Thuja emerald is one of the most popular ornamental shrubs found in our gardens. Thuja is a conifer, also called an emerald thuja. Due to its beautiful variety and evergreen color, emerald thujas are often used as hedges. Due to its interesting forms, both large and small, it is also grown in pots on balconies and terraces.
Contents:
- Thuja emerald - description
- How to plant a thuja emerald on a hedge?
- Thuja emerald - cultivation
- When to trim emerald thujas?
Thuja emerald - description
Thuja emerald is one of the most beautiful and most often chosen ornamental thuja. It is characterized by a juicy, beautiful color of needles and green scales. The shape it naturally takes is a cone. The shoots of the young plant are rusty-orange in color. They turn brown at a later stage. The emerald thuja in the garden produces a small number of small cones. These trees do not change the color of their scales in winter, which makes them enjoy the sight with their dark emerald color all year round.
In addition, the decorative thuja growing in our gardens gives off a characteristic, beautiful, resinous scent, which creates a he althy microclimate. Thuja trees and shrubs are suitable for both group and single plantings. They like sunny positions or partial shade as well as fertile soil that retains moisture. Compared to other thuja varieties, the emerald has a shallow root system, so it is quite easy to replant it in the later stages of growth, as there is a low probability of damaging the root ball.
How to plant a thuja emerald on a hedge?
Planting trees purchased in pots can take place in spring, from April to June, or in autumn, from August to mid-September. This is of great importance for the thuja, as the trees are most likely to catch on during this time. If the trees are planted too early or too late, the seedlings may freeze. If you choose the summer period for planting thuja, you should ensure proper hydration of the root ball, which in summer is associated with more frequent watering due to high temperatures.
If you want to plant an emerald thuja hedge, it is worth choosing the optimal place and calculating the distance of the next trees. Thuja should be 50-60 cm from the fence. The optimal distance between the trees is 50-60 cm for narrow, slow-growing varieties and 100-120 cm for fast-growing varieties with high habit. The holes dug for seedlings should be even twice as large as the root ball.The hole should be about 50 cm deep. We fill it with fertile soil mixed with compost. After planting and watering abundantly, it is worth protecting the trees with mulch, which will retain moisture in the soil.
Thuja emerald - cultivation
Emerald thuja does not require much care. In order to enjoy their beauty and a dense hedge, you need to follow some important rules. Thuja like moisture, so it is important to water them abundantly once a week. Before the winter period, i.e. in autumn, around October, it is also important to water the trees abundantly and to protect them again with mulch or bark, to prevent excessive drying of the soil. The thuja emerald in the garden should be regularly pruned and fertilized. Fertilizing thuja should take place in spring, when we should provide nitrogen to trees, and in summer and autumn, with potassium and phosphorus.
Excessive watering of thuja leaches valuable minerals from the soil, which are needed for the proper growth of the plant.We can buy thuja in nearby nurseries, as well as at markets, bazaars, garden stores and supermarkets. When buying, it is worth choosing he althy seedlings with a strong green color. The price of a thuja emerald varies from a dozen to several dozen zlotys, depending on their size.
When to trim emerald thujas?
How fast does emerald thuja grow? Its height depends on the corresponding crop and the minerals supplied to them. Thuja emerald should be trimmed 2 to 3 times a season. These trees are quite resistant to cutting, so you do not have to be afraid of cutting too hard. The first pruning should be done before the growing season, in late March and early April. Make the second cut in June, when the new shoots turn dark. The last cut should be made in August, but not too late, as cut shoots should have time to woody.
