Contents
Pyramidal thuja is more common in squares and parks as hedges and tapeworms. Its value lies not only in the unpretentiousness and unpretentiousness of the plant, but also in the ability to maintain a beautiful clear shape even without a haircut.
The ancestors of the pyramidal thuja originate in North America, where under natural conditions they reached 30 m in height.
Description of the pyramidal thuja
The western pyramidal thuja has brown or red bark; in mature trees, it sometimes begins to peel off in ribbons. Wood contains essential oils used in medicine.
The crown can change its shape from pyramidal to columnar with age. Thuja needles are dark green in summer, brown in winter. Tightly adheres to the shoots. At a young age, it is soft, later – coarsens, becomes scaly. Needles change every three years. Thuja cones are brown, small, inside each there are two seeds.
Thuja pyramidal lives for about 100 years and loses its lower branches in old age, becoming less decorative.
The tree grows slowly. It belongs to shade-tolerant plants, undemanding to the soil, but on fertile loams its appearance is much better than on poor soils. The pyramidal thuja is winter-hardy, tolerates winds and frosts well up to the latitude of the Leningrad region in the west and Yekaterinburg in the east. It suffers from heavy snow, which can break its branches and main trunk.
Varieties and varieties of pyramidal thuja
A variety of western thuja – pyramidal or cone-shaped combines many varieties that are distinguished by their extraordinary decorative effect. The most popular among them are often used in landscaping.
thuja douglas
The variety was bred at the beginning of the last century in the United States and quickly spread throughout Europe. The pyramidal western thuja of Douglas is shade-tolerant and hardy. The needles are dark green, flat. The branches are short, thin, rising up, like a fern. The lower ones dry up and fall off.
The Douglas pyramidal thuja grows slowly, the maximum height is 15 m, it is suitable for group and single plantings.
Emerald
This is the most popular variety of cone-shaped thuja, with emerald needles that do not fade when shading. The tree looks like a cypress. It has a narrow, dense, pyramidal crown.
The annual growth is 10 – 20 cm in height. The branches are vertical. The cones of the plant are brown, small, oval in shape, 1 cm long. The pyramidal thuja is resistant to adverse climatic conditions and environmental pollution. The application is universal.
Vervain
A variety of western pyramidal thuja was bred in the middle of the 15th century in Belgium. The tree changes the color of its needles depending on the season. In summer it is light green or yellow, in winter it is brown. The crown of the plant is dense, in the form of a narrow cone. In adulthood, the thuja reaches XNUMX m in height.
The branches are numerous, thin and soft. Most often, trees are used to create alleys near houses, in squares and parks.
Reversi
The western pyramidal thuja Riversi is a tree 5 m high. It has a compact wide-conical crown. Shoots are short, everted. The needles change their color.
In winter, it is yellowish-green, in summer it is yellow. Thuja is winter hardy. The plant is used to create hedges and single plantings. It prefers location in areas that are fully lit, in the shade it loses the golden color of the needles.
Ellwangeriana
Low thuja (2,5 m) with a wide conical crown. Shoots are straight, branched at the ends. On young branches, the needles are needle-shaped, soft, in adulthood – scaly, pressed.
In winter it has a grayish tint. The variety is winter hardy. The pyramidal thuja Ellvangeriana is propagated by cuttings and seeds. Gracefully looks in the foreground of plantings as a single plant.
graceful
The variety belongs to the western pyramidal thujas (photo).
Trees reach a height of 5 m, their crown is dense, wide-conical. The needles are shiny, bright. At the ends of the shoots are white marks. The plant is highly winter hardy. Propagation is carried out by cuttings and seeds. The second method does not give full inheritance of varietal characteristics. The use of thuja pyramidal is universal.
Application in landscape design
Many varieties of pyramidal thuja are ideal for creating hedges, as they are tall and have neat shapes. “Living walls” are able to protect the site from wind, dust, prying eyes. To this end, they are planted in the background, skipping forward flowering shrubs and perennials. With the help of a pyramidal thuja of small stature with delicate emerald needles, you can decorate flower beds or create a stylish composition of several plants located on the lawn. The original haircut will give it originality.
Features of reproduction
Thuja pyramidal grows slowly, especially at first, so the seed propagation method is not often used. Its disadvantage is the loss of varietal properties by new plants.
If the method is decided to be used, the following recommendations should be taken into account:
- seeds need to be selected large, lying under the snow all winter;
- fill the container with nutrient soil mixture;
- spread the seeds over the surface and cover them with soil with a layer of 2 cm;
- after the emergence of seedlings, care is standard – watering, shading, top dressing.
Pyramidal thuja seedlings, obtained by seed, are ready for planting in a permanent place only after 5 years.
The cutting method of propagation is most in demand. With this method, the seedlings retain all the characteristics of the mother plant. Several steps must be taken:
- prepare cuttings of pyramidal thuja in early spring;
- disinfect and treat them with a root formation stimulator;
- prepare a container with a drainage layer and soil for coniferous plants;
- place the cutting in the soil and place the container in a dark place with an air temperature of up to 20 ⁰C;
- After the appearance of growth, move to the greenhouse;
- a pyramidal thuja seedling is transferred to a permanent place after 2 years.
Rules of landing
In order for the pyramidal thuja not to hurt, to give good growth, several rules must be observed:
- acquisition of a healthy seedling;
- choosing a place for planting that meets the requirements of the plant;
- strict adherence to deadlines;
- early digging of a hole corresponding to the size of the thuja root system;
- drainage preparation;
- planting a tree according to the algorithm.
