Most gardeners, when choosing evergreen conifers, prefer an unpretentious and very beautiful tree - thuja. In its appearance, thuja resembles its closest relatives: juniper and cypress. It is characterized by a pyramidal shape, a rich crown, soft scaly needles and grows like a shrub.
Description of the appearance and features of thuja
In our country, this evergreen tree grows in almost all lanes. And this is due to the fact that thuja can adapt to any weather conditions and climate. This is a compact plant that does not take up much space, but it is surprisingly fluffy. Therefore, it is so often planted in close rows to each other, creating a hedge. The root system of the thuja also has a compact size, growing not in breadth, but in depth.
Representative of Cypress reaches a height of up to 20 meters, but usually in Russia the height of the plant does not exceed 4 meters. Thuja is a long-lived tree, the maximum recorded age of a coniferous beauty is 150 years.
How to plant thisevergreen shrub and what should be considered when planting it? We will talk about this in our article.
What is the root system of thuja
Thuya is an unpretentious shrub that quite calmly tolerates the various composition of the soil. But on fertile soil, more fluffiness of needles can be expected from it. Thuja loves the sun, but not direct sunlight throughout the day. Therefore, it is worth considering planting a tree not only from a design point of view, but also from a biological one.
The most optimal place for a tree will be partial shade, but the full shady side will not allow the crown to fluff beautifully. The choice of landing site will not affect the quality or growth of the shrub in any way: dense thin roots, intertwining with each other, form a compact single system.
Planting a tree
After we have decided on the place of residence of our beauty, we proceed to planting a seedling. Getting Started:
- It is desirable to plant a thuja with a closed root system in the spring season. The system can be considered closed when the roots of the plant are placed in special containers, bags or an earthen coma.
- The pit for planting should correspond to the size of the thuja root system. Typically, the width and depth indicators are 1 meter. The plant needs to provide good drainage, which can be used as pebbles, expanded clay or broken brick.
- The soil mixture should consist of earth combined with peat or sand, the volume is 2 times less than the soil.
- To coniferousthe plant is well accepted, it is necessary to correctly place the neck of the seedling. It should be at ground level. If planted higher or lower, the thuja will die.
If you decide to plant young trees in the form of an alley or a hedge, then in this case the planting pit will look like a trench. Below is a photo of the thuja root system in a closed type.
Planting a thuja with an open root system
The open root system indicates that the roots of the tree are in a natural state, without additional shelters in the form of a pot or container. Landing such a thuja plan is no different from a closed type, except for one nuance. To avoid freezing of the roots, planting should be carried out exclusively in spring or autumn, but better in spring, since the risk of freezing of the plant is minimal. Spring planting will provide the plant with accelerated acclimatization and improved growth.
When planting a tree, it is necessary to take into account the variety to which it belongs. Larger species require more space for their root system to grow. Therefore, the distance between planting trees should be calculated with this in mind. The planting hole should be 1 to 3 meters away from other garden crops.
Evergreen shrub care
Depending on climatic conditions, watering is necessary as the soil dries. In the summer, watering should be at least every 3-4 days. This is quite enough for the thuja root system. But the crown of the shrub should be irrigated twice a day:in the morning and in the evening. This will help preserve the rich color of the needles and improve shoot growth.
Removing weeds, loosening the soil will ensure the he althy development of evergreen shrubs. When cultivating the soil, it is important to carefully carry out the work, since the roots of the thuja are superficial and can be damaged. The depth of loosening is allowed to do up to 10 centimeters. To protect the thuja root system from unwanted damage, a backfill of peat or sawdust can come to your aid.
What is the most popular thuja variety
A long-lived tree has a variety of varieties that differ in shape, shades and features of development. As a decoration for their garden plot, they often use the thuja variety - Smaragd. In this representative, the crown has a conical shape and rich light green needles, very lush, unlike other species, it does not need regular pruning. This is due to the fact that the shoots grow slowly, but the crown of the tree is held tightly and very aesthetically pleasing. When planting several trees, you should calculate the distance between them so that the dimensions of the root system of the thuja Smaragd do not interfere with each other.
The peculiarity of this arborvitae is that it is very shade-tolerant and can survive low temperatures, up to -40C.
This variety is planted in the ground with an open root system of thuja Smaragd. When planting a tree, it is necessary to lay drainage so that the roots feel good in the soil. It is important to note that not all thuja varieties needdrainage, which has a beneficial effect on the roots and does not allow them to rot. Drainage also contributes to good air exchange and maintaining the thermal regime.
Pruning coniferous tree
Pruning plants is necessary to correct their shape and update the shoots. In the spring, the first pruning of the thuja begins. Thanks to this, the crown of the tree becomes more lush, which serves as a wonderful decoration for your garden. The second time this operation is performed in August, this is how preparations for the cold season begin.
It is necessary to start pruning only after the third year of the life of the arborvitae.
The process itself is as follows: the top of the arborvitae must be cut narrower than the main trunk with needles. The haircut should give the tree a pyramidal shape. As a result of such manipulations, sunlight will evenly spread along the branches. And a non-bush tree will not be exposed. If you remove the young shoots during the first pruning, they will be updated faster, and there will be more of them.
Some professional gardeners use coarse mesh for trimming. This allows you to create a uniform haircut, and, as a result, give the correct decorative shape.
If you notice dried twigs, then you should definitely remove them.
Mineral top dressing of thuja
Thuya is a very picturesque ornamental tree, which is of particular interest to both professional gardeners and plant lovers. It requires care, like any living creature, but quite ordinary, which evennewbie.
We have already learned a lot about the care, planting and characteristics of this shrub tree. But it is important to note one more feature of the thuja, which is relevant after the winter period.
It is better to survive the wintering of thuya in a wrapped state in order to save the crown of the tree and its shoots. And at the foot it is required to prepare a flooring of peat or sawdust in order to provide the necessary temperature conditions throughout the depth of the thuja root system.
Spring top dressing after hibernation with mineral fertilizers will help the plant recover soon and give rise to new shoots. Such top dressing is carried out in the morning and evening hours in the first month of spring, in moist soil.
If mineral fertilizer was laid during the initial planting of the thuja, then for the first two years it will not need to be fed. As soon as the first snow melts for the third spring, mineral fertilizer is already a necessity to fully support the growth and development of the tree.
