How to grow thuja at home?

Thuja is an evergreen coniferous plant that landscape designers love very much. They love to use slender thuja pyramids to place around the perimeter of the site. After all, such a living fence will always look great and does not require special care. In addition, this tree will actively release beneficial phytoncides into the environment.

Simple gardeners love thuja no less. They know very well that to plant this plant on the site, it is not at all necessary to buy expensive cuttings in nurseries, you can grow thuja at home on your own. This article will tell budding gardeners how to grow thuja.

The choice of planting material

Before you start growing thuja you need to choose the right planting material... It must be selected taking into account the following criteria:

• It is necessary to assess the condition of the seedling. Its branches must be strong and resist physical impact. The color of the needles should be saturated. The needles should not be dull or crumble.
• You should pay close attention to the earthen room. It should be large and cover all the roots of the plant.
• It is advisable to gain access to the root system of the seedling in order to assess its condition. All roots should be healthy and white or yellowish in color. If you scratch them, then juice should immediately appear on the surface.
• Decide on a plant variety. The color of the needles, the type of crown, resistance to cold depends on it.

Varietal variety of thuja

5 types of thuja grow in nature:

• Japanese.
• Korean.
• Folded.
• Eastern.
• Western.

The western thuja is in the greatest demand among gardeners and landscape designers. The fact is that this species has a pyramidal crown with diameters up to 5 m. It fits very well into any landscape design of the site. In addition, this type of thuja perfectly tolerates cold and therefore is excellent for growing in our climatic conditions.

To date, breeders have bred many varieties of this type of thuja. The most popular are the following:

• Brabant. This variety is distinguished by very fast growth and a small crown: only 1.5 m. The color of the needles is green in summer and brown in winter.
• Emerald. This is a fairly tall tree. This variety can reach a height of 4.5 meters. His crown is classic - conical. This thuja is distinguished by its slow growth and good tolerance of the haircut.
• Columna. This is another fast growing variety. He has a very dense crown. This variety of thuja should be grown in shaded areas of the garden.
• Wagneri. This variety of thuja has a characteristic blue-colored needles. In winter, the color changes and becomes close to copper. Growing thuja Wagneri requires fertile soils and open areas.
• Globoza. This thuja grows slowly and has an uncharacteristic crown for its species. This plant has a round shape. Globoza is not afraid of drought and cold weather.
• Danica. This is not a tree, but a bush. It barely reaches a height of 60 cm. It grows very slowly. Due to its amazing resistance to drought, frost and shade, it is one of the best gardening solutions.
• Golden Globe. The thuja of this variety has golden-green needles. The plant grows very slowly, which is why it is best used in rock gardens or for arranging low curbs.

Planting thuja

For the first planting, it is best to use seedlings, bought in the nursery... In the future, you will not have to buy them, since thuja can be propagated in various ways, which will be described below.

Thuja can be grown both in the sun and in partial shade. But in the shade, this plant should not be planted. The fact is that the crown will thin out from the lack of sunny color. In addition, when planting, remember that this plant does not like excess moisture. Therefore, if the groundwater on the site is located close to the surface, then full drainage will have to be done.

As for the soil, then this plant survives well on any soil, but feels best in black soil. It is also not recommended to plant it on clay soils. There he may develop root rot.

If there is no black soil on the site, it is recommended to enrich the soil with humus, compost and peat before planting. The latter is necessary for better air permeability of the soil. On acidic soils, a preliminary application of lime or ordinary ash is recommended.

The process of planting a seedling is as follows:

• A landing hole is being prepared with a depth of no more than 80 cm and a diameter of up to 100 cm.
• A drainage layer of crushed stone and expanded clay is laid at the bottom of the hole.
• On top of the drainage, soil is poured, mixed with complex fertilizers and a couple of glasses of ash.
• The seedling should be placed in the hole so that the root collar remains above the soil surface.
• Further? the hole should be completely filled up, and the soil should be tamped.

When planting several seedlings, a distance of at least 5 meters must be maintained between them. If a hedge is formed from seedlings, then the distance should be 1 m.

