Description and cultivation of thuja western Smaragd – how to plant, care, watering and pruning

The content of the article

• What is thuja Smaragd
• Description
• Adult plant height
• How much is growing
• The main varieties of thuja Smaragd
• How to plant a thuja
• Fall
• In the spring
• Care
• How to accelerate growth
• Breeding
• Major pests and diseases
• The use of thuja Smaragd in landscape design
• Photo thuja Smaragd

If there is a lot of place in your garden or on a personal plot, a plant such as thuja will help to create an interesting green composition. One of the common varieties is the western thuja smaragd, which differs from other plants of this species in rich green color, grows up several meters, and attracts with easy care. With its help, you can create a noble and sophisticated landscape design that will become the pride of the owner of any home.

What is thuja Smaragd

There are many varieties of arborvitae, but western smaragd belongs to conical varieties and is one of the most popular due to its qualities. This tree belongs to the coniferous species. It is chosen for an even conical shape, high height and bright green color, which persists throughout the year. Even strong colds do not harm emerald needles. Thuja occidentalis Smaragd is considered the most beautiful representative of its kind.

Description

This species of thuja is not even 70 years old, it was bred in 1950. Denmark is considered the birthplace of the variety. The plant is characterized by high wind resistance and frost resistance, very unpretentious, grows on any soil and any site, cleans the air. Has a superficial root system. Caring for it is extremely simple, does not take much time and effort. Branches grow vertically up, far apart. They look glossy and always fresh green. The more humid and sunny the landing site is, the greener and denser the thuja will be. In dry places, a dense crown slightly thins.

Adult plant height

Choosing this tree for planting, you need to consider that over time, the appearance will change greatly. A giant medium height of 5-6 meters will gradually grow out of a small thuja seedling. If you plant a thuja under the windows, keep in mind that it will close your entire view soon. But the plant looks great as a hedge, garden compositions. Different varieties may vary in height, for example, Smaragd variegata reaches only three meters in adulthood.

How much is growing

Thuja smaragd grows very high, which takes a lot of time. Depending on the variety, growth can reach from 10 to 50 centimeters per year. The tree will be pleased with its emerald green for several decades: from 50 to 150. For four years, the western smaragd species reaches a height of about 2.5 meters, the crown diameter is about 70-80 centimeters.

The main varieties of thuja Smaragd

This species can be divided into several popular varieties. Each has its own characteristics, reaches different heights, grows at different speeds. The most common and popular types are:

• Thuja golden smaragd (golden). The name is due to the golden yellow hue of the crown. The shoots of the tree are short, the arrangement is dense. For 10 years it grows by 2 meters. Great for hedges..
• White Smaragd (white). This subspecies differs from the first in the color of the crown. It is undemanding, but prefers to grow in humid places. The higher the air pollution (like in a city), the slower the growth.
• Smaragd Variegata. The crown is conical, narrow, the shade remains bright green throughout the year. Differs in white color in which the ends of shoots are painted. Due to this feature, the tree looks decorative, suitable for transforming rocky places.
• Smaragd Whitbont. One of the slowest growing trees of this breed. It is mainly used only where there is a need for long-term plantings, such as hedges..
• Spotty Smaragd (spotty). It has a pyramidal crown shape. The density of the branches is weak, but creates a voluminous, lush look.
• Spiral. The name is due to the unique spiral shape of the tree. It looks great alone, in a group of other landings, rock gardens.

How to plant a thuja

The tree can be planted from early spring to autumn. Each season has its own peculiarities in how to plant thawed smaragd, because it affects the plant differently, but at any time it is important to remember that a young seedling loses a lot of moisture through the crown. To avoid this, from the end of winter it is worth covering a young thawing tent, creating a shadow, otherwise it may get burns and die. Otherwise, the seedling is not very demanding and the rules for planting will be as follows:

• For a place it is better to choose sunny areas. It is advisable that it is not blown by the wind.
• Dig a hole 2-3 times wider than the root coma, create a drainage layer, place more sand there.
• The bottom of the pit must be sprinkled with ash.
• It is very important to completely immerse the root neck under the ground, otherwise the seedling may die.
• Water the tree abundantly.

