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In the works that describe the life of the Indians of America and Canada, one can find a mention of the “white cedar of life.” We are talking about the western thuja, many species of which grow on this continent. Now coniferous tree can be found all over the world. Thuya Sunkist is just one of many varieties of a popular plant in landscape design.
Description of the western thuja Sunkist
Thuja occidentalis belongs to the Cypress family. In the wild, trees can reach a height of 20 m. The description of Tui Sunkist is similar to the Lyuteya variety. It was this conifer that was used for the selection of Sunkist.
“Bunch of the sun” – this is the translation from English of the name of this low evergreen tree with bright golden needles. In the garden, thuja Sunkist grows up to 2 m. Rare specimens can reach no more than 5 m at the age of ten. A slow-growing tree with proper care adds a little more than 5 cm per year in height and width.
- Thuja Sunkist branches are vertical, slightly twisted.
- The shape of the crown is pyramidal.
- The color of the scaly needles varies from light yellow to bronze, seasonally.
- The root system of the thuja is located in the upper layer of the soil.
- The bark is smooth brown when young, and flakes off in even stripes as the tree ages.
- Greenish flowers are hardly noticeable in a dense crown.
- Fruit cones of a reddish hue contain several seeds.
The needles and wood of the western Sunkist arborvitae have a pleasant coniferous aroma. But, unlike pine and spruce, resin does not stand out on the bark of the conifer.
The use of Tui Sunkist in landscape design
A low-growing evergreen tree looks impressive all year round. The golden color of the needles goes well with green and red shrubs and ornamental plants in alpine hills.
On sites offering landscape gardening services, you can find many photos and descriptions of the Sunkist thuja in various decoration options.
Several varieties of thuja with different colors of needles can be planted in the front area of the garden. This will become a real decoration of the alley or rockery.
Western thuja Sunkist hedge can be grown around the site or covered with outbuildings. Western thuja tolerates a haircut to form a crown. A dense woven hedge of golden thuja Sunkist will not only create the necessary decorative effect, but also protect the site from the penetration of animals.
Western thuja Sunkist, as shown in the photo, goes well with ground cover plants. A frame of stones will give the evergreen tree a special touch.
Unpretentious decorative ephedra can be grown in containers. Miniature young trees of Tui Sunkist are used in landscape design.
Seedling photo:
Features of reproduction
Western thuja is propagated by seeds and cuttings. But, given that the Sunkist thuja is an artificially bred variety, varietal characteristics may be lost with the seed method of propagation of the culture. For breeding thuja western Sankist, it is better to use the vegetative method.
Reproduction by cuttings
Planting material of the western thuja Sunkist is harvested in late autumn. Root cuttings at a temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius. For the development of the root system, thuja Sunkist requires high humidity. Experts advise using indoor greenhouses or plastic bags for rooting cuttings.
Thuja Sunkist branches for propagation should be cut with a small piece of bark (heel) with a sharp knife so as not to damage the mother tree. The length of the workpiece should be about 15 cm. After that, it is necessary to remove the needles and small lower branches to the middle of the cutting.
The soil for rooting the western thuja must be disinfected. You can heat the substrate in the microwave. Boiled water should be used for irrigation.
For the rooting of one cutting of thuja, about a glass of a mixture of sand and soddy land is required. In order to increase moisture and air permeability, it is recommended to add vermiculite or foam chips. The soil should be moderately moist.
The stalk of the western thuja must be immersed in the substrate and tightly close the bag. In this state, rooting occurs in about a month. You need to keep the package with thuja on a bright window or use a backlight. The duration of daylight hours for the rapid germination of the western thuja is at least 13 – 14 hours.
It is not worth opening the package while rooting the thuja. The regrown roots are perfectly visible.
The seedling should be transplanted into a pot as soon as the root system develops. For further cultivation of thuja Sunkist, you can mix fertile soddy soil and coarse sand in a ratio of 2 to 1.
Algorithm of actions:
- Lay drainage at the bottom of the pot.
- Fill up some of the soil.
- Set the rooted cuttings of the thuja vertically.
- Pour the soil around the circumference of the container.
- Water and spray the plant.
- Place in a plastic bag and cover tightly for 2-3 days.
Tui seedlings can be opened no earlier than 3 days later. It is necessary to carefully accustom the plant to a decrease in humidity.
Rules of landing
When planting western thuja, it should be remembered that an evergreen tree will grow in one place for more than 10 years. It will be impossible to transplant an adult plant. The root of the western thuja Sunkist can grow up to a meter in depth.
Recommended dates
You can plant thuja in open ground from spring to autumn. But each landing period has its own characteristics.
Landing in the summer
When planting Tui Sunkist in the summer in open ground, it must be remembered that the roots of the plant are very sensitive to drying out. Therefore, you need to prepare a landing hole in advance and transplant a tree as soon as possible. It is recommended to do this until the air temperature exceeds 20 degrees Celsius. It is also necessary to shade the young tree to avoid drying out of the roots and burns of the needles.