Thuja: growing from seed

Growing thuja from seeds at home - a very profitable occupation in all respects. First, a large number of seedlings can be grown at one time. Secondly, you don't have to pay for the seedlings. Thirdly, all the seedlings will be the same age and size. This option is perfect for those who have plans to create a hedge on the site. Finally, one should not forget that a plant grown from seed takes root better in a specific area.

There are a couple of disadvantages in growing thuja in such ways:

• Saplings grow for a long time. It can take 5 years from sowing to transferring a seedling into the ground.
• Despite the same appearance, seedlings can be very different from their parent trees. This is due to the possible loss of varietal characteristics.

Seed preparation

If the gardener decides to propagate this plant by seeds, then he needs to properly prepare the planting material. The collection of the latter should begin in early autumn. To do this, you need to select ripe buds. You can recognize them by their brown color.

The collected buds are dried at home for several days until they are fully disclosed. After that, seeds are extracted from them by light tapping. Ripe seeds will fall out easily. Only those seeds that are dark brown should be selected.

After collecting the seeds, you can begin to stratify them. To do this, they need to be wrapped in a cloth and buried in damp soil. From above, the soil can be covered with fallen leaves or a piece of insulation can be put. In this state, the seeds are left for the winter.

After wintering seed material is removed from the ground and poured into a previously prepared container with dry sand. The latter, along with the seeds, must be placed in the refrigerator for 2 months.

By the end of the above period, you need to prepare the soil for planting seeds. They take root best of all in a mixture of turf soil, sand peat.

Sowing thuja seeds

Planting seeds is best at home.... For this, wooden boxes are prepared, on the bottom of which a drainage layer 2 cm thick is poured. A nutrient mixture is poured onto the drainage. All this is well compacted. Then, furrows are made in the soil mixture into which the seeds are sown. The distance between them should not be less than 6 cm. After that, the seeds should be sprinkled on top with a mixture of peat and sand and watered with a spray bottle.

The box with the planted seed should be covered with foil and placed in a warm place until the first shoots appear. At the same time, one must not forget to moisten the soil with a spray bottle every day. It is better not to use direct watering, as this can lead to erosion of the soil mixture and exposing the seeds.

After the first shoots appear the film is removed from the boxes. The boxes themselves should be moved to a cool place and provided with adequate lighting. It remains only to observe the seedlings and get rid of dead plants in time.

Seedling care at home

First of all, their strong growth should not be allowed. With a strong thickening of seedlings, they develop poorly. If young plants still grow strongly, then they are not cut off, but planted. When there is no thickening, then it is better not to replant the seedlings within 1 year.

At the 2nd year of life grown seedlings, in any case, will have to be transplanted into separate pots, which should then be transferred from home conditions to outdoor ones. This is necessary for better adaptation of plants to the climate. For the winter, it is better to return the plants to the house.

In the fall of the 3rd year of life seedlings are ready to be planted in a permanent place.

In summer, pots with seedlings should be in partial shade at a temperature of 17 to 23 ° C. For the winter, plants should be placed in a room with a temperature regime of 15 to 18 ° C.

After planting seedlings in open ground for the first 2 years of free life, they will have to be reliably covered for the winter.

Seedlings in the first years of life do not tolerate direct sunlight. Therefore, you need to protect them from such an impact. Experts advise keeping boxes and pots of seedlings on the windowsills facing the west or north side.

Seedlings should be fed regularly. As fertilizers, you need to use those mixtures that contain potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. It is also useful to add compounds with boron and manganese to the soil.

Top dressing should be given 2 times a month.

Thuja: propagation by cuttings

You can grow thuja not only from seeds, but also from cuttings... The latter are harvested from the upper parts of the axial shoots. This allows the branching characteristic of the parent to be preserved in the daughter plant. It is better not to use side branches for grafting, as they will form a creeping thuja form.

When harvesting cuttings, you do not need to cut them off. It is better to tear off the planting material from the main branch along with the bark. After that, using a sharp knife, you need to clean the ends of the cuttings.

The timing of growing thuja from cuttings depends on the maturity and health of the branches that were used to obtain the cuttings. The younger they are, the faster the cuttings take root.

For better survival of planting material in recent years, gardeners are increasingly using growth substances, for example, organic acids... Their use can increase the survival rate of seedlings.