Recommended dates
A young pyramidal thuja with a closed root system can be planted in the ground during the entire growing season. But plants take root best in early spring or autumn. The ideal time for this is the end of March, when the soil and air have warmed up, or the beginning of September.
Early spring planting of pyramidal thuja allows it to take root before the onset of summer heat. After the autumn plant has time to prepare for the winter cold, strengthen the root system.
Planting pyramidal thujas is recommended to be carried out in the early morning or late evening on a cloudy day. In hot sunny weather, the seedling should be shaded with paper, burlap.
Site selection and soil preparation
The usefulness of the growth and development of the pyramidal thuja depends on the correct choice of the place and the preparation of the soil for it.
Do not choose a site where the sun will be present all day. Its sizzling rays can make the color of the needles less bright. Penumbra is quite suitable for planting a plant. The place must be protected from winds and drafts. At the same time, thujas easily tolerate polluted, gassed air.
It is worth observing the distance to other thujas, tall deciduous and coniferous trees, which should not obscure and drown out the seedlings.
The pyramidal thuja is unpretentious to soils, but grows better on breathable loams. The high location of groundwater, bogging does not tolerate. She likes turf land mixed with sand and peat.
Landing algorithm
After choosing a seedling and determining the location, you can start planting pyramidal thuja. For this you need:
- Soak the root system of the seedling.
- The pit for the thuja should be made 40 cm wider than the earthen coma and 30 cm deeper.
- The distance between them is from 0,5 m to 5 m, depending on the expected planting density.
- As a soil mixture, you can use ordinary soddy soil with the addition of compost and wood ash.
- Make drainage from expanded clay or broken brick at the bottom of the pit.
- Pour the soil mixture in a slide.
- Set the seedling in the center and fall asleep so that the root neck is above the soil surface.
- Compact the earth around the thuja.
- Liberally pour.
- Mulch the trunk circle.
Growing and care rules
After planting, the pyramidal thuja requires the usual simple care. At first, regular watering is needed so that the seedling takes root and begins its growth. The plant does not need frequent feeding, but the use of mineral and organic fertilizers has a positive effect on its condition. Pruning is done as needed. The fight against diseases and pests is carried out with a preventive purpose and for the treatment of an already diseased tree, the destruction of pests.
Watering Schedule
Young pyramidal thuja requires regular watering. Ten liters per week for one tree is enough. In very hot weather, the rate and frequency of irrigation should be doubled.
If the seedling is large, then it is moistened as an adult plant – 50 liters under one tree.
Care must be taken not to wash out the soil from the root area. The best time to water is early morning or late evening. Thuja pyramidal responds well to sprinkling. Dust and dirt are washed off its crown, the air is filled with phytoncides, a pleasant coniferous aroma.
Additional fertilizing
Thuja pyramidal is undemanding to the soil and its fertility, it can grow successfully without fertilizing. Additional nutrition of the plant leads to a response from its side in the form of growth acceleration, improving the quality of the needles.
Most often, when planting a seedling, organic matter or mineral additives are introduced into the pit. The next top dressing should be carried out no earlier than two years later.
For adult pyramidal thujas, it is enough to apply complex fertilizers for coniferous plants once – in spring or summer.
Trimming
The expediency of pruning depends on what decorative purpose the plant performs. The intensity of the haircut for each variety has its own.
By their nature, pyramidal thujas are geometrically correct, their shape can not be corrected. To maintain it in a certain state, annual shoots are removed. The first shaping haircut is carried out no earlier than two years after planting. It is required by plants that form a hedge to give a clearer shape.
Mandatory annual pruning of the pyramidal thuja for sanitary purposes to remove damaged and diseased shoots. Time – spring, before bud break. Thuja tolerates this procedure well and reacts with a rapid growth of green mass. The plant is sheared with a sharp garden pruner or scissors that are not capable of injuring the shoots.
Preparation for winter
Adult and strong pyramidal thuja successfully winter without additional shelter, especially if planted near the house or tall deciduous and coniferous trees. A young plant needs protection in winter when the temperature drops below -35⁰С. A covering non-woven material or burlap is used to protect the crown, the trunk must be covered with earth and the trunk circle should be mulched.
Experts advise in the first five years after planting to cover the pyramidal thuja with spruce branches, spandbond or special covers that can be purchased at the store. In a snowy winter, you should clean the branches of the thuja from snow or tie the crown in advance with twine so that the shoots and the stem of the plant are not damaged under its weight.
Pests and diseases
In order for the pyramidal thuja to please with its appearance, beauty and grandeur, it is necessary to protect it from diseases transmitted from other plants:
- phytophthora – the root and crown are affected, the thuja changes color and fades, a white coating appears on the trunk;
- brown shoots – scales turn yellow, shoots turn brown and die;
- rust shute – the needles of young plants darken and fall off.
For treatment and prevention, folk remedies, fungicides and other chemicals are used.
The main pests of thuja include:
- thuja aphid;
- moth moth;
- false shield;
- click beetle;
- wireworm.
Plants should be constantly inspected and, at the first sign of the appearance of pests, they should be treated with insecticides.
Conclusion
Pyramidal thuja has long been successfully used in site design because of its attractiveness, undemanding soil, and unpretentious care. With its help, you can create hedges, beautiful compositions in combination with ornamental shrubs and flowers. Growing thuja is not difficult even for a novice amateur gardener.
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