Master class: how to plant thuja correctly

Thuja’s unpretentiousness to growing conditions does not at all mean that you can just stick it where you have to and that’s it – to grow as you can. It is necessary to plant a coniferous plant correctly, which we will describe in our instructions with step-by-step photos of planting a western thuja grown in a container.

The location of the young ephedra is chosen, taking into account the fact that thuja loves partial shade and fertile loams of slightly acidic reaction. Heavy clay and calcareous soils are not suitable for it, and thuja also does not tolerate the introduction of ash or other deoxidizers.

Tools and materials

To plant the western thuja grown in a container, use the following tools:

• bayonet shovel and rake;
• manual ripper, knife and scoop (or trowel);
• soil mixing container.

To fill the planting hole, you will need drainage material and nutrient soil, which can be purchased or made on site using the following components:

• sour peat and sand;
• sod land;
• foliage or rotted compost;
• mineral dressing for conifers.

Landing order

1. Choose a suitable place in the garden. There should not be tall trees around the future pyramidal thuja – otherwise its top may deviate and the tree will grow “oblique”. Several specimens are planted in a hedge, placing them every 70-90 cm.

2. Dig a hole with a diameter of about a meter and a depth of 40-50 cm.

3. At a high location of groundwater, drainage from stones is arranged.

4. Add some selected soil and trample underfoot.

5. Sprinkle the fallen leaves with a layer of several centimeters.

6. Sprinkle with earth again and tamp lightly.

7. Prepare a fertile mixture of compost (rotten leaves), sand and peat (2: 1: 3). Add mineral fertilizer and mix until smooth.

8. A mound is poured from the resulting soil in the center of the pit. They crush the ground and try on the container, trying on the location of the root collar just above the surface of the surrounding soil.

9. In advance, the watered thuja seedling is taken out of the pot. If the roots are strongly twisted, shallow cuts are made with a knife. Foliage can be added along the outer circle – rotting in a year, it further loosens the soil.

10. Place the thuja in the middle of the pit and fill in the nutrient soil next to it, and further along the radius, the dug soil is used to fill it. Filling is carried out in small layers, not forgetting to apply the soil.

11. The surface is leveled with a rake. It is recommended to mulch a young coniferous plant immediately with available material, for example, the same leaves. After planting, the thuja is watered from a watering can.

12. To prevent dried foliage from scattering, sprinkle it with chopped branches or earth.

13. In the first year, a young thuja, planted in a sunny place, should be shaded. Why construct a frame with stretched fabric or simply install a small piece of plywood on the south side.

Care for a young thuja consists in timely watering at the root, irrigating the crown in hot weather and applying fertilizers. It will not be superfluous to cover the thuja for the winter. The spring sun can strongly burn out the greens of a young plant..

Table. Popular varieties of thuja

Name	Description	Sapling height, cm	Size of an adult thuja, m	Price, rub.
“Amber”	Golden yellow, tapered	25	3.5-4	540
“Brabant”	Light green, columnar	80	4-6	1600
“Variegata”	Green, narrow pyramidal	90	until 3	1700
“Emerald”	Dark green, tapered	110	4×1.5	2900
“Teeny Tim”	Dark green, globular	40	up to 0.8	1650
“Little Giant”	Bright green, ovoid	40	0.8×0.6	2100
Golden Globe	Golden green, globular	50	up to 1	3800
“Woodwardy”	Shaded green, spherical	one hundred	up to 1.5	8900

The considered technology of planting western thuja is based on the maximum use of local material: leaves from the garden, left after pruning branches, or fallen pine needles. You don’t have to buy coniferous plants, but you can master the technique of cuttings and grow your own planting material.