If a gardener plans to germinate cuttings in a greenhouse, then it is best to harvest them in April. In this case, at least 75% of all seedlings survive. When rooting cuttings at home, they should be planted in pots filled with quartz sand. Sprinkle it on top with a thin layer of peat.

Cuttings should be planted to a depth of no more than 3 cm.... After planting, the pots should stand in a room with an air temperature of no more than 8 ° C.

It takes a year for the full-fledged rooting of cuttings. That is, next spring they can already be placed in open ground. However, before that, they must stand in a greenhouse for 3 weeks.

Fertilizers for growing thuja

For this plant to grow properly, it needs to be fertilized regularly. For this purpose, it is best to use the following types of fertilizers:

• Organic. It is used in cases where it is required to improve the general agricultural background. Organic fertilizers include: manure, peat, compost.
• Mineral fertilizers. First of all, we are talking about mineral complexes containing potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. Without them, the normal cultivation of thuja in the northwestern and northern regions of our country can hardly be called effective.
• Microfertilizers. They contain trace elements such as manganese, molybdenum, zinc, cobalt, etc.

Conclusion

Growing thuja - this is not an easy, but very exciting process. Yes, it will take more than one year to grow an adult plant, but real gardeners will not be afraid of any difficulties.

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Experienced gardeners have long been using not only beautiful, but also useful plants and shrubs for planting in their summer cottage. Thus, thuja gained popularity - an evergreen perennial plant that releases phytoncides into the atmosphere, which have antimicrobial properties.

Planting and caring for thuja outdoors for experienced gardeners is not difficult. That is why thuja can also be planted at home, where the features of care may differ slightly.

Types and varieties of thuja

There are a huge number of species and varieties of the presented plant. The main 5 types are distinguished here, which include:

• Chinese;
• Korean;
• Japanese;
• west;
• folded.

Each of the species includes up to several dozen varieties, but only the most unpretentious representatives are suitable for growing in garden plots.

The following are distinguished here:

Thuja spherical

- it was due to the shape of the crown that it received its portion of popularity in cultivation in summer cottages.

Danike is one of the most popular varieties with a spherical crown.

... They prefer to plant it near gazebos or try to dilute the created woody composition. This variety reaches a height of

60 cm

, which makes it attractive in appearance and easy to clean.

Thuja Brabant

- a cone-shaped plant variety that can grow 40 cm in height and increase in size up to 15 cm in diameter in a year. This variety, when grown in summer cottages in Russia, can reach a height of all

4

or even

5 m

... Therefore, it is used less often. Such bushes can be found in the garden plots of elite residences, where thuja plays the role of a hedge.

Thuja Smaragd

- the same conical crown shape attracts most gardeners. An adult bush in diameter reaches

2 m

... The crown is quite dense, so it can also be used as a hedge. The presented variety pleases with its longevity - the shrub can grow up to 150 years.

Each type and variety of thuja Deserves attention. They need to be studied due to the need or desire to plant a particular variety in the garden. Such actions are necessary for the normal and full growth of the plant.

Which is better: juniper or thuja? Video:

Breeding methods and cultivation features

The shrub is grown at home, and only then planted in open ground in the garden.

You can use a simple and easier way - to purchase a ready-made seedling, which must be planted immediately after purchase. But self-cultivation is much more interesting.

So, you can grow thuja from a seed or from a selected cuttings. Both methods are worthy of detailed consideration.

Growing a seedling from seed

If you are new to gardening, then the question is, how to grow thuja from seeds, should be considered in more detail. The seeds of the presented plant can be purchased at a specialized store, or you can get it yourself.

Thuja has woody cones, from which seeds are extracted from September to December.

Cones are placed in a ventilated place under diffused light. After a while, they open, and you can safely remove the seeds.

Further growing thuja from seeds at home happens as follows:

1. The first method of planting seeds involves using a regular flower pot and soil mixed with peat and humus.

The seeds are preliminarily kept for a day in a damp cloth. You should not plant the seeds deeply, just sprinkle them with earth or sawdust on top.

As necessary, the planted seeds are watered (with drying out of the soil) and kept under diffused light. Sprouts should be planted with warming up the soil in the garden in the spring.

