On garden plots, in squares, near administrative and office buildings, you can see thuja - an ornamental plant with elegant carved twigs. We’ll tell about her.
These conifers and shrubs are close relatives of proud cypress trees. Most species of thuja are evergreen, but other shades are also found: golden, blue, salad. The crown of the plants is quite dense, and the needles (very fragrant) are scaly. It is located crosswise. Among the branches, small cones, usually having a greenish color, are almost invisible. The russet bark is smooth.
Species and varieties
There are two varieties of arborvitae: western and eastern. The latter is from East Asia. He loves warmth and light very much, therefore it is grown here only in the form of houseplants. They clean the air well in the room. The western thuja came to Europe in 1540 from the North American and Canadian forests. The plant is frost-resistant, tolerates the domestic climate well. It is often used for landscaping - not too troublesome and not very expensive.
The shape distinguishes between spherical and cone-shaped varieties of the western arborvitae - there are more than 120 of them. The crowns are symmetrical, easily amenable to formation. In height there are both small (dwarf varieties no more than 30 centimeters) and large twelve-meter trees. With age, the pyramidal shape of the crown transforms into an ovoid. Plants live for a long time - a century, or even twice as long.
Spherical varieties
There are many variations of a thuja with a round crown shape. About one of them - Danica - will be discussed in the article. They are well suited for decorating rock gardens, creating hedges or incorporating them into picturesque floral-woody compositions. Five-year or seven-year-old trees can be planted on a permanent habitat. Propagate them with cuttings.
Penumbra and fertile loam are favorable for all species. Groundwater is undesirable. If they are close, then you need drainage - 20 cm. The soil mixture - two parts of the earth with the addition of one part of sand and peat. Plus mineral fertilizer. Plant only with a lump of earth! We place the neck of the root at ground level - certainly not higher and not lower. For the first month, under each tree, 10 liters of water are poured weekly (in summer or when it is very dry - twice as often). When leaving good loosening, mulching.
Danica
This miniature spherical thuja variety was named Danica because it appeared in Denmark in the middle of the last century. The plant is only 60 cm tall and with a meter volume of crown has a soft needles of green (brownish-green in winter) color. Needles, thin, silky, stretch up.
Danica grows slowly in growth - in one year from 4 to 5 cm. And the girth of the crown increases even less - about 3 or 4 cm. The maximum size is acquired by a tree that is 15 years old. For propagation, the cuttings method is used. You can take seedlings that are placed at a distance of 40 cm to 3 m when planting.
You need to choose places without strong winds, not in a deep shadow. Penumbra or the sun (just not scorching) - a great option. The pit is deepened from 60 cm to a meter - depending on what size the root system is. In the spring they bring organic matter, nitrate, ash. In winter it is advisable to shelter young plants.
Most often use this variety for beautiful borders. Crohn is malleable, and from it you can make real works of art. Beasts, for example, or the walls of the castle. Danica is very well combined with ovoid and conical trees, forming magnificent compositions corresponding to the "golden section".
In the nursery, plants with a height of 25 to 40 cm will cost from 900 rubles to 3.2 thousand rubles.
Brabant
This variety (Brabant) grows rapidly. In the volume of the conical branching crown, it adds 15 cm per year, and in growth - 40 cm. In our latitudes, adult trees usually do not exceed 4 or 5 m. The branches beautifully fall to the ground, and the needles do not lose their green color in winter .
The variety is hardy and undemanding to any land, however, it will look freshest on loams that are fertile. And then the branches will become thinner, and the leaves will turn pale. Like in a too thick shadow. And the scorching sun is not suitable for Brabant - in this case it will be hard in winter cold. But partial shade is what you need. Landing (better in spring) is done in a hole up to a meter deep (in wet and heavy lands we arrange drainage). Nitroammophoska will not be superfluous - a half kilogram under one tree (adult). Planting an alley of trees of this variety, they maintain an inter-row distance of 6 to 8 m, and seedlings dig in at a distance of 3 to 4 m from each other.
Young plants are protected from the cold, wrapping them in thick paper, burlap, in the first and second year. And cover with lapnik. And after 2 or 3 years (not earlier), you can start trimming, giving the desired shape. If you want to get a dense wall, then a couple of times a season with a tree shearing. And do not be zealous - cut a third of the shoot, no more.
This variety is good for framing garden plots and private homes. Trees can be planted in the form of an alley. Near a public building or office, plants will delight you with greenery all year long.
In the nursery, seedlings of this type (height from 100 to 175 cm) will cost from 1.3 to 1.8 thousand rubles.
Emerald
Smaragd is very reminiscent of cypress with grace, harmony, a narrow pyramidal crown (rather dense, with a diameter of up to 2 m). Trees grow up to 3-5 m, delighting the needles with emerald greenery, which even in winter does not lose freshness. Slow annual growth (up to 10 cm up, and half as much in width) is a hallmark of the variety. Smaragd lives up to 150 years.
