Thuja western Smaragd (Smaragd): photo and description, size, frost resistance, planting and care

Thuya Smaragd belongs to the tall trees of the cypress family. An ornamental plant has the shape of a pyramid. A distinctive feature of the variety is the preservation of green color even in winter.

An unpretentious plant makes the garden unique, cozy at any time of the year.

You should know the features of growing thuja, caring for it, methods of reproduction in order to avoid problems during planting and further cultivation.

Description tui Smaragd

According to the description and photo, the western thuja Smaragd has one of the best conical shapes.

The crown of the conifer is narrow, dense, pyramidal. Variety bred in Denmark. The plant grows quickly. Its needles are scaly, bright green, dense. The branches are vertical.

Cones – brown, rare. Their shape is oval, elongated, up to 1 cm long.

The average lifespan of a plant is 130 years. The tree grows quickly. The annual growth is 20 cm high and about 5 cm wide.

Ephedra is widely used for hedges and in single plantings. Unlike the Columna variety, Smaragd grows more slowly and has brighter needles, and in adulthood it is 3 m shorter. The main difference is that Columna has a cylindrical crown shape.

Thuja is able to tolerate polluted air, saturating it with useful phytoncides, especially during flowering. The culture is frost-resistant, not demanding on soils, unpretentious in care.

Dimensions of an adult plant thuja Smaragd

With a fairly rapid growth, the height of an adult thuja Smaragd is 5 – 6 m. This should be remembered when determining the landing site, since after a few years a tree grows that can close the view. There are varieties of thuja Smaragd, having a height of up to 3 m, which allows them to be successfully used for hedges. The width of the crown is 70 – 80 cm. Trees are planted at a distance of 50 cm from each other.

The growth rate of thuja depends on the variety and averages 25 cm per year.

Varieties and varieties of western thuja Smaragd

There are several popular varieties of thuja Smaragd, differing in the height of plants in adulthood, the rate of annual growth, and appearance:

• Sunny Emerald – with a conical shape of the crown and golden-green needles, the maximum height of the plant is 3 m;

  

• Golden Emerald – has a crown of golden color, short, densely spaced shoots, the height of the conifer in adulthood is 10 m;

  

• Smaragd Variegata – the crown of the tree is conical, narrow, bright green, the ends of the shoots are white;

  

• Emerald Whitbont – one of the slowest growing varieties of thuja, which is ideal for creating hedges, a crown 2 m high is pyramidal, green-cream in color;

  

• Spotty Smaragd – the tree has a magnificent appearance, a pyramidal crown, green needles with light speckles;

  

• Spiral – thuja with a unique spiral crown shape, looks perfect in single plantings.

  

The use of thuja Smaragd in landscape design

Tui Smaragd has clear and slender forms, so most often it is used as a fence for paths in parks, squares, and in an urban environment.

Tui look great singly and in groups. Even a single tree, located on a neatly trimmed lawn, looks impressive.

Groups of five to seven plants planted together emphasize the geometry of the site, make it clearer, more organic.

Thuja Smaragd is appropriate near ponds, the entrance to the house, as well as the garden.

A hedge from thuja Smaragd

As you can see in the photo, in landscape design, thuja Smaragd are most successfully used to create spectacular hedges.

Slender trees, densely planted in relation to each other, can replace any fence – stone, metal, brick. Just such a fence consists in the retention and absorption of dust and harmful substances emitted by transport, protection from wind, noise. Such a fence gives the site privacy, comfort. Caring for a hedge is simple – it is enough to cut it on time.

How can I propagate thuja Smaragd

There are several ways to propagate thuja Smaragd. Among them:

• seminal – only fresh material for sowing is used, since germination is lost after a year, the characteristics of the variety may not be preserved after growing thuja from seeds;
• horizontal layering – does not guarantee the preservation of the shape of the crown;
• cuttings – the most commonly used method, which uses lateral branches with a heel that can take root well.

Layers

Thuya Smaragd is a plant that can be propagated using layering, but this method does not give a guaranteed result of preserving the pyramidal shape of the crown.