2. The second method of planting seeds gives a germination rate of about 90%. Here, in September, you should remove the seeds from the cones and put them in a bag, which must be stored in a cool place until it snows.

As soon as the snow completely covers the earth's surface, the seeds are buried in snowdrifts and kept there until spring. In the spring, it is already possible to plant the preserved thuja seeds also shallowly into the soil of the garden plot at a distance of 10 cm. It is important to water the garden abundantly.

Thus, sprouts grow for 3 years, taking care of them properly - removing weeds and watering regularly as the soil dries. In the fourth spring, you can plant the sprouts in a permanent place.

From the above, it becomes clear that such a cultivation takes a long time.

Therefore, gardeners resort to the second method of self-growing seedlings using cuttings.

Growing a seedling from a twig

How to grow thuja from a twig, if there is no plant presented on your garden plot?

In April, when the buds are ripe on the branches of the plants, visit a fruit tree nursery or visit your neighbors whose garden is decorated with this unique and interesting shrub. Ask to cut a lignified stalk about 40 cm in size.

Then you will need to perform the following actions:

• Divide the stalk yourself into 2-4 specimens so that each of them has a part of the mother bark.
• The resulting branches must be treated with any solution that stimulates rooting, and left for 12 hours to process.
• Prepare the soil in your garden - add some peat and sand to the soil.
• Plant the cuttings into the ground to a depth of no more than 3 cm.
• The soil should be well moistened, but also do not forget about spraying - this is an important condition in the presented method of growing a seedling. When the cuttings are rooted, watering is significantly reduced.
• For the winter, new mini-shrubs are covered with polyethylene if the planting took place in a region with a harsh climate. In other cases, it will be enough to cover with fallen leaves or spruce branches.

Similar thuja propagation by cuttings can be done at home. Branches are planted in a container with soil and covered with a greenhouse - such an action will lead to faster growth.

Just do not forget about the appropriate daily airing, watering and spraying until the cuttings are completely rooted.

How to propagate and grow thuja, video:

Correct planting and care of thuja outdoors

Thuja planting depends on the size of self-grown seedlings. If an acquired plant is planted, then this is done according to the following principles:

1. The place for further growth of thuja should have a beneficial effect on the growth of the plant - it is a sunny place, protected from the winds. You should not choose a place on the site that is constantly exposed to direct sunlight - the plant will begin to wither. Also, you can not plant a shrub in the shade - it will begin to thin out.
2. The dimensions of the dug hole for planting depend only on the existing root system. The diameter of the planting pit can be up to a meter.
3. A layer of stones is laid at the bottom of the hole as drainage - the presented plant does not tolerate stagnant water well.
4. A layer of soil is laid on top of the stones, where turf, peat and sand are mixed in equal quantities.
5. Now you should set the seedling so that the root collar is at the level of the soil.
6. "Fix" the seedling with the remaining soil or turf soil.
7. After planting, the seedlings can be watered with a moderate amount of water.

When planting, the distance between the seedlings should be observed. Depending on the variety, it can reach from 2 to 5 m. Consider the possible diameter of the type of shrub used.

This is especially necessary to do if it is implied thuja hedge... In this case, the calculation of the distance takes place without taking into account the free space between the future grown bushes.

As for the care of thuja in the open field, difficulties are not foreseen here. It is important to regularly water the shrub, which is done as the soil dries. Periodically, the soil can be hilled, and it is also necessary to constantly remove the weed.

Top dressing of the plant is carried out in early spring, when snow covers the surface of the soil. At this time, nitrogen fertilizers are used.

Such procedures are carried out until mid-summer no more than 2 times a month. Next, you should resort to the use of potash fertilizers, feeding which is extended until late autumn.

At 2-3 years of age, thuja shrubs may require pruning, the whole principle of which is to give an attractive and correct crown for this shrub.

As a rule, in the early years, pruning is only preventive in nature. The full formation of the bush is carried out already in adult specimens.

How to plant thuja correctly, video:

Thuja: home care

In the absence of your own garden plot, you can grow a small miniature tree at home. Thuja in a pot today it does not seem strange, but quite an adequate solution for those flower growers who want to have a coniferous plant in their home.