Landing in autumn
The main problem of the autumn planting of thuja is subsidence of the soil. Even a healthy seedling is not yet able to stay in the soil due to the weakness of the root system. Therefore, when planting a thuja in the fall, props should be installed so that the wind or melting snow does not damage the tree.
Spring landing
The optimal time for planting western thuja in open ground is March-April. This period may vary slightly in different climatic zones. It is important to have time to plant the thuja before the start of sap flow.
At this time, all conifers begin active growth of shoots. Therefore, thuja planted in spring takes root easier. Before winter, the tree will have time to develop a sufficiently powerful root system so that it is not afraid of frost.
Site selection and soil preparation
Thuja Sunkist is shade tolerant and can grow in poor soils. But for the full development of decorative qualities, a tree needs fertile soil with neutral acidity. With a lack of lighting, the crown may grow disproportionately. And the golden color of the needles in the shade can change to greenish.
The soil for planting thuja should contain half of the turf land and the same amount of rotted manure or high-quality compost. On heavy soils, coarse sand can be added to the mix to increase air permeability.
It is possible to improve the nutritional properties of the soil by adding complex fertilizers (nitroammophoska, superphosphate).
Landing algorithm
Before removing the Sunkist thuja plant from the pot, you need to prepare the soil mixture and planting hole in order to minimize the time the thuja roots are in the open air. Sequencing:
- Dig up the earth and free from weeds.
- Prepare a landing pit 80*80*80.
- Prepare the soil.
- Lay a drainage layer up to 20 cm.
- Remove the seedling from the container along with a clod of earth.
- Set the plant in the hole.
- Sprinkle evenly with soil half and tamp.
- Pour a bucket of water to shrink the soil.
- Add the rest of the soil.
- Cover the near-trunk circle with mulch.
- Cover with a cloth from the sun.
When deepening the seedling, it should be remembered that the root neck should protrude above the soil level by at least 5-6 cm.
Growing rules
Thuja Sunkist care consists of regular feeding and watering. To give the tree a spectacular shape, pruning of young branches is required to form a crown.
Watering Schedule
In the first month after planting the Sunkist thuja in the ground, it is important to monitor the soil moisture. Up to 50 liters of fluid per seedling may be required per week. If the weather is dry and hot, then you need to moisten the soil every other day in the early morning or evening after the decrease in solar activity. Watering is important to produce under the root in the morning and sprinkling in the evening.
The soil in the near-stem circle of young plants can sag, forming holes. This can cause moisture stagnation and rotting of the root system. It is necessary to add soil until shrinkage is completed.
After watering, the soil must be loosened to a depth of 5 – 7 cm. Be sure to remove weeds so that the thuja does not have to share nutrients.
Additional fertilizing
For the first time, you need to feed the thuja Sunkist about six months after landing in the ground. In the spring, you can use ammonia preparations. For conifers, nutritious special mixtures of prolonged action are produced. They can be purchased in specialized stores. The preparations contain a full range of components that are required for the normal development and growth of ornamental evergreen coniferous trees and shrubs.
Trimming
Sanitary pruning of the western Sunkist thuja is carried out in the spring. At the same time, dry and damaged branches are removed, as well as part of the shoots, in order to provide air access to the internal branches.
To seal cuts and wounds on the bark, garden pitch or resin is used.
Formative crown pruning is best done in the fall, until the air temperature drops below 5 degrees Celsius. Partially remove branches protruding far from the crown.
Preparation for winter
Western thuja Sunkist tolerates cold weather well. It is necessary to insulate only young plants that did not have enough time to build up the root system. It is much more important to protect the tree from temperature changes and bright sunlight in the spring.
The trunk circle is covered with a thick layer of peat or compost mulch in autumn. The branches of young seedlings are tied with twine or twine and covered with lutrasil or any other covering fabric that does not prevent air from entering.
Shelter is removed in the spring after the snow melts.
Pests and diseases
Thuja Sunkist is quite resistant to fungal diseases. Despite this, Fusarium often affects weak plants. The first sign of the disease is a change in the color of the needles and drying of the branches. It is possible that the problems are caused by improper care. Often thuja Sunkist suffers from an excess of moisture and improper feeding. Therefore, before applying strong anti-fungal agents, it is necessary to regulate soil moisture and provide ventilation for the crown.
To combat the disease, standard means against plant diseases are used. Dry parts must be cut and burned. To protect trees, it is better to use systemic fungicides that protect the plant by penetrating into its parts.
Thuya Sunkist can be attacked by aphids or false shields. To protect against pests, standard preparations against leaf-eating insects or folk methods are used.
Conclusion
Thuya Sunkist is famous not only for its decorative qualities, but also for its unpretentiousness in care. This golden tree is able to decorate any site with minimal time spent on agrotechnical measures.