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Thuja Columna is a beautiful evergreen tree that is ideal for decorating a site, a park, and is widely used in landscape design. Despite the fact that the thuja of this variety is quite unpretentious, proper care will help it stay healthy for a long time.
Description of the Column
Western thuja Columna (occidentalis Columna) is an evergreen tree of the Cyprice family. Despite the fact that the birthplace of this culture is North America, it has gained popularity around the world. It can be found in suburban areas, in city parks, squares. And all thanks to the endurance and decorativeness of this variety.
Thuja Columna is characterized by a columnar crown, the needles are thick and shiny, have a rich green tint. In winter, the color of the foliage turns brown, but with the onset of the first warm weather, it turns green. Thuja Columna needles sit on short branches in the shape of a cylinder, they depart parallel from the ground and fit snugly against the wood. The bark of the thuja Columna has a brownish-red hue.
Thuja of this variety grows to a height of up to 10 m, it is considered a long-liver – with proper care, it lives on average about 200 years.
The growth rate of thuja Columna averages up to 30 cm per year. Thus, in just 10 years, the height will be about 3 m.
Among the advantages of this variety:
- high growth rate;
- preservation of decorative qualities even in the absence of a haircut;
- lack of care;
- thuja Columna is a long-liver;
- ideal variety for creating a hedge;
- high frost resistance.
The use of thuja Columna in landscape design
Evergreen thuja Columna are an integral part of landscape design. Due to their beautiful appearance, they can be combined with other plants, and with proper care, Columna will delight with its appearance for many years.
Thuja Columna hedge
Tui is most often used to create a beautiful hedge. Such a green fence has the following advantages:
- unpretentiousness;
- beautiful appearance even without pruning;
- the ability to give the fence an original shape.
Such a natural fence will purify the air, protect the site from the views of uninvited guests, contain dust, and reduce noise.
Another important advantage – Tui Columna will fit into any landscape composition: they can be planted next to shrubs, flowers, and other conifers.
Features of reproduction
To propagate this type of thuja, you can use 2 methods:
- cuttings;
- planting with seeds.
To get the seeds of thuja Columna, a mature cone is needed, it is placed in a warm place where the scales open. After that, it is placed in water for several days, then planted in a pot of earth. Despite the fact that it takes a long time to grow a seedling, the specimens obtained in this way will be very hardy.
The method of propagation by cuttings of thuja Columna also has its advantages:
- the thuja Columna grown in this way retain all the signs of the mother tree;
- the opportunity to get a tree ready for planting 2-3 times faster than when propagated by seeds.
Preparation:
- The apical shoots are cut from the mother tree of the thuja Columna, it is best to choose adult specimens aged 5-9 years for this.
- The branch is broken off – it is not recommended to use a pruner for this. At the end of the shoot, a “heel” of the bark should remain. The optimal length is about 15 cm.
- The lower part of the cutting is cleaned of needles by about 2-3 cm. On contact with the ground, they can cause festering. If the bark exfoliates, it is also removed, and the top of the shoot is pinched. You can harvest cuttings at any time of the year.
Tui Columna seedlings are also sold in stores. No need to buy specimens with creases, other damage, the root system must be powerful, with no signs of rot. And it is better to give preference to a tree with a small clod of earth, in which case it will take root better.
Planting and caring for thuja Columna
Planting and caring for the Columna thuja is not difficult, the main thing is to adhere to all agrotechnical rules and follow the correct algorithm.
Recommended dates
It is recommended to carry out work in the spring, in which case the trees will have time to get stronger and will not die over the winter.
Site selection and soil preparation
When choosing a place for planting Thui Columna, it is better to give preference to either a sunny place or partial shade. If the thuja grows in a constant shade, it will quickly begin to wither. Areas with a draft will not work either.
The type of soil is not so important, but the tree develops best in fertile alkaline soil. But the level of air permeability of the soil is very important: if clay soils prevail on the site, it is required to use high-quality drainage, otherwise the roots will begin to rot during irrigation.
Landing algorithm
Landing Instructions:
- They dig a landing hole, the dimensions depend on the root system of the Thuja Columna. The minimum depth is 60 cm, the width is about 80-100 cm.
- A drainage layer of expanded clay, fine gravel with a layer of about 10 cm is laid on the bottom. A layer of sand, earth and peat is laid on top in a ratio of 1:2:1.
- Feed the seedling during spring planting. For each tree, 500 g of nitroammofoska are used.
- Place the seedling in the hole so that the root collar is at ground level. If you plant too deep or bring the root collar too high, this will lead to a rapid drying of the seedling.
Growing and care rules
Thuja Columna does not require careful care – according to the descriptions of gardeners, this culture is unpretentious. But in order for the tree to look neat and attractive, it should be properly watered, fed, and protected from pests.
Watering Schedule
After planting, the seedlings need to be watered once a week so that the root system can normally take root and grow. For each thuja – 1-10 liters of water, but if the weather is too hot and dry, you can increase it to 12 liters.
Some gardeners recommend sprinkling to make up for the lack of moisture. Also, with the help of sprinkling, you can “clean” the thuja by washing off the dust from it. It is enough to carry out such a procedure once every 1-2 weeks.
After watering, it is recommended to weed the near-stem circle. The soil is loosened to a depth of about 5-8 cm. And in order for moisture to linger in the soil longer, it is necessary to mulch the soil around the seedling.
Additional fertilizing
If fertilizers were used during planting, it is not necessary to feed the thuja over the next year. And for the next spring, it is recommended to apply about 100 g of complex fertilizers per square meter.
Trimming
To make the thuja look beautiful, in the fall it is necessary to carry out forming pruning: seedlings are cut in a circle by about 30% of the crown height. In the spring, sanitary work is carried out: old and frost-damaged branches are removed.
Preparation for winter
Tui have high frost resistance, can endure the coldest winters. Mature trees older than 3 years do not require any shelter, but if the winter is too cold, you can mulch the soil around using peat, straw, compost.
Young seedlings up to a year can be closed from the wind with a large plastic container – it is better to choose a 5-liter bottle. Trees from a year to three years are wrapped with spunbond or thick paper.
Pests and diseases
Among the insects that most often infect thuja, aphids are isolated. This is a small pest that actively eats the lower part of the tree. The main symptom of its appearance is yellowed and crumbling needles.
The most effective method is processing with Korbofos.
Another pest of the columnar thuja Columna is a false shield. This is a dangerous insect that can quickly destroy plantings. As a preventive measure, the tree should be treated with Aktellik, the composition is applied before the buds open. To destroy the pest, they use such means as Rogor and Antio.
Of the diseases of thuja Columna, rot usually affects: in this case, the branches first turn yellow, then become darker, and die off. To overcome the disease, it is necessary to spray the plantings 1-2 times a week until the thuja recovers.
Phytophthora thuja Columna is a dangerous fungal disease. Most often appears on trees that grow in too wet soil. As a preventive measure, it should be treated with fungicides.
Conclusion
Thuja Columna, due to its unpretentiousness, beautiful appearance, simple care, is becoming one of the most popular trees for decorating a suburban area. But in order to avoid the appearance of diseases, pests that most often attack thuja, it needs to be provided with proper care.
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