There are no additional aspects of care here. It is only important to carry out timely watering and provide the plant with fertile and nutritious soil.

For planting the presented plant at home, choose the eastern thuja and the Ploskovetochnik variety. Planting a plant for self-cultivation in a pot is carried out according to the same principle as described above.

An exception is the absence of a transplantation point to a permanent place - after planting a seed or cutting in a pot with soil, the plant remains in place until fully ripe. The small volume of the container will not allow the shrub to grow as high and wide as possible.

Principle, how to care for thuja at home, is concluded in the following order:

1. Planting a plant in a pot requires good drainage at the bottom of the pot. You can use a regular tray, which will also help remove excess moisture.
2. The soil can be enriched with useful microelements by mixing four parts of sod land with two parts of coniferous. Only part of the sand is added to the mixture - the result is a soil suitable for planting seeds or cutting.
3. The pot must be placed on a north or west window - this will provide diffused light suitable for normal growth for the shrub.
4. For optimal cultivation, an already mature tree is provided with a temperature of 10-15 ° C. In the summer, it is necessary to take the pot with the plant to the balcony so that it receives its portion of air procedures.
5. Watering is carried out as needed as soon as the soil dries out. It is important not to allow excessive moisture or dry out of the soil, all this will lead to the death of the plant.
6. Thuja can calmly tolerate any whims of air humidity in the room. However, excessive "air drying" should not be allowed. It is better to maintain a moderate climate in relation to indoor humidity. In summer, in the heat, the plant should be sprayed.
7. For the normal formation of the bush, the plant is pruned.

When growing thuja, one should not forget about timely feeding with special universal fertilizers, which are carried out in the spring and during the summer for a favorable and rapid growth.

From August to September, you can start propagation by cuttings.

Self-forming bonsai

Surprisingly, some growers give the bush-like thuja the shape of a bonsai tree. This is not easy to do. It is not enough just to pinch and cut the plant.

To form a bonsai, it is necessary to give the shrub an appropriate shape, subjecting its branches to a forced change in the direction of growth, slightly breaking them at the same time. The curved branch is fixed in a new direction and all branches are cut off.

After a while, the shrub will begin to form into a bonsai tree, where you should monitor the formation of the crown, constantly pruning.

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Diseases and pests

Proper care of the presented plant allows you to achieve an attractive green shrub.

If you make any mistakes, the thuja branches can thin out, and the rich green color will change to pale gray.

But this is not the worst thing that can happen to a plant. Much more dangerous is a fungal infection or an invasion of harmful insects, the fight against which can take a long time. The most common and dangerous diseases of thuja include:

You will be interested in this article - Black currant: planting and care in the open field.

• Fungus - appears in the form of spots characteristic of the fungus, often affecting young shoots. The shrub should be treated immediately. To begin with, all affected areas are completely cut off, and then you can resort to treatment with any antifungal solution.
• False shield - yellow spots form on the branches, which are often perceived as a real shield. To remove them, the plant should be treated with Rogor or Karbofos solutions.
• Speckled moth - often appears when growing thuja in the open field. It manifests itself in the form of the transformation of branches into brown color and the withering away of the top of the tree. You can get rid of pests by treating the shrub with solutions containing pyrethroid.
• Aphids - leads to the fall of the needles from the bush. Here you can use Karbofos according to the instructions.

The correct cultivation of a coniferous plant at home or in the open field will give flower growers and gardeners great pleasure.

Such plants should be "kept" nearby, as thuja needles have excellent beneficial properties.

Thuja needles can be used to treat wounds, as a hemostatic agent, and also for colds.

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Evergreens are very attractive for landscaping sites. Especially if you do not set yourself the goal of getting a crop. Coniferous and cypress trees require significantly less maintenance than deciduous trees; they are less affected by pests and diseases, are not so demanding on watering, but are very attractive purely visually. Thuja stands alone among such attractive plants. In addition to the fact that it can become a real decoration of the personal plot, it is also available for home breeding. And in the house, thuja is not only pleasant to the eye, it additionally and very revitalizes and purifies the atmosphere - in the most literal sense. The main task in this case is the question of how to grow thuja from seeds. Moreover, this can be done at home, on the windowsill. Many do this: they keep the tree in room conditions until a certain moment and only then they are planted in a permanent habitat. The advantage of this method of breeding the plant is that it is easy to care for it while it is most vulnerable.