Fall

Planting thuja smaragd in the fall is not an easy task. The tree may die due to the lack of a strong root system. Strong autumn winds will tilt the young tree, the earth will sag. It is important to carefully secure the seedlings for the winter with stretch marks. Near the coma, you need to install stakes to protect the tree from damage. Even careful care may not save the thawed planted in the fall from death, because it does not have time to take root.

In the spring

The best time for planting a decorative evergreen tree is early spring. It is recommended to plant arborvitae during this period, since sap flow has not yet begun. The shoots and root system did not start growth, so they better tolerate the transplant. It is important that the cold of the first spring month still keeps the ground frozen, so the root ball, dug from the ground, will not fall apart and be injured. Dry at least roots. Ahead, the plant will have a long favorable period for the root system to grow and strengthen.

Care

After planting, it is important to provide the tree with proper care. It starts with watering. Every week you need to pour one bucket of water under each plant. If the weather is dry, the frequency of watering can be increased. In summer and spring you need to spray the crown. It is better to do it daily in the morning. Mulching helps preserve moisture. In addition, it protects the roots from overheating in a very hot time. In the fall, this procedure helps maintain heat in the ground. Mulch can be from sawdust, grass, leaves. There are pre-made circles made from coconut fibers for sale..

Young thuja needs protection from wind and cold, so the first few years in winter, branches need to be connected. Otherwise, they may break under the weight of snow and gusts of wind. Even the frost-resistant thuja, while gaining strength, needs shelter at low temperatures. Suitable for this fir spruce branches, some kind of covering material. The latter should let light through, since photosynthesis of evergreen needles takes place all year round. The tree perfectly tolerates a haircut to give shape when it grows several meters. It is useful to loosen the soil, doing it carefully.

How to accelerate growth

Tui are characterized by moderate growth, so gardeners are looking for ways to make this process faster. There are several ways to achieve this:

• To provide the tree with good regular watering, constantly moist soil, trying not to do much harm, since excess water is harmful even for hygrophilous thuja. Moisturizing requires not only the roots, but the crown. In a young tree, it should be sprayed as often as possible.
• Accelerated growth contributes to pruning. It is held in the spring, starting from the third or fourth year. It is necessary to trim about 10 centimeters of the top.
• Fertilizing coniferous plants also gives growth. It starts from the second year. The composition of fertilizers includes phosphorus, potassium, trace elements.

Breeding

The main method of propagation of arborvitae and decorative trees of this type is cuttings, seeds, planting seedlings. The quickest way is to buy ready-made seedlings with a container from the nursery and just drop them off. The second option takes about 3 years. It is best to carry out the cuttings in the spring, in the summer cuttings may not survive. This is done as follows:

• Cut 12 cm twigs.
• Cut off the base, leaving a length of 5 centimeters. The notch angle should be 45 degrees.
• At the base of the cut you need to remove the bark, leave the foliage only on top.
• Put the prepared stalk in water.
• Leave until the roots appear..
• After the roots appear, prepare the mixture for planting. It is made from compost, sand, vermiculite. Place the mixture in the pot, leaving it empty 5 centimeters from the edge. There should be drainage holes in the bottom.
• Gently pat the stalk with a cloth that absorbs liquid.
• Saturate the sprout with growth hormone, place in a pot, sprinkle with soil, water.

Major pests and diseases

These evergreens have two main enemies: false shields, thuja aphids. If the disease is not stopped in time, then dry shoots appear on the crown, it begins to turn yellow, crumble. The method of control is spraying with insecticidal drugs. Of the other problems, drying of young shoots is often found, which can be caused by excessive dryness or waterlogging of the soil, as a result of which the root dies.

The use of thuja Smaragd in landscape design

The form of this type of thuja can be called almost perfect, so it can fit into any landscape design, give it a finished, well-groomed look. A variety of smaragd suitable for:

• growing dense hedges from group plantings that can close any garden plot from prying eyes;
• single plantings, in group compositions, as the central decoration of the garden, especially the Spiral variety;
• decoration of facades of high-rise buildings;
• creating garden alleys;
• registration of entrance to the territory.

Photo thuja Smaragd