Juniperus sabina is an interesting species for forest restoration and ornamental purposes. The seeds of this plant have several types of dormancies; therefore, seed propagation is difficult and time consuming. The production of cuttings can be an alternative way to produce plants more quickly. The main objective of this experiment was to determine the best propagation conditions (indole butyric acid dose, substrate, and season) for this species using stem cuttings. Rooting performance of the cuttings was evaluated based on the rooting percentage (%), root biomass, and specific root length (SRL). In addition, we examined the internal composition (auxin and peroxidase content) in treated stem cuttings. Cuttings were pretreated with five doses of indole butyric acid (IBA; 0 (control), 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 ppm) and were rooted in four substrates (perlite, perlite-cocopeat, pumice, and mixed substrate) during the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, and autumn). The best treatments, with more than 60% rooting, were applied in spring, and IBA at 1000 ppm in perlite–cocopeat substrate obtained 62% rooting. The highest rooting percentage correlated with the highest root biomass production and the lowest SRL. IBA pretreatment decreased the concentration of peroxidase in spring (coinciding with maximum rooting), representing an indicator of rooting performance. Based on these results, we recommend a new protocol for Juniperus sabina production: (i) prepare cuttings in spring, (ii) treat cutting bases with 1000 ppm IBA, and (iii) plant cuttings in a substrate of perlite–cocopeat (1:1).

Juniperus sabina L. (J. sabina L.) represents a compelling forest species due to the presence of metabolites in its leaves, which possess diverse applications in the fields of cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. However, the species presents difficulties with regard to natural regeneration. This research aimed to improve the propagation conditions of J. sabina by using cuttings to enhance both the rooting percentage and essential oil (EO) content in the leaves. To do this, sampled cuttings underwent pretreatment with four different doses of coconut juice (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) within four substrates or rooting media, namely perlite, mixed substrate, pumice, and perlite–cocopeat. The study was carried out over the course of all four growing seasons to examine the impact of harvesting time as well. The best results for rooting were observed with the pretreatment of coconut juice at 25% in spring and in the substrate of perlite–cocopeat (37.10% rooting). The coconut juice also significantly increased the percentage of EOs in spring (0.82% of essential oil yield). Beta-pinene was the essential oil component with the highest representation (34.7% in fall), whereas in the spring, the best season to collect cuttings, the dominant component was nerodiol. Our study can contribute to the planning of culture systems using cuttings and to the control of the production of EOs from the leaves of J. sabina.