Features of seed reproduction

Good tolerance to urban conditions, undemandingness in relation to temperature, decorativeness and durability - these are the advantages that thuja can boast of. Growing this tree from seeds is more difficult than vegetatively. To begin with, the process will be quite long - up to five years. In addition, it is difficult to guess what kind of tree the result will be. You took seeds of a spherical thuja - and got a pyramidal one (or vice versa). This is a very common incident. However, if appearance is of fundamental importance to you, you can select the desired seedling with the required crown shape already a year after planting, because before growing thuja from seeds, they sow a lot of them, and the probability of finding the subspecies you need among them is 50 per 50. In the end, the seedlings that do not satisfy you can be given away to friends and acquaintances.

Seed collection rules

Long before growing from thuja seeds, you need to properly collect and prepare them. To ensure good similarity, it is best to use only fresh seed. It is harvested in the fall. The seeds are hidden in the cones. And there is no need to wait for the "containers" to fall off the branches by themselves, since it is guaranteed that thuja can be grown from seeds only from plucked cones. They break off right with the branches, and it's better with a margin, in case something goes wrong. Cones are laid out on paper at home in one layer. The very next day, the necessary seeds will be poured out of them.

Stratification is needed!

Before growing from thuja seeds, moreover, full-fledged and non-painful, the seed must be hardened - almost like children. One of the options is to wrap the seeds in rags, bury them in the ground and cover with insulation - at least with dry leaves. In winter, another layer of snow will be added. In such conditions, the seeds will get stronger and "sleep off" in order to be full of strength in the spring. When the snow is already melting, but the ground is still cold, cloths with seeds are simply moved to the refrigerator, sprinkling a container with them with moistened sand.

Another stratification option, less reliable and more suitable for those who are thinking about how to grow thuja from seeds at home, is to keep the planting material in wet sand or just in water. For this method, half a day is enough. The seeds will sprout quickly, but the seedlings will need supervision and extra care for quite some time.

Planting seeds

If you are seriously thinking about how to grow thuja from seeds, then somewhere in April you must make short beds. The swollen grains go no more than half a centimeter into the soil. A distance of at least 10 centimeters is maintained between the holes. A very thin layer of soil is poured on top. Watering should be systematic, then in four weeks shoots will appear. If weeds are noticed at this time, they should be removed at this stage - they can drown out weak sprouts. While the trees are still very tiny, they will have to be shaded from the sun - direct rays are destructive for them.

Home cultivation

If you are more interested in the question of how to grow thuja from seeds at home, take into account the following rules. Seed preparation is the same as for garden breeding. A grain soaked for a day gives a shoot, it should be placed in a small pot, covered with either special soil for conifers, or universal with the addition of peat and sand. The surface of the soil should also be sprinkled with sand, sawdust or small pebbles to recreate the semblance of natural conditions. Watering is necessary only to the extent of drying, more frequent moistening will lead to decay of the seedling.

In the allotted container, the sprout will become a seedling and will spend a year in it. The next spring, again in April, he is transplanted into a larger pot with the same soil.

The most important thing is care

And what is interesting - it is not difficult at all! We figured out the watering, their regularity remains the same throughout the life of the tree. The only addition is that when it grows up, it is better to irrigate the crown when watering. You can also start shaping the crown from an early age - any thuja at this stage will willingly learn the pyramidal, spherical, and some intricate shape. The main thing is to trim regularly. With light, the situation is also not too difficult - scattered and even bright will do, if only not direct rays. Only a thick shadow is not good, but in most cases this issue is not difficult to solve. Do not be lazy to loosen the soil either - the thuja will grow faster and more luxuriantly, unless, of course, you damage the roots. And the main thing! If your tree lives "free", be sure to wrap it up for the winter. Without shelter, he also has a chance to survive, but in the spring you will most likely get a pitiful panicle with shabby branches. And it will take a lot of time to grow new foliage.

