Everything you need to know about Thuja West Smaragd
Modern landscape design is a whole science. And even if you have never studied it, you will still be considered an expert if your garden is decorated magnificent thuja western Smaragd. This is an ornamental, evergreen plant similar in appearance to cypress, completely unpretentious in care and easy to plant. Below we will tell you all the most useful and interesting about the thuja western Smaragd.
Description and characteristics of an evergreen plant
Features and characteristics of thuja western Smaragd will help you get to know this amazing plant better:
- The height of an adult thuja Smaragd plant usually ranges from 4 to 6 m, and the untreated width is up to 2 meters.
- The average life span is 110-130 years. If we talk about how quickly thuja Smaragd grows, then, on average, a tree grows no more than 20 cm in length and 4-5 cm in width per year.
- Thuja western Smaragd is one of the most popular representatives of the cypress family.
- The tree has the shape of an oblong cone with a pronounced crown and a dense coniferous covering. It is very malleable, which is why landscape designers love to give it different sculptural forms.
- Thuja Smaragd is an evergreen plant, which means it will remain so even in winter and after a hundred years.
- In spring, thuja blooms with small oblong brown cones, which disappear with the onset of autumn cold weather.
- Thuja feels great even in cold Russian winters, since it has an enviable frost resistance.
- The tree grows on any Russian soil and requires minimal maintenance.
- Thuja grows not only in a garden and vegetable garden, but also within the city. A polluted environment does not have a negative impact on the maturation of this tree.
- Thuja western Smaragd actively releases phytoncides, especially during its flowering period, due to which it purifies the air and saturates it with useful substances.
- The plant looks equally impressive in the form of a single planting, and in a hedge environment.
- Thuja Smaragd western is most often divided into 2 main subspecies: thuja with green color and thuja with golden color.
Now you know the description of the photo of the thuja western Smaragd, and you can easily distinguish it from other species.
Features of proper planting
If you follow our advice and recommendations in detail, you will notice that self-planting and caring for Thuja Smaragd, the photo of which is presented below, is very simple. The most important things to do before boarding are:
- choose healthy, fresh seedlings;
- carefully select good cuttings;
- choose a place for the thuja (it is desirable that it grow freely).
Preparing for landing
First of all, decide how exactly you will plant the thuja western Smaragd.There are 2 options here: either you buy a special type of seedlings in plant nurseries, or you plant a tree using cuttings. The first method is the simplest, but quite expensive, but you will save a lot of time. The second option will cost you significantly less. To do this, you need two-year-old thuja shoots. They should take root and then be ready to plant.
As for ready-made seedlings, which are usually sold in small bags, they should be carefully examined before purchasing.
If the needles of the seedlings have a pale green appearance, then it is better to put them aside. Also note that the root system of the seedling should be fully developed and of medium size.
When choosing a place for planting a thuja, start from the following points:
- A place in the open sun is not the best place for thuja Smaragd. She can get burns due to the constant lack of moisture.
- A place in the shade is also unfavorable for the plant, as it may die.
- The best place to plant is in moderate partial shade. Try to choose an area that is protected from drafts and wind.
Tree planting process
Now that you have chosen a place for planting, good seedlings and cuttings, it's time to start planting. You will grow a beautiful and healthy long-lived tree if you consistently follow our advice:
- The best time to plant a tree is late May or early June. It is not recommended to plant trees in the fall, if early frosts hit, then the seedlings may not take root and die.
- We talked about the fact that thuja takes root in any soil. But in order for the tree to grow healthy and fluffy, the soil must be prepared with a drainage system. Ideal for drainage under the thuja is a drainage from a 15 cm layer of gravel or crushed bricks.
- Dig a hole that is commensurate with the size of your seedling's root system. A depth of one meter will be sufficient.
- Don't forget to prepare a special mixture. To do this, the following "ingredients" should be thoroughly mixed: turf soil, deciduous soil, sand and peat (or peat deposits).
- You can accelerate the growth of thuja western Smaragd with the help of manure or compost waste. Do not forget about mineral fertilizers.
- Thoroughly moisten a hole filled with earth with water. Moisture is essential for a young tree.
- Plant a ready-made seedling or a stalk created in the prepared area, along with a lump of earth, and which they grow.
- Pay attention to the fact that the root collar of the seedling should be strictly at ground level.
If you want to plant a hedge, and not a single plant, then make sure that the distance from one tree to another should be at least 50 cm, but not more than 1 m.
As you can see, planting thuja Smaragd is very simple. Now that you know how to properly plant the thuja. You can grow a whole hedge.
Features of caring for an evergreen plant
We talked about the fact that thuja requires minimal maintenance. Even if you leave the tree to grow without your help, it will still grow and be green, but outwardly it will not look as good as it could, and the life span, most likely, will be reduced to 50-70 years.
Za healthy flowering plant will delight you for many years with careful care:
- Systematic watering. Thuja western Smaragd is very fond of moisture and does not tolerate soil drying out. In summer, it is necessary to irrigate the thuja with water at least once a week, and in all other seasons it will be enough 1-2 times a month. The tree will be grateful to you if you periodically spray it with water, thereby eliminating dusty deposits and various small insects.
- Take care of the soil and soil around the plant. Remove weeds, destroy insect nests. Firstly, this will support the aesthetics of your planting, and secondly, this way you saturate the earth with oxygen, and therefore contribute to the faster development of the plant;
- Remember to loosen the ground periodically. This is very important for providing the root system with oxygen. Please note: that you need to loosen shallow and very carefully, since you remember that you planted the thuja shallow.
- Important once a year mulch land by adding peat and bark.
- Feed the plant with fertilizers 2 times a season.
- Prune your tree periodically. Neat, sanitary pruning can help you get rid of dry shoots. Use only sharp pruning shears for gentle pruning.
- Cover your trees in the sun with a thin veil.
Thuja pests and diseases
Thuja, as an ornamental plant, is often attacked by insects and some diseases. Here are the most common ones:
- Fungal damage. It is easily distinguished by its brown shoots and yellow needles. Cut off affected shoots as soon as you notice them and burn them. And then, spray the whole thing with foundation.
- Thuvaya aphid. This infection can destroy the entire tree. You can destroy aphids and cure the tree with the help of karbofos.
- False shield. This disease is also easy to recognize by the presence of a bump-like growth on the needles. To eliminate the infection, use the preparations rogor and karbofos.
- Tree disease due to dry soil or over-watering. Both will contribute to the rapid rotting of the soil, after which the tree will inevitably die.
Perhaps these are all diseases of thuja Smaragd.
Photo of thuja western Smaragd in landscape design
If you still doubt that this tree is what you need, then we offer you a selection of photos of thuja Smaragd in landscape design.