For rooting, one of the lower branches of the thuja is bent to the ground and pinned into a pre-prepared groove. It is covered with soil, and the top of the shoot is set in a vertical position. Often, lopsided seedlings grow from rooted branches, the shape of which can be gradually corrected. Rooting takes about a year, after which the seedling is separated from the mother plant and transferred to a permanent place.

Cuttings

Using the vegetative method, all types of thuja are propagated. Harvesting of cuttings is carried out in early spring, when the plant has not yet activated. Cut mature branches 10 – 12 cm long and 1 cm thick. The cut is made at an angle of 45^o. You can also not cut, but pick a stalk with a piece of bark and wood. All branches are removed, except for the top, and the cut is treated with a root formation stimulator. The cuttings are planted in a soil mixture consisting of sand, humus and vermiculite in equal proportions. The soil is compacted, watered, the shoots are covered with a film to create a microclimate.

Once the cuttings start growing, it means they are rooted but not ready to be transplanted because the root system is small and fragile. Therefore, seedlings should be grown and only after a year or two should they be planted in a permanent place.

Planting and caring for thuja Smaragd

Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, planting and caring for the western Samgard thuja must follow certain rules:

1. Choose a place according to the needs of the plant.
2. Buy a seedling without damage, with healthy needles and root system.
3. Find soil that is well-drained, moist, breathable.
4. Regularly fertilize and water.
5. Carry out sanitary and periodic pruning.
6. Carry out pest and disease control of thuja.
7. Protect young seedlings from burns.
8. Prepare plants for winter.

Recommended dates

The optimal time for planting thuja Smaragd is spring. Experts advise doing this as early as possible so that the plant has a margin of time to adapt to new conditions and prepare for wintering. As soon as weather and climatic conditions allow, the seedling is placed in open ground.

In autumn, thuja Smaragd takes root worse. Sometimes she does not have enough time to root. To improve the habituation of seedlings, it is worth purchasing plants with a closed root system. In case of violation of agricultural technology, the tree starts growing for a long time in the spring, slowly developing.

Site selection and soil preparation

Thuja Smaragd turns yellow if planted incorrectly. It requires a sunny location with full light for at least four hours a day. Variegated varieties do not lose color in the shade, but their growth is greatly slowed down.

When planting a thuja close to other trees and shrubs, its crown can bend, form one-sidedly. Even after removing vegetation or transplanting a seedling, this is difficult to fix.

For thuja Smaragd, soil that is light and nutritious is suitable. The tree grows well on loamy or clay soil enriched with peat, humus, it also feels good on drained soils.

At what distance to plant thuja Smaragd

When planting thuja Smaragd, a distance of 60 cm is left between plants: it provides dense, dense vegetation, a hedge that can protect the site from wind, snow drifts, and dust. To increase the density, a two-row arrangement of seedlings is used. The distance between the rows is 1 m. In this case, the thuja are arranged in a checkerboard pattern, do not interfere with each other and develop normally, fully.

Do not plant a crop in the shade of deciduous and tall coniferous trees to avoid asymmetrical crown growth. The distance between plants should be at least 4 – 5 m. Perennial flowering plants and ornamental shrubs, which are small in height, do not interfere with the development of thuja and can be located next to the crown if they are shade-tolerant.

Algorithm for landing thuja Smaragd

When planting a thuja, you should follow a certain scheme:

1. Prepare a planting hole twice as large as the root ball.
2. Lay drainage from broken bricks, pebbles, expanded clay.
3. Make a soil mixture of peat, sand and loam.
4. Place it in the hole with a mound.
5. Set the seedling in the center of the planting hole on a mound.
6. Fill voids with soil mixture.
7. Place the root neck at ground level.
8. Water the plant.
9. Mulch the trunk circle.
10. Shade the seedling.

Rules for growing thuja Smaragd

By following simple rules, you can grow healthy beautiful trees that have a spectacular appearance and fit into the composition and design of the site.

The description of the thuja Smaragd and the care of it involve the implementation of a number of necessary measures.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

Frequent regular watering is required for a newly planted young plant. Later, moisturizing should be carried out less frequently, since the Smaragd thuja better tolerates a lack of moisture than its excess.

Trees planted in spring require watering once a week. In hot weather, it is worth double the multiplicity.

