If you decide to water your California juniper, you will be happy to find that it is a straightforward task. One of the easiest ways to water this tree is by simply turning on your garden hose and using it to soak the soil slowly. Your garden hose is the ideal watering tool to use for mature California juniper trees, as large specimens may need a high volume of water during each watering. However, for smaller trees, you may get by by using a watering can or some other smaller watering tool. Also, you should try to avoid overhead watering as excessive moisture on this plant’s leaves can lead to disease, especially when the tree is young.

At times, overwatering can be the result of poor soils. Mainly, if the soil in which your California juniper grows does not allow water to drain effectively, the plant will likely begin to decline. If this is the case, you should either amend the soil to improve its drainage characteristics or transplant your California juniper to a more favorable growing location. If you grow your California juniper in a pot, this can also mean you may need to repot your plant with looser soils in a container that allows for better drainage. An overwatered plant may also contract diseases, which you should try to treat immediately. For an underwatered California juniper, the remedy is quite simple. Begin watering more often, and soon your plant will bounce back and return to full health. The easiest way to tell if you have overwatered your California juniper is to observe the plant’s foliage. Specifically, looking at the new growth will give the clearest sign of whether this plant suffers from too much moisture. An overwatered California juniper may produce new growth, but that new growth may be discolored or prone to easy breakage. Another sign that the soil for your California juniper is too moist is if you notice standing water or that water is not draining quickly in your plant’s growing area. Underwatered California juniper trees will also have symptoms present in the foliage. In this case, the leaves may become sparse, brown. Usually, California juniper can grow well with rainfulls. If you see such symptoms on your plant, you should consider if there has been too much rain recently or constantly high temperatures, which will help you to make the correct judgment.

A mature California juniper does not need much water at all. In most instances, this tree will become drought tolerant and survive off of nothing more than rainfall. At most, you’ll need to water this plant about once per week during the hottest months of the year, but during other seasons, you probably won’t need to water it at all. The exception to that rule is if you are dealing with a plant that has been newly planted. If that is the case, you should water regularly to maintain consistent soil moisture and help the roots establish themselves. With that said, the most important thing to remember when watering California juniper is that this species does not tolerate standing water. As such, when in doubt, you should err on the side of not watering your California juniper rather than risking watering it too much.

The height of summer is one of the few times that you’ll need to water your California juniper. At that time of year, it is typical to give this plant about one inch of water per week. However, that amount can change depending on how much it has rained. If it has rained one inch or more that week, you won’t need to give any water to your California juniper.newly planted California juniper will need more water during the establishment period. Typically, this amounts to watering about once every one to two weeks for the first few growing seasons.

The California juniper tree will need the most water during the summer months when the weather is the hottest. At that time, you should give this plant water about once per week in the absence of rainfall. During other times of the year, this plant will often survive with no water at all. In spring and fall, you might need to provide some water if the weather is exceptionally hot, but this is rare. Unlike many other plants, the California juniper does not enter full dormancy in winter, which means that it will continue growing, during the coldest months. Still, the water needs during winter will remain quite low as the cool temperatures will not cause the soil to dry out quickly..

Young California juniper trees need significantly more water than those that are established. A newly planted tree should receive water at least weekly to ensure that the soil remains moist to facilitate root development. After the first growing season, your California juniper should be well-adapted to its new growing location and should need much less water. At this time, you can begin following the standard instructions for watering this species, providing supplemental water about once per week during summer when it does not rain. Beyond that, there is no other time at which you’ll need to alter your watering habits based on the growth stages of the California juniper tree.

It is far more common to grow the California juniper in an outdoor growing location. However, it is also possible to grow this plant indoors in a container. In that scenario, one gardener often raise the California juniper as the bonsai plant. Whether you grow this plant indoors or outdoors, you can expect its water needs to remain relatively similar. The one difference is that you may need to water an indoor California juniper tree a bit more. Indoor plants won’t have access to rainfall during the summer. Also, indoor areas are often much drier than outdoor growing locations, and the size of the pots limits the water-retainability, which can lead to higher water needs.

For healthy growth, make sure that California juniper receives at least 3–6 hours of sun each day. This is actually a minimum requirement—most plants that can handle part sun can also thrive in full sun, but because they require less light for photosynthesis, they are more flexible than plants that require full sun or part shade.

California juniper does best with exposure to full or part sun. They will perform best with direct morning light, but in summer they need protection from the strong afternoon sun. In temperate environments, too much hot afternoon sun can burn the leaves, damaging the plant's appearance and health.

California juniper planted indoors can easily be damaged by direct sunlight when it's moved outdoors. The best way to prevent sunburns from overexposure is to move pots gradually from a shaded area to a brighter spot, gradually. But even plants that are acclimated to the summer sun can be damaged by extreme heat. In a heatwave, it is important to keep the soil consistently moist so that plants can cope with excessive levels of heat. Moving plants in containers to areas with afternoon shade or erecting a shade cloth over them can protect sensitive California juniper during extreme weather events.

While bright morning sun and some full sun exposure can be highly beneficial for California juniper, the harsh, hot midday sun of summer can be too much to handle. If planted in the ground, the summer sun will usually ramp up slowly enough through the season for California juniper to gradually adapt to its intensity. But a potted plant that has been indoors or in a protected location will often suffer injury when placed suddenly into a location where the direct summer sun reaches it in the hottest part of the day. To protect this plant from the brutal afternoon summer sun, plant or place it in an understory location where it is shaded at midday by taller trees and plants or by a building or landscape feature.

