Thuja Szmaragdis one of the most popular varieties of the thuja occidentalis. It is an excellent variety for unformed hedges and for planting in compositions. Its green-emerald scales retain their color throughout the year, which distinguishes it from another popularly planted variety - Thuja 'Brabant'. See how to performplanting thuja Emerald , what the correct one looks likecaring for thuja Emerald , and whether it is necessarytrimming the thuja Emerald growing in the garden. Here are all the secrets to growing Tui Emerald!
Thuja Szmaragd - Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'
Photo. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Thuja Emerald - origin
Western Thuja occidentalis - comes from North America, and the first specimens were brought to Europe in the 16th century. A few hundred years old history of cultivating this species resulted in a multitude of valuable varieties, useful for garden planting.
Varietytui Szmaragdwas selected in Denmark in 1950 and since then its popularity has been growing steadily, and is now widely propagated by Polish nurserymen.
Thuja Emerald - application
Popular thuja Emerald , whose correct full name is Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'is one of the best conical varieties of the Western Thuja, recommended for unformed hedges, for planting in containers and in cemeteries, and due to its habit and nice color of needles, also for single plantings, as a solitaire. Recently, it has been often used in urban green areas.
The popularity of thuja Emerald is due to the very nice appearance of this plant , attractive dark green color of its scales, maintained also in winter, and relatively easy, problem-free cultivation. There is little work to do with this plant, mainly becausethuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' does not require pruningIt is also fully frost-resistant (classified as plant frost resistance zone 5A) and does not need to be covered for the winter.
Thuja Emerald in the garden of the author of the article
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
How fast does Emerald Thuja grow?
Thuja Emerald grows moderately fast , reaching a height of approx. 2.5 m after 10 years of cultivation, with a diameter of approx. 60 cm. We can therefore assume that it grows on average by 25 cm per year. Ultimately, the Emerald thuja can grow up to 8 m in height, but this growth can be limited by pruning.
Thuja Emerald and Thuja Brabant - differences
Emerald thuja branches are delicate, intensely green, almost emerald greenImportantly - they do not turn brown in winter, which is an advantage of Emerald in relation to another variety, popular for hedges, there is thuja Brabant.The advantage of the Emerald Thuja compared to the Brabant Thuja is that there is no need to prune , because the Emerald Thuja by itself maintains its conical shape all the time and grows quite regularly. So it requires less maintenance.
On the left a thuja hedge 'Brabant' and on the right thuja 'Emerald'
Comparing the Emerald thuja to the Brabant thujait is impossible to ignore some disadvantages of the Emerald thuja to the Brabant varietyIf we want the hedge to grow fairly quickly, the Brabant thuja will grow a bit faster (reaches 3 m in height in 10 years, and therefore half a meter more than the thuja Emerald). Thuja brabant requires pruning, but also thanks to the pruning it compacts nicely and allows you to create very dense, compact hedges with a uniform line. In the case of the thuja Emerald, you will always see that the hedge is composed of many cone-shaped plants , not completely tightly adjacent to each other.
Thuja emerald - planting and care
Thuja Emerald has a regular, narrowly conical shape , so that forming trimming of the thuja Emerald is not required.The growing site should be sunny to semi-shadedIn the shade, Emerald Thuja does not get such a nice color, and the habit will be looser, less regular. The soil for which we plant Emeralds should be fertile and moist.
If you have bought thuja in pots, you can plant them throughout the season from spring to autumn. Plants with roots in the bale or the so-called exposed root can only be planted in early spring or fall.Planting thuja Emerald in a row, intended for a hedge, should be done with a spacing of 50 - 60 cmSuch densely planted plants will not interfere with each other, but after a few years they will form a dense hedge wall.
The intense green of the thuja Emerald distinguishes it from other conifers
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Remember to water the thuja abundantly after planting , as this plant is quite sensitive to overdrying after planting. For this reason, it is worth mixing the soil with TerraCott before planting the thuja. This preparation contains a hydrogel that retains moisture within the roots of the plant and prevents the leaching of fertilizers into the deeper layers of the earth. Another valuable addition to the soil is compost, which fertilizes the soil well and enriches the soil with humus, to which the Emerald thuja responds very well. If we do not have compost, we can buy granulated manure, ecological fertilizer for conifers (dried, granulated compost) or water the thujas with diluted vermicompost.
Mycorrhiza application for thuja Emerald
Fig. © PoradnikOgrodniczy.pl
Planting thuja Emerald in the gardenis a good time to give the plant a mycorrhiza vaccine. Thuja mycorrhiza contains mycorrhizal fungi that live in symbiosis with the roots of the plant, increasing the absorbent surface of the roots and making it easier for the plant to absorb nutrients and water from the ground. Thuja react very well to mycorrhizal preparations and thanks to them they become even more resistant and he althy.When planting the Emerald Thuja Emerald gel with mycorrhiza, apply directly to the roots of the plant , which brings the best results. However, if thujas are already growing in our garden, we can make holes in the ground within their roots and inject them with mycorrhiza gel. It is enough to make one hole for small plants, and from 2 to 4 holes for larger plants.