From all of the above, an obvious conclusion can be drawn: it is not necessary to have clear ideas about how to grow thuja from seeds, it is much more important to be attentive to it and take good care of it. And then she will grow beautifully both at home and on the site next to the dacha, and on the flowerbed near the entrance.

One last remark. If you do grow a tree at home, make sure that your cat does not choose a tub as his toilet. Gnawing of branches by animals (as well as ripping them off by your children) thuja can still endure. But she will definitely not survive the cat "fertilizer"!

Cypress family. Homeland North America.

Thuja occidentalis Thuja occidentalis is an evergreen coniferous plant with a pyramidal crown, in good conditions lives for a very long time, reaching an average of 10-15 m in height with a trunk thickness of about 40 cm.The bark of young plants is smooth, reddish-brown, furrowed with age, stratifies stripes. The needles are scaly, dense, small (scales about 3-4 mm), saturated green, by winter they acquire a brown color. Every 2-3 years, thuja renews foliage, throwing in twigs and overgrowing with new needles. Thuja have small 10-15 mm ovoid cones with delicate scales, similar to dried buds. There are more than 300 varieties of thuja.

The original species, thuja occidentalis, is a garden plant, but is sometimes grown as a pre-bonsai. However, there are various varieties of western Polish thuja on sale. Among them are compact plants that grow well in pots. For example, Miky's miniature cultivar Thuja occidentalis ‘Miky’ has a fine foliage structure that remains a rich green color throughout the growing season. The crown is very dense, dense, in an adult plant with a wide conical shape. In winter, it can take on a copper tint. The shoots are slightly twisted, which gives the variety an additional charm. Thuja grows rather slowly: in 8-10 years it will grow about 70-80 cm in height and about 50 cm in girth. This variety practically does not need pruning of shoots.

Thuja planting and care

At home, thuja is a wonderful decoration of a balcony or terrace - it loves fresh air, does not tolerate content in the kitchen or in a smoky room. It also looks attractive in the garden: in the rock garden, rocky gardens, it goes well with other conifers.

Temperature

Plant frost resistance - zone 5b if you plan to grow thuja in a greenhouse or garden. At home, in the summer we have the temperature that is dictated by the weather, but cypress trees do not tolerate heat - they need 22-24 ° C for optimal growth. In winter, a cool content is required, + 8-10 ° C is enough, at least + 2 ° C. At the same time, the soil in the pot is almost completely dry. At the lower temperature limit, the plant must be insulated. You can put the pot in a box of sawdust, wrap it with foam rubber, put it in a large pot and fill it with dry earth between the walls.Coolness must be ensured with the onset of the heating season and before the beginning of February.

Lighting

Thuja is photophilous, prefers a certain amount of sunlight, preferably before lunchtime - the east or southeast side, or in the evening - northwest. In the period from February to May, from 12 to 15 o'clock, openwork shading is desirable - at this time the most active sun can cause burns (brown needles). By summer, the thuja gets used to the sun well and does not need shading if it has enough fresh air.

• Attention: at temperatures above 26-27 ° C, the direct sun is hard for thuja to endure. Therefore, if the pot is on an open balcony or near an open window (not micro ventilation, but a well-open window), shading is not required. If you close your windows, it's best to move the pot to a shady, but not hot, windowsill. Young plants especially need shading. In nature, thuja seedlings (from self-seeding) have been growing in the shade of taller trees for decades.

You may have heard that thuja is shade-tolerant - this statement applies only to garden conifers, at home the lighting is always one-sided, and growing on the north side can lead to the formation of uneven foliage of the crown. Therefore, if you have a north side, gradually turn the pot on the window.

Watering

During the growing period, especially in hot weather, watering is abundant enough, with drying of the top layer of the earth. Do not leave water in the pan after watering. Thuja does not tolerate overdrying - as soon as the soil dries up, it deplorably lowers the branches, but after moistening it immediately restores turgor. If it is too dry, especially in the heat, it is irreversible. When the rainy season begins in the fall and a sharp cold snap, make sure that watering is infrequent and the soil has time to dry out almost completely in 3 days.