The variety responds well to land with lime content. Reproduction - by cuttings or seeds, planting - in spring or summer. Planted with a lump of earth in the sun or in a light shade, watered weekly. Loosen carefully, not deeper than 10 cm - the roots are close. The plant does not tolerate the dry season - at this time spraying is needed. Shelter in the first winter. The protective layer of mulch 5-8 cm will protect the roots. Pruning is done every 2 or 3 years.
The variety is suitable for creating garden compositions, and trees are attractive separately. They are good as a container culture, and as a living green fence. There is also a medicinal benefit from them - they clean and ionize the air.
In the nursery, plants of this species (height from 100 to 250 cm) will cost from 700 rubles to 15 thousand rubles.
Propagation by cuttings - planting thuja in open ground
The elementary method is using cuttings. Even in a jar of water, they perfectly take root. Make cuttings in the autumn season, when the shoots are strong and powerful. If you decide to use this method, do not draw too much water into the container. Let it be only at the bottom, otherwise the roots may rot. And lower the branches there a little - no more than three pieces.
If there is a desire to get stronger plants, then it is better to plant cuttings in a greenhouse. Take shoots with a stiff bark, which is 2 or 3 years old. You can take a young shoot 50 cm long with a piece of “heel” (wood from the trunk). This result is obtained by abruptly breaking the branch.
Where you plant thaw, you need to achieve humidity of 70 percent. To do this, you need to purchase a humidifier or constantly spray water. There should be a lot of light, so we make the walls and roof of the greenhouse transparent. You can use the backlight. The soil is common for thuja (land, peat, sand).
Cuttings (with needles removed below) need to lie in water for a couple of hours, and then they are treated with potassium permanganate and dig into grooves, deepening by 2-3 cm. Then we regularly spray and wait until new shoots appear. Then you need to harden the plants, taking them out of the greenhouse into the air. In November, we well cover the seedlings and send them for wintering.
Seed and tree care at home
This method is longer, but it brings considerable benefits. For example, to make a living green fence, you can’t buy plants - it will cost a lot. And if you plant the seeds, then in 3-4 years you can get the seedlings yourself. And in any quantities. The first year will give an increase of only 7 cm, but the second - already 50!
To plant seeds, you need to properly prepare them. This is done in August-September, while the cones have not yet been opened. They are cut and put in one layer on a spread oilcloth where it is dry and warm. When they open, you can take seeds and plant them. You need to do this right away, otherwise after 3 months the germination will decrease.
In the fall, we either plant a bed on the site, or plant the seeds in a box. One part of sand, 4 parts of peat and 2 parts of land is the best option. Then we carry out the grooves through 5 or 6 cm, and put the seeds in them. On top of 1 cm, pour the earthen mixture. The top of the box should rise above its level by 2 or 3 cm. By ramming, moisten a little.
We put the box on the site under the tree and wait for the end of winter. As soon as the earth warms up to 10-15 degrees, the seeds will begin to germinate. A couple of weeks will pass, and seedlings will appear. These seedlings do not have scales, but needles. Only after 2 or 3 months will the needles be the same as in an adult tree.
Twice a month we carry out top dressing with complex mineral fertilizer. And then again we leave for the winter. In the first autumn, you can plant in the garden after 30 cm for growing (school). Add ash, humus and nitroammophosk.
Read more about landing methods of thuja on video:
Cultivating thuja is not too complicated. Seedlings are not afraid of either Russian cold weather or a dry summer. You can grow a tree from both the cuttings and the seeds that have fallen from the collected cones.
Wherein:
- bright greens will delight in all seasons of the year;
- the trees will live a very long time, without requiring special care;
- healing and pleasant coniferous aroma will purify the air and improve health;
- a thuja hedge, expertly designed, can be a source of pride.
Very interesting and instructive. And I did so, in the beginning of July I just tore off a soft branch of a nominal new growth. It should have three internodes of last year. Then you need to choose a place to land warm and sunny. Then we spill the landing site well and clean our stem 5cm from the lower branches and everything ... we plant! Oh well, I just love these trees!
In our country, the thuja grows the same. We landed her in a row, like a living green fence. Propagated by cuttings begged from neighbors. It turned out very beautifully, green and fresh air. Yes, and protects from prying eyes!
How many times have tried to cut-useless! I tried it in water, and in the ground, and in the sand, covering it with a transparent bag (it’s all in the apartment) and trying it in the garden. It seems that they stand for a month, another, and everyone dies. Having pulled out a stalk from the sand, you find that the roots there isn’t close and wasn’t there. Therefore, I am always surprised when I read that everyone just so easily and easily doubts about the veracity of such reviews ...
The cuttings must be taken with roots from an adult arborvitae, usually the lowest branches near the roots already have roots, they can grow independently, and without the roots it will stand like a cut flower in water and wither.