Fertilization of thuja Emerald from spring to the end of Julywith fertilizers intended for conifers and regular irrigation.Since August, nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers are no longer administered, as they make it difficult for the plant to slow down its growth and prepare for winter. In autumn (September-October), you can only apply nitrogen-free fall fertilizer to conifers. Potassium and phosphorus contained in such fertilizer strengthen the plant before winter. In our climateEmerald thuja is frost-resistant enough and does not require any coverings for the winter
Thuja Emerald - Trimming
"As I wrote before,thuja Emerald does not require pruningas it retains a nice, regular, conical shape by itself. However, if it grows too high, you can gently trim its tops. Remember then to shorten the Emerald slightly every year (preferably in early spring), not allowing it to grow too high. Too radical pruning at one time will disturb the plant&39;s habit after many years.It is best to trim the tops of the thuja with a pruner right next to the forks of the twigs Then their tips will always have a nice, natural shape (they will not be flattened).If we like to cut fancy shapes from plants, we can try trimming the Emerald thuja into a spiral. Gently trimming the ends of the emerald thuja shoots is also a way to thicken plants that have thinned as a result of previous mistakes in the care of this plant. "
Thuja Emerald - diseases and pests
Thuja Szmaragd is quite resistant and not very sensitiveto attacks of pathogens. When growing it, however, it is worth paying attention to a few elements that may cause problems.
First of allwhen planting Emerald thuja on heavy, clay soils , the substrate should be loosened, preferably by adding compost, possibly acid peat or ready-made soil for conifers (in the latter case, however, you should pay attention to it is a light soil, because there are various types of soil for conifers on sale with very different composition and properties).On light soils, we also add compost to increase the content of organic matter or ready soil for conifers (but this time we choose heavier soil).Thuja Emerald requires a soil that is very fertile and humusToo compact and wet soil promotes fungal diseases and root rot, while on light and poorly fertile soils, regular irrigation is necessary to prevent the thyme from withering.
" A common mistake is that there is not enough water after planting a thuja.As a result, hedges turn brown and dry. Another reason for this may beToo intensive fertilization leading to the burning of the plantsIf the soil is properly prepared and fertilized before planting the thuja, there is no need to fertilize immediately after planting. If, on the other hand, we suspect that we have exceeded the recommended doses of fertilizers, intensive watering may help, which will wash the fertilizer deep into the ground. "
If the summer is hot and dry, it often happens thatsingle side shoots of thuja turn brown in sections up to 10 cm long This effect intensifies in the fall. It is worth pruning such dry shoots with secateurs and watering the plants more abundantly. Next spring, new twigs will replace those removed.
A fungal disease called shoot dieback causes similar symptoms. As a rule, we only notice the dying of the tops of the shoots and then it is worth opening the twigs and looking closelywhat is happening at the bases of the browning thuja shoots EmeraldBlack spots with spores of the fungus appear on the dying twigs with time. After noticing the symptoms of shoot dieback on thuja Emerald
, systematically cut out the diseased twigs, and spray the whole plants alternately with fungicides: Topsin M 500 SC, Scorpion 325 SC or with the biological agent Polyversum WP. I especially recommend the latter preparation due to its low harm to the environment and high safety of use (non-toxic to humans).In addition, Polyversum WP will also work if the symptoms of shoot dieback are confused with gray mold or phytophthora. Only in the case of phytophthora, it is worth not only spraying but also watering with Polyversum WP (this disease attacks from the root).
Pests on thuja - Tujowiec cup
Emerald appears from the pests on thujathe most common thujowiec cup. Then you can see small insects on the twigs, the body of which is covered with an oval red-brown shield. They are very firmly attached to the thuja twigs and are difficult to remove by hand. As a result of the foraging of cuplets , the thuja shoots die and the bush becomes covered with a black coating ofmushrooms, which develop on the honey dew excreted by the pest. Spraying the natural oil preparation Emulpar 940 EC, which has a mechanical effect on pests (the oil contained inside covers the pests' bodies and causes them suffocation), will be helpful in the fight against bowls.Spraying Emululp must be done very carefully so that it reaches all the twigs, including those inside the crown of the bush.
If there are a lot of bowls orthujas are so high that we are not able to spray them whole, right up to the tops of , it is better to use systemic agents such as Mospilan 20 SP or Polysect 005 SL. Such agents penetrate the shoots of the plant and, along with its juices, reach all shoots and twigs. Then they are sucked out by the pests, causing their elimination.
The measures listed in the articleto protect the thuja Emerald against diseases and pestscan be ordered in the shop of our guide. To see the available preparations, press the button below.
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