one that will take more care of you on a daily basis.
Pruning a tree doesn’t have to be done every few weeks, in fact, over time the old growth and secondary branches will die back and provide room for more vigorous growth.
Pruning your tree is also the only way to ensure that you get the most out of your investment. You can choose to remove all the leaves or just a certain portion of them. As a matter of fact, some people prune their trees at least quarterly or semiannually.
Remove the dead branches and training to grow new ones is the most logical approach for maximizing the amount of usable space in a backyard setting.
The time spent on training your tree will pay off by making it the most practical tree for your climate and needs.
There are many types of trees available to home owners and gardeners. How to care for Spartan Junipers isn’t much different from caring for any other kind of tree. Regardless of the type of tree you have, you will want to make sure that it is pruned to grow to its maximum potential.
Most trees develop certain faults that we as humans can detect and correct with training. With training, you can correct those faults that may be causing problems elsewhere on your tree.
When training your tree, make sure to wear latex gloves. This helps to reduce the risk of cutting the fibers of the tree. It also reduces the risk of causing infections and diseases to the tree. Protecting your hands from cuts and injuries is very important when training your tree.
Final thoughts
Growing and training your Spartan Juniper tree should last anywhere from one year to five years. If you are looking for a tree that can take a lot of maintenance, these are not the trees for you.
These types of trees do not grow very fast and often require a lot of pruning and training to grow to their maximum potential.
If you are going to invest in them, they need to be tended to regularly. You will have to take an active role during their growing years to ensure they are strong and healthy.
A lot of people decide to purchase a garden trellis to grow their trees. However, trellises do not grow nearly as quickly as trees.
Also, trellises require more maintenance than a normal tree will need. How to care for Spartan Junipers is quite easy, but regular maintenance is necessary.