• Important: the correctness of watering is regulated not only by its frequency and volume of water, but also by the composition and structure of the soil.
• For reference: in nature, thuja grows in humid forests, especially abundantly in coniferous bogs, but at the same time it is a surface root, not completely submerged in water, but on a well-drained substrate. But the most famous long-lived thuja, up to 1000 years old, have survived on cliffs and rocky terrain. For thuja, air humidity is more important than soil moisture - avoid both waterlogging and overdrying.

Fertilization: Thuja fertilizing is required two months after transplanting if the soil is too poor. You can purchase a special fertilizer for conifers or use a universal non-alkaline and chlorine-free fertilizer for common indoor plants.

Air humidity: Thuja loves very humid air, optimally 60-80%, humidity below 40% requires humidification - spraying 2-3 times a day or placing the pot on a wide pan with water (water should not come into contact with the roots). When the heating season begins, move the plant to a cool room.

• If there is no possibility of a cool winter, you have two options: fence the edge of the window sill from the battery with plexiglass or greenhouse film, put a humidifier and add artificial lighting. Or, if the size of the bush exceeds the size of the window sill, do not torture the plant - grow it in the garden.

Thuja transplant

Potted thuja is transplanted annually or every two years, very carefully, as carefully as possible, preserving the root ball. When planting, it is important not to tamp the soil too tightly and not to deepen the root collar (the soil level is at the same level, without hilling). Healthy roots are brick-brown and firm in appearance. Soil: 1 part of clay-sod land, 1 part of leaf (or peat), 1 part of baking powder (zeolite granules or akadama, vermiculite or agroperlite can be used, coarse river sand - sifted up to 2-4 mm). The pot should not be too large - slightly larger than the root system. At the bottom, make many holes for water drainage, drainage if desired (in a tall pot, required).If the soil is closer to neutral in acidity, add a couple of tablespoons of pine needles or bark to the pot.

Thuja grows well on weakly acidic soils, does not tolerate alkalization and strongly acidic soil - the optimum pH is 5.5-6.5. If the substrate is caked and compacted, you need to carefully loosen it to a depth of 5-6 cm.If a salt deposit appears on the surface of the soil, it must be removed and the plant should be watered with softer water (filter, boil, soften with aquarium water agents).

If you use peat-based store-bought soil, keep in mind that it quickly depletes nutrients, and in its pure form is far from ideal for thuja (it dries quickly), but it can serve as one of the components. In addition, store-bought soils are often filled with a large dose of fertilizers, even specialized coniferous mixtures, as a rule, are based on pure peat and sand, while light loam will be the ideal soil base for thuja. But do not forget that growing in a closed system (limited by the walls of the pot) deprives the roots of an important element - oxygen. Excessive watering will suffocate the roots if the soil is not porous enough (clean loam). This is why we add baking powder. Drained soil does not mean drainage at the bottom, but drainage particles in the soil itself between the roots.

Topic on the forum: Bonsai from thuja - options for the formation of thuja, as well as the theme of Ephedra

Reproduction of thuja

Thuja propagates by seeds and cuttings. Seed cultivation is impractical - a representative of cypress grows very slowly. But it is a pleasure to grow cuttings - it is important to know how! Very simple: in the fall or spring, cut a twig of a thuja about 15 cm long.

Take a spacious zip-bag (with a fastener), prepare the soil: 1 part of the universal soil (for example, Terra Vita living earth) and 1 part of sand or vermiculite. Stir and sterilize in the microwave for 3 minutes. Cool and pour into a bag. The substrate should be moist, but not too damp (moisten with boiled water). Place the cutting in the substrate and close the bag tightly. Hang it in a bright place - if the stalk is cut in the fall (October-November), then you can hang it on the south window without shading. If in early spring, then only under shade from the direct sun. There is no need to open the bag, it retains about 90% humidity. Just wait for the roots to appear. They are dark, and not light, like in many indoor plants, therefore they are hardly noticeable.

When the thuja takes root, it must be transplanted into a pot in the soil described above for adult plants. Put the pot in a bag and tie. Shade the first week from any sun and ventilate 2-3 times a day. After a week, the bag can be untied, but not removed, but gradually accustom the young plant to drier air. As soon as the opportunity arises, expose the pot to fresh air on the balcony.

Topic on the forum: Reproduction of thuja, you can discuss, add your comments and share your experience.