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In regions with harsh climatic conditions, more and more gardeners are choosing thuja as landscaping. In the eastern part of Our Country, agronomists brought it in the middle of the last century and managed to grow it. It is worth knowing how the thuja is planted and cared for in Siberia (photo), which varieties are the most frost-resistant, how to care for the plant to successfully take root, grow and develop over many decades.
Today, thuja hedges and individual plantings of conifers are far from uncommon in the Urals and Siberia. The plant is developing new regions, for which this beautiful tree was quite recently a real exotic.
Does thuja grow in Siberia
It is believed that the birthplace of the thuja is the North American forests, their southern part. But there are species that can grow in the north of the USA and Canada. There they can be found even on marshy, damp and cold soils. It was from such climatic conditions that the seedlings brought to Siberia were taken.
The western species of thuja is well accustomed to harsh climatic conditions, is able to endure severe frosts, long winters, and deeply freezing soil.
The average lifespan of a plant is 150 years, it is undemanding to the soil, tolerates pruning well. But when growing in Siberia, it is worthwhile to carefully select a place for planting, enrich poor soil and monitor soil moisture.
The use of the plant is universal: as a hedge, separate plantings.
Tui varieties growing in Siberia can look like trees up to 20 m high or shrubs. The shape is varied – pyramidal, cone-shaped, columnar, ovoid. The bark is red or brown, brightens later. The needles are green in summer, turning yellow in winter. Its complete change occurs after three years, falling off along with small branches.
Frost-resistant varieties of thuja for Siberia
Western thuja is the most unpretentious of all existing species. The most popular in Siberia are several hardy varieties.
Emerald
Evergreen thuja with a dense pyramidal crown, bright green needles. The height of the plant is 6 m, the width without pruning is 2 m. The annual growth is about 20 cm in height and 5 cm in width. The crown is very malleable for giving interesting shapes with a haircut.
In spring, flowers appear on the branches – small cones, later falling off. In Siberia, there are thujas of the Smaragd variety with two types of color – green and golden.
Hoseri
A dwarf variety of the western thuja of the original form in the form of a ball. It has scaly dark green needles. The variety is winter-hardy, wind-resistant, sensitive to drought. In the conditions of Siberia, it grows well on fertile loams, easily tolerates a haircut. The crown diameter is about 1 m, it grows slowly.
Brabant
Western thuja is columnar in shape with a compact and branched crown. The maximum height in Siberia is 4 m. Moisture-loving. It does not tolerate short-term thaws, which can cause premature sap flow.
Thuja is able to grow in both sunny and shady places. The culture requires constant pruning to keep it in good shape. In the harsh conditions of Siberia, the use of ephedra is universal.
Danika
A dwarf variety of thuja that can grow in the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia. Belongs to one of the most decorative. It grows slowly, only 5 cm per year. In adulthood, it reaches 60 cm in height.
This thuja has a dense, spherical crown, reddish bark, soft, scaly needles. The root system of the plant is superficial. The culture is undemanding to fertility and soil moisture.
Fastigiata
Thuja has a crown in the form of a column, its shoots are pressed against the trunk, the needles are emerald, fluffy. In the conditions of Siberia grows up to 6 m in height.
The annual growth is about 30 cm. In winter, the color of the needles does not change, it easily tolerates a haircut. The cones of the conifer are brown, very small. The culture is frost-resistant, undemanding to the soil.
Clot of Gold
Thuja has the shape of a shrub 2 m high, 1,5 m wide. The crown shape is an ellipse or a cone. The needles are needle-shaped, tender, lemon or copper shades.
Grows well in well-drained alkaline soil. Prefers sunny or slightly shaded areas.
Planting thuja in Siberia and subsequent care
In order to grow thuja in the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia, a number of conditions must be met:
- purchase a seedling that is distinguished by vitality, frost resistance, the ability to endure strong cold winds and snowfalls;
- comply with the landing time;
- choose the right place for plants;
- dig holes, the size of which corresponds to the size of the root system of seedlings;
- land according to the algorithm;
- to carry out full care after planting the thuja in open ground.
Recommended dates
It is best to plant thuja in spring or autumn. For Siberia, the most preferred time is early spring, immediately after the snow melts. A few months before the onset of winter, the plant has time to take root, build up a coniferous mass and then successfully winter.
After the autumn planting, the thuja should be covered for the winter very carefully. The event is more successful if a seedling with a closed root system is purchased. The best time for planting in the fall: late August-early September.
Site selection and soil preparation
For a thuja growing in Siberia, a place illuminated by the sun is suitable, and the time is only in the morning and in the evening. With constant exposure to direct sunlight, its needles lose moisture and become less decorative. You should not choose a place accessible to north winds and drafts.
Thuja is unpretentious, prefers light drained soils, but is able to grow on soils with a high water content. Before planting, it is necessary to prepare the soil mixture and enrich it with organic and mineral fertilizers, make drainage in the planting pit.