When California juniper receives too little sun, they may become pale green or display drooping, yellow leaves. While some leaf drop is normal, if leaves are dropping but no new ones are growing in to replace them, it is a sign that something is wrong. If California juniper receiving inadequate light does manage to grow, the new growth is often spindly, pale, and prone to insect infestation. Paying attention to these signs and changing the lighting conditions of the plant will make a significant difference.

Tender, new leaves are especially sensitive to sunburn. Bearing this in mind, very young California juniper and when it's in a strong growth phase, such as in late spring and early summer, will be more sensitive to harsh sun and heat than the mature one or those in a more dormant fall growth stage. California juniper fresh from a nursery is also usually not prepared for strong full sunlight and must be introduced to it slowly.

Recently transplanted California juniper will often experience a bit of shock and will need to be cared for carefully, either shaded from bright afternoon sun or placed in a protected area. On very hot days, you may see the leaves of California juniper drooping—this is usually nothing to worry about. Plants will send the water in their leaves down into their roots to protect them from burning. However, if the leaves are still drooping in the evening or the next morning, the plant needs water. Always avoid watering during the hottest times of day, as sunlight can hit wet leaves and scorch them easily. California juniper that has been underwatered will be weaker than that with consistently moist soil. This can leave it with weak roots that are unable to protect the leaves on hot, sunny summer days by diverting water away from the leaves. Care for an underwatered plant by giving it a long, deep watering and then allowing the top two inches of soil to dry out before the next watering. Even if it loses its leaves, if cared for properly it will grow new ones.

Colder temperatures can affect plants since they have the same temperature as the air around them. When they are exposed to the sun, they can start to get warm again, but this is not the case during winter. The temperature range for the California juniper is often 70~85℉(21~30℃). They might tolerate 20~30℉(-6~0℃) even 15℉(-10℃), but not for long since this can result in frost damage. Maximum temperatures should be around 70~85℉(21~30℃), but make sure that you spray them with water from time to time and give them some shade to prevent wilting.

Do some research and make sure that the temperature is right when growing California juniper. Some growers might consider decreasing the plants' thermostats during the growing season to reduce HVAC costs. However, it's vital to understand that the temperature can affect the flowering, pest management, and quality of the plants. There will be a temperature point where the California juniper will stop growing, and this can happen during the winter when some species might go into a dormant state. The base temperature becomes warmer when the season changes and the California juniper can grow faster. The species that are naturally growing in warm habitats have higher optimum temperatures when you compare them to the ones that thrive in a cooler climate. When the seeds of California juniper are exposed to cool temperatures, this can cause a decrease in uniformity and delays. You might also want to lower the temperature during flowering but not at other phases. Cooler temperatures at night will also require less water, so adjust the irrigation as needed.

Stop fertilizing the plant to avoid new growth and allow the old ones to become hardy. This way, they can endure colder temperature when it begins to drop. To keep them warm, you can build structures around the California juniper like cages or trellises. There are also options to use heat mats that can gently warm the soil since they can consistently maintain an ideal temperature range for the California juniper.

During winter, you can protect the California juniper from frost by covering it with cloths, tarps, burlaps, sheets, or plastic buckets. Make sure to keep them down so they continue to act as insulators and the wind will not blow them away. However, ensure that the plastic sheets or burlap covers should not touch any part of the fruit or foliage, or the cold temperatures can transfer to the material and cause burns. When the temperatures begin to rise during the daytime, remove the covers.

When growing the California juniper in spring, you might want to increase humidity since the air temperature tends to be cooler at this time. A dry temperature can be a stressful growing environment for various species, which can help. If summer arrives, the large cover of the greenhouse and the warm temperature will mean that there will be a higher humidity level in the air. Some signs to look for are the condensation that is often found on the walls of the greenhouse, and this can cause issues with pollination and the development of infections when the water begins to fall on the leaves. Make adjustments according to the temperature and do some spraying during the hotter days of the year.

Generally, the first cold snap can destroy the California juniper and others might go into a dormant state when the temperature is low. Some plants can get chilled when the temperatures range from 20~30℉(-6~0℃). They can freeze when the temperature begins to drop below 32℉(0℃). Those species that hide most of their parts under the soil might lose their structures above ground, but they can recover in spring. Some of the associated issues with too low temperatures are the lack of availability of resources like water, and nutrients, and those subtropical plants can suffer when the temperature reaches below 20℉(-6℃). The plants can also get damaged because of extreme heat stress when it's too high. This can reduce the transpiration rate that can affect the growth and productivity of California juniper.

You need to cover the plants at night since these can add about 5 degrees more to protect the species from frost and freezing temperatures. The cloth rows can work well as blankets and ensure that there are no openings where the heat could escape. When using the covers, avoid the plastic from touching the foliage because this can cause the California juniper to freeze. Remember to keep the covers during the day and stop using heat pads during the summer. It will always be worth the effort to protect the cold-intolerant plants from freezing temperatures to help them survive.

If you prefer not to use a heat pad, bring the California juniper inside, especially if it's freezing outdoors. During spring, consider the ones you need to bring indoors and plant them in moveable pots and containers.

Most often, the ones caring for the California juniper will grow them in greenhouses. This is because they can provide adequate temperature in these areas that won't affect the photosynthesis process of a specific process. Some install the proper HVAC systems to control the temperatures of California juniper. This can handle many species' cooling and heating needs, especially during the summer and winter. They generally place the cooling or heating pad under the plants rather than above to achieve their desired temperatures. If outdoors, you can protect the California juniper from frost by covering it with cloths, tarps, burlaps, sheets, or plastic buckets.

Heat mats are often left on California juniper to set the temperatures at a more consistent level. When the weather becomes warmer during the day, you can remove them, especially if the species are exposed to the sun. Put the pads away once the plants are established and when they start growing flowers and fruits.