Sprinkling is very useful for arborvitae, which helps to remove dust from the needles and open the pores. The plant begins to “breathe” and emit a coniferous aroma. Spraying in the evening helps to nourish the needles with moisture that evaporates in the heat.

Abundant watering is required before wintering if the autumn is dry and warm. Do not do this in rainy weather.

Trimming

There are two main types of pruning thuja Smaragd:

• sanitary;
• formative.

The first is necessary to remove old, diseased or damaged shoots. Formative pruning is carried out to change the shape of the crown or to give a more accurate appearance to the plants.

Shearing is carried out in the spring, 10 days after the average daily temperature rises to 10 ^oWith or summer, after flowering.

Preparation for winter

An adult plant does not need shelter for the winter. Protection is required only for young, not strong seedlings of the thuja Smaragd. For this purpose, special frames are prepared, on which the non-woven material is later stretched. It is possible to use bags that are put directly on the plants. The root system should be additionally insulated by increasing the layer of foliage mulch mixed with the soil. These events are held at the end of autumn. You should not fill up the thuja with snow in winter. This can lead to underheating of seedlings.

In the spring, shelters are removed gradually, thereby preventing the needles from burning.

Tips for Beginners

Starting to grow thuja, you should know:

• sunny places or light partial shade are suitable for its landing;
• in a dense shade, the needles will fade, and the crown will thin out;
• the soil should be breathable, loose, moist;
• the landing pit is prepared in advance, its average size is 70 by 100 cm;
• the root neck should be located above the soil surface;
• it is necessary to humidify the air around the crown so that the needles do not dry and crumble;
• it is impossible to leave a seedling of thuja Smaragd in the winter in an apartment or house, the container with the plant must be dug in the street until spring.

What is the danger of planting thuja Smaragd in the house

Recently, planting thuja in the house, on the veranda, balcony, terrace has become very popular. The plant is very decorative, creates comfort around itself, coniferous aroma. According to the description and photo, the size of the Smaragd arborvitae, the volume of the root system suggest its cultivation in open ground conditions, on the street, where there is enough space and nutrients in the soil.

Growing in a pot or tub causes the roots to dry out in the summer and the roots to freeze in the winter. It is dangerous to leave the plant in the room for the winter. At home, thuja will not be able to survive, because the tree needs a dormant period.

How fast thuja Smaragd grows

It will take several years for Tuya Smaragd to reach its maximum height. Depending on the variety, the annual growth is from 10 cm to 50 cm. Life expectancy is from 50 to 150 years. The tree grows quite quickly and after 4 years reaches a height of 2,5 m. The diameter of its crown at this moment is about 70 – 80 cm. The ability to accelerate growth is used to create plant hedges in a short time.

How to accelerate the growth of thuja Smaragd

To speed up the growth of thuja, gardeners use several simple and well-known methods:

1. Carry out regular watering and sprinkling of the crown, avoiding waterlogging of the soil.
2. From the fourth year of life, pruning of the tops of the shoots begins, which contributes to a more intensive growth of thuja branches.
3. Carry out potash, phosphorus top dressing, which increase and accelerate the annual growth.

How to thicken the crown at the root of thuja Smaragd

Do not be afraid to trim the top of the thuja if it is very stretched or dried out. After shortening, healthy branches receive enhanced nutrition, due to which the crown becomes thicker, it is possible to give it a new interesting shape. The top will recover over time. It is recommended to carry out such pruning at least once every two years.

Pests and diseases of Tui Smaragd

Thuja is resistant to diseases and pests, but when the soil is waterlogged, using fresh manure as a top dressing, a number of fungal diseases can develop in the plant: brown shoots; rust; shutte; late blight.

To combat them, fungicides, Bordeaux liquid are used.

The main pests of thuja include weevil; spider mite; wireworm; thuja moth; aphid.

They get rid of them with the help of insecticides and folk remedies. Heavily damaged shoots are removed and disposed of.

Conclusion

Thuya Smaragd is a wonderful tree that can grow on any soil, except for marshy ones. It looks great as a fence, individual and group plantings. Its rapid growth and unpretentiousness in care is the reason for its extraordinary popularity among gardeners.

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