Thuja Care

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

One of the most attractive and interesting representatives of the Cypress family used in garden design is thuja. This plant belongs to the category of evergreens. His homeland is North America and East Asia. A distinctive feature of the culture is increased endurance. Landscape designers appreciate the attractive appearance of thuja and use it for landscaping home gardens, alleys and parks

It is very easy and convenient to care for thuja. Even a novice gardener will be able to grow such a shrub on his site with pleasure and without hassle. At the moment, a huge number of species and varieties of thuja are distinguished. However, the spherical thuja remains the most popular and demanded culture. Such a shrub is characterized by its miniature size. Its decorative crown has an interesting ball-like shape. It is she who gives the plant attractiveness and elegance. Such shrubs are planted in group compositions or in separate specimens, depending on the individual preferences of the gardener. In any case, these crops will look spectacular and beautiful. You can purchase varieties of tall shrubs (one and a half meters) or miniature forms of thuja (only forty centimeters) for your garden.

How to choose a seat for landing?

During planting of any kind of thuja on your site, you need to pay attention to the features of the plant and the conditions and its cultivation. The best location for the bush will be an area protected from the hot and scorching rays of the sun, drafts and sharp winds. In areas that are too sunny, the thuja is at risk of severe burns. Because of them, shrubs can lose their decorative properties. As for the globular thuja, like many other plants from the cypress family, it loves fertile soils and moist soil types with high and deep groundwater flow. You can prepare in advance a substrate for growing a thuja of this type. It consists of peat, turf and sand. Shrubs are planted to a depth in such a way that the neck of the root system is located at the same level with the soil.

Thuja propagation by seeds

A large number of gardeners use thuja seeds for sowing and growing young seedlings. However, such a procedure is only possible for experienced summer residents, because it requires diligence and painstaking work. Yes, and patience with such cultivation will take a lot. It will be possible to grow a good and high-quality shrub from seeds that can be planted in the garden only after four or five years. In this case, the external signs of thuja will remain, but varietal characteristics may disappear.

Ripe seeds of an ornamental shrub are located inside the cones, which are formed on adult crops in the year of fruiting. After acquiring brown seed, you need to separate them, along with the cones, from the trees. Then it is required to spread the planting material on any type of surface in a room with warm and dry air. These bumps will open in a few days. The seeds in them are in large volume. Then you can even plant them in an ordinary pot with fertile soil. Next, the gardener needs to wait for their germination. But you need to understand that this method is not always successful and appropriate.

Some summer residents use stratified seeds for growing thuja on their site. But other gardeners use podzimny planting of seedlings of ornamental shrubs. Both options are equally effective. Therefore, you can choose any of them.

In the autumn season, thuja should be planted in mid or late November. In this case, the seeds are planted without processing and soaking. However, the soil must be fertile and well-moistened. The first shoots can be seen as early as next spring. Their appearance can be compared to dill sprouts. After about three or four weeks, the formation of the first needles in the form of tiny needles can be observed. The first lateral shoot is formed only after six months from the moment the shrub was planted. With proper and careful care, within a year the plant will grow up to ten centimeters.

Seed stratification is needed to increase their germination rates. Before this, the planting material must be sorted and rejected. Then the seed is placed in containers where there is wet sand mixed with sawdust. Then you need to close it tightly and put it in a cool place (a refrigerator will do). Thus, the seeds need to be kept for three months. The damaged elements are screened out. It is also necessary to ensure that the seeds do not dry out.