Among the variety of coniferous trees, thuja enjoys special love among summer residents, owners of private houses. This is not surprising - frost-resistant, unpretentious, aesthetically attractive thuja. Planting and care in the open ground will not require significant work from the summer resident, but the presence of arborvitae on the site will be positive from any point of view. It is great for the formation of hedges, with its help you can create unique green figures for the landscape design of the site, make tracks. We will consider the nuances of planting, caring for the coniferous beauty thuja, so that it takes root on your site.
This tree, as well as its coniferous brethren, exudes a wonderful aroma, enriches the air with beneficial phytoncides. Thuja carries a lot of positive qualities.
Thuja differs from pine or spruce in that it has no needles, its branches are covered with small green scales, soft, pleasant to the touch. It is secretly called the "royal tree" - it is deserved.
Thuja tree - a choice of seedlings
If you do not plan independent reproduction of arborvitae, then you can get ready-made, grown seedlings.
They can be bought in nurseries dealing with the breeding of conifers, or in a specialized store. There, among the declared assortment, you will choose the desired variety, buy a healthy tree adapted to the local climate.
Small thuja seedlings from nurseries vary in size, age. If you have a small seedling, it will not be difficult to independently “grow” it until it is planted at a permanent place of growth. You can also purchase a large copy, already ready for the design of the site or adjoining territory.
When choosing, always pay attention to the conditions of plant maintenance, the degree of soil moisture in containers, the strength of coniferous scales on a branch. The branches of the seedlings must be resilient, the needles do not crumble, there are no spots or signs of the disease on it. Upon arrival home, hurry to transplant them into a shaded place, water.
Thuja planting in the open ground
When to plant thuja? Thuja perfectly takes root on your site at any time of the year, except for late autumn or winter. Gardeners with experience advise precisely the spring period - April, May. Planted in the spring, it will be less sick, grow faster, better adapt to the environment.
But in our Kuban, I would still advise you to postpone the landing of thuja in the fall. Our summer is hot, it will be difficult for the fragile tree to endure the heat. And planted in the fall, she will meet the summer stronger, well-rooted.
Where to plant thuja in the garden? The landing site should be slightly shaded, consider this factor when planning the landscape design of the site. In direct sunlight, the tree will languish, and subsequently it will be worse to tolerate winter cold. In a completely dark place, the thuja will slowly develop, the branches will lose splendor, brightness. An ideal area for it would be a windless stretch of the site, with easy shading, close to underground water. How to plant a thuja?
Thuja - landing and departure, phased actions:
- First, we dig a rather deep hole - 80-100 cm deep, with similar diameter sizes (if you, of course, have a large seedling, and not the same as in the photo above). The deepening should be such that a tree with an earthen lump freely entered there. At the bottom, pour a little earth mixed with wood ash or other organic fertilizer.
- We put the thaw in the pit, while its root neck should be located at the same level with the soil surface.
- Mix the dug ground with sand, peat (1: 1), fill the recess with seedlings with this mixture, and then slightly trample.
The distance between arborvitae during planting should be determined according to the characteristics of the variety, as arborvitae are very small and vice versa, very tall. Small trees can be planted a meter away from each other, large - about 4-5 m. Some varieties of thuja reach 15-20 meters in height, and their crown grows in breadth to 3-4 m (for example, thuja western Brabant). For full development, such a tree needs room, but when making alleys, green corridors, hedges, thuja trees are planted at a distance of 1 meter, regardless of variety and type.
How to care for a thuja
Proper care of this coniferous tree implies watering, feeding, loosening the trunk circle, forming a crown. After the tree is planted at its permanent place of residence, primary dressing is performed. For these purposes, natural growth stimulants are often used (most gardeners choose Epin). The components of such top dressing contribute to better rooting of the tree, improve resistance to diseases. In spring, thuja can be fed with potassium-phosphorus additives, it is better to do this twice, the interval between fertilizers should be 10-15 days.
In spring, the frequency of rainfall affects the frequency of watering, with the onset of summer, 2 times a week is enough, in the spring - 1 time. If the rains are frequent, then watering is not necessary, there will be enough rain moisture. Thuja requires high-quality watering at all stages of life (seedling, adult tree), while the crown also loves irrigation. In order for the branches to be resilient, shiny, please you with the brightness of green shades, the minimum amount of water for the basal area should be 10 liters per irrigation (1 time per week, if the summer is very dry, then up to 3 times). You can determine the lack of moisture by the state of the top of the thuja - it begins to turn yellow. It is better to water trees early in the morning or in the evening.
Thuja is very fond of crown irrigation, for these procedures, the acquisition of a special nozzle becomes relevant. From such sprinkling dust is washed off, a more fresh appearance of the tree is provided, a pleasant coniferous aroma begins to stand out. Do not be afraid to overdo it with irrigation, 1-2 times a day will bring thuja only benefit.
Returning to fertilizers, it is worth noting that too frequent fertilizing is not required for thuja. Special mineral compounds for conifers (for example, Fertika) or compost, which has already become a classic supplement, it is enough to use twice a season - in spring, summer. Fertilizers are applied during loosening: they are laid out in a near-stem circle, and during swelling they are mixed with the topsoil. In summer, the additive can be diluted with water, use it for watering.
The near-trunk area should be periodically cleaned of weeds, loosen, mulch with sawdust or compost. Decorative painted sawdust (they are painted with natural ingredients) or walnut shells look very attractive. Mulching creates some obstacle for weeds, retains moisture, improves the condition of the tree as a whole.
As for cutting or artistic trimming, it is better not to touch the tree for the first two years of its life, it should take root in its place. You can start caring for the crown from the third year from the moment of planting. Initially, dried, weak branches are removed, the degree of density is determined. Excessive thinning negatively affects the decorative qualities of the tree, everything should be in moderation.
The main pruning is carried out in April, and then only the shape is adjusted. For high-quality air circulation, maintaining a “peppy” look of thuja, gardeners recommend removing all branches of annual growth.
If the artistic design requires the growth of a tree in breadth, then only the upper part of the crown should be trimmed. From thuja you can create various geometric shapes, columns, figures of animals or fairy-tale characters. Beginning gardeners can quite easily give the crown of a tree the shape of a ball, cascade, border. Mowing or trimming is best done in dry weather.
How fast is thuja growing? It depends on the variety. Dwarf varieties grow slowly. Vertical ones are faster, but annual growth also depends on the variety. For example, thuja Brabant gives up to 30-40 cm of growth per year, and Smaragd - up to 10 cm.
Thuja - preparation for winter
For colder regions of the country should choose frost-resistant varieties of thuja (western). Despite their unpretentiousness, they also require preparation for the cold season. In autumn, you need to provide trees with abundant watering, since even in winter, the thuja continues to develop, albeit slowly.
How to care for thuja in winter? In the first years of life, young representatives must be insulated. With the help of a dense plastic film, non-woven spunbond or other suitable covering material, a peculiar cocoon is formed, which will retain heat and transmit the rays of the sun. You can even purchase special covers designed specifically for these purposes; they are sold by garden departments of supermarkets or in online stores.
The roots for the winter are covered with fallen leaves, which are harvested with the onset of spring, as soon as the upper layer of the earth thaws. The overgrown crowns of adult thuja are carefully tied with a wide ribbon to prevent the accumulation of snow on the branches.
To please the eye, the thuja was healthy, landing and care in the open ground should be done correctly, in a timely manner. This tree is quite unpretentious, but the result of simple care is expressed not only by its external beauty, decoration of the territory. The green hedge of thuja will absorb noise from the street, neighboring territories, and also protect your site from prying eyes.