Landing algorithm
After choosing a seedling and location, planting in Siberia is carried out according to the algorithm:
- For a three-year-old arborvitae, they dig a hole 50 cm long, 90 cm wide and 70 cm deep.
- Broken brick or expanded clay is laid at the bottom with a layer 20 cm thick – to create drainage.
- The prepared soil is poured into a cone on the drainage layer – for a seedling with an open root system and an even layer – for a closed one.
- The plant is placed in the center of the planting hole.
- The voids are covered with prepared soil mixture.
- The root neck of the thuja should be located above the soil level.
- The plant is watered abundantly.
- Sprinkle soil if it has settled.
- Mulch with peat, grass near the trunk circle of thuja.
The composition of the soil mixture includes soddy land, sand, humus and peat, mixed in a ratio of 3:1:2:2. It is permissible to use special mineral fertilizers for conifers.
Growing thuja in Siberia
After landing the thuja, she needs to provide full care:
- carry out regular watering, irrigation;
- remove weeds, mulch the soil;
- periodically make top dressing;
- regularly trim the crown;
- carefully prepare for the winter.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Thuja belongs to drought-resistant, but, at the same time, moisture-loving plants. At first, after planting, watering is carried out in the morning and evening. When the first signs of rooting and growth appear, the thuja is moistened at intervals of once a week in a volume of 10 liters per plant. At the same time, the climatic conditions of Siberia should be taken into account, making the necessary adjustments to the irrigation schedule.
An adult plant needs at least 30 liters of water once every 2 weeks. At the age of over 5 years, it is watered only in strong heat.
Any thuja should be subjected to periodic sprinkling, which is carried out early in the morning or late in the evening, excluding very cold weather, which often happens in Siberia. Thanks to this procedure, dust and dirt are washed off the needles, the pores open, the air is saturated with essential vapors.
In dry autumn, abundant watering should be carried out to prepare the plant for winter.
To carry out full-fledged care for thuja in Siberia, she needs top dressing. Their quantity and quality depend on the soil on which the thuja grows.
Loosening and mulching the soil
Some time after watering, the soil under the crown of the thuja is carefully loosened to a depth of no more than 7 cm. Such care is required in order not to damage the roots that have a superficial location. After loosening, to protect the thuja from weeds and preserve moisture in the soil, the trunk circle is mulched. Compost, sawdust of coniferous trees, peat, pine bark are used as mulch in Siberia. In addition to retaining moisture, mulching helps to enrich the soil with nutrients.
Trimming rules
Tui pruning begins in early spring and then carried out in summer and autumn. The specific time depends on the weather conditions in Siberia. It is undesirable to carry out the event in rainy weather, when the maximum number of pathogenic microbes is in the air. Since the plant has open wounds after pruning, harmful microorganisms can easily get there.
Sanitary pruning is mandatory, during which damaged, diseased, dead thuja shoots are removed.
The crown is thinned out so that the plant feels more comfortable in the heat. The best time for the procedure is May.
The rules for any haircut are quite simple:
- you can not cut the branches too short, the norm is within a two-year growth;
- in order not to stress the plants, the haircut is carried out regularly and little by little;
- the natural shape of the thuja crown should be taken into account;
- tools must be clean and well sharpened;
- do not allow the formation of voids in the crown.
Preparing thuja for winter in Siberia
Young seedlings of the first year of planting require reliable shelter and protection from frost in Siberia.
The danger for plants lies not only in abnormally low temperatures, but also in the possibility of burning the needles, since in winter there is no sap flow, and the thuja lacks moisture.
To protect plants, they are tied with twine in a circle and covered with light-colored non-woven material that reflects sunlight and lets air through.
To protect the roots, even before the first frost, weeds are removed and the mulch layer is increased to 25 cm using compost and leaves. To enhance the protection of the thuja in the conditions of Siberia, spruce branches are additionally thrown from above.
For shelters, it is convenient to use special wooden frames, on which material is pulled – burlap, gauze.
Pests and diseases
In case of violation of agricultural technology and adverse weather conditions, thuja in Siberia can be affected by diseases:
- phytophthora – an infection that first affects the roots of the plant, and then the crown, which wilts as a result, and the trunk of the conifer becomes soft;
- brown shoots – first brown scales appear, and then all shoots turn yellow;
- rust and shute – falling off and darkening of the needles (most often on young thujas).
For the treatment of plants, spraying with foundationazole, removal and destruction of affected shoots are used.
Among the most dangerous pests of thuja in Siberia are thuja aphids and false shields. They are destroyed with the help of karbofos, decis and other insecticidal preparations.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that planting and caring for thuja in Siberia (photo) is not much different from this process in central Our Country.
Due to the peculiarities of the climate, some dates are shifted, preparations for winter are carried out more carefully. Subject to all the rules of planting and care, the thuja perfectly takes root and develops in the harsh weather conditions of Siberia.
