Many dream of their own personal plot where you can have a great time with your family or with close friends. A summer cottage is a place that should be cozy, because people come here to relax not only with their bodies, but also with their souls. Thuja is an evergreen coniferous plant that is used in landscaping to decorate a personal plot. The tree is unpretentious, so it is very easy to care for it. But in order for the plant to take root in a new place normally and please you with its beauty, you need to know what thuja is, planting and care in the Leningrad region for which are quite simple.
general information
Depending on the
variety, thuja can grow in the form of a bush or a low tree with lush branches and soft needles to the touch. Ornamental plants used to decorate the landscape of personal plots are smaller than their wild counterparts. The needles can be golden or gray with a silver tint. The tree survives excellently in poor environmental conditions and withstands harsh Russian winters.
Features of landing thuja
Many beginner gardeners who want to plant them in their garden, think about when to plant thuja: in spring or autumn. If the tree has an open root system, then there is no fundamental difference here. Nevertheless, planting in the spring is preferable, because the plant will have time to adapt in a new place before the onset of cold weather.
But in the nurseries of the Leningrad region, thujas are sold with a closed root system. Such seedlings must be planted exclusively in the warm season.
Features of spring planting
Despite the fact that thuja belongs to plants that love sunlight, it is better to plant it in shaded places, since an excess of light has a depressing effect on the plant, as a result of which it begins to dry out and the needles change their color.
The thuja tree or shrub perfectly takes root on any types of soil that pass moisture well to the root system, but do not delay it. Therefore, before planting seedlings in the garden, it is recommended to prepare a special substrate. This will require one part of sand, two parts of peat and humus, as well as three parts of turf land. It is also recommended to add any mineral fertilizers to this. This will significantly speed up the process of adapting the tree and strengthening the roots.
If you purchased planting material with an open root system, then while you take it to the cottage, the root system will dry out. To revive it, you need to immerse the roots for a short time in water. When choosing seedlings with a closed root system, great attention should be paid to its condition. Very often the plant is infected with various diseases, due to which it can die after planting in the garden.
How is the landing process?
Thuja, landing and care in the Leningrad region for which is very simple, develops best if you plant it in mid-spring. This is done in a pre-prepared hole, the dimensions of which depend on the size of the root system. The depth of the pit should be about 65 centimeters. If you want to plant several trees in the garden, then 2 meters should be left between them.
The whole landing process occurs as follows:
- If the thuja is planted in open ground on dense and heavy soil, a layer of sand of 20 centimeters is created at the bottom of the hole. This is necessary to remove excess moisture.
- On top of the sand drainage, part of the substrate is covered.
- The seedling is placed in the hole, after which its root system is sprinkled with the remaining substrate. In this case, the roots should peek out from under the ground.
- The soil is slightly compacted.
- The plant is watered with a copious amount of water so that the moisture reaches the very bottom of the hole.
- The hole is sprinkled with peat or grass.
Despite the fact that thuja, planting and caring for it in the Leningrad Region are very simple, tolerates Siberian winters well, mulching is mandatory, as freezing of the roots can cause the death of the plant.
Shrub care after planting
Tui love water, therefore it should be watered often and plentifully. With a lack of moisture, the plant gradually begins to fade, the needles acquire a yellow tint and begin to fall. In addition to watering, it is very important to create good conditions for growing thuja. To do this, take into account the climatic conditions of the region, the level of humidity and soil type. If the summer was hot and dry, then you need to water every three days.
The first time after planting a tree, you need to regularly remove weeds and fluff up the ground to provide air to the root system. Since the roots of the plant peek out from the ground, mulching is a must. In this case, peat litter should be periodically changed.
Thuja Smaragd, whose photos look simply magnificent, like, in principle, any other variety, needs spring dressing, which gives the tree strength and allows it to recover quickly after winter. Thuja is fed with any fertilizer intended for conifers, in which nitrogen is the main component.
If mineral fertilizers were added to the substrate, then the tree should be fed no earlier than two years after planting. In this case, fertilizers are added after the soil has thawed and warmed up a bit. So the root system will quickly absorb minerals and begin to actively develop. When feeding in frozen ground, the roots may begin to rot.
Spring rejuvenation of the plant
Thuja spherical, planting and gardening which are very simple, like other varieties of this tree, needs spring pruning. This is necessary in order to free the crown from old branches that began to dry out or were damaged. Trim should be no more than one third of the length of the branches. Rejuvenation not only allows you to give the crown a more attractive and neat appearance, but also stimulates branching.
If the summer is too hot, the branches may become weak. In this case, you should not wait for autumn, but you need to perform sanitary pruning. This will prevent the weakened shoots from dying off and restore their strength.
Before the onset of winter, the thuja plant slows its growth and begins to prepare for wintering. If your plot has dry soil, then the tree is watered with plenty of water.
Preparing the plant for wintering
Most species of plants tolerate severe Russian winters. But so that young trees do not die, it is recommended to protect them from severe frosts with the help of spruce branches. When the thuja grows up and gets stronger, then the main problem will not be frosts, but breaks of branches and burns of needles. Most often this happens in early spring, when the snow has already melted and does not protect the plant from the cold.
Thuya Smaragd, whose photo is simply mesmerizing, may lose its attractiveness due to burns or drying out due to freezing of the soil. These problems most often occur with tall trees with a lush crown.
To thuja normally wintered, it is necessary to perform a number of the following measures:
- rejuvenation;
- plentiful watering and hilling;
- peat mulching.
Thuja spherical, planting and care in the garden for which does not require special effort, as well as pyramidal shrubs, is tied. This is to prevent breaking branches. But it is not necessary to tighten too much, because in this case the branches can rot. As an alternative to tying, you can use special covers. You can buy them in stores for gardeners. To avoid burns, after the first snow falls they should sprinkle the crown of shrubs.
Features landing thuja Brabant
Planting thuja Brabant has certain differences from planting other species of this plant. The shrub perfectly takes root on any type of soil, but to accelerate its adaptation in a new place, it is recommended to prepare a special substrate. To do this, mix one part of sand, peat and humus, two parts of sod land, as well as 300-400 grams of nitroammophos.
The dimensions and depth of the hole depend on the size of the root system. If planting is carried out on heavy types of soil, then at the bottom of the pit, a drainage system must be made to prevent moisture stagnation and root decay. Before planting a seedling in a personal plot, it is worth a little to dry the earthen lump. But this should be done with extreme caution so as not to violate its integrity.
Propagation of the bush at home
Most often, gardeners resort to thuja propagation by cuttings. This is due to the fact that the seeds as planting material have poor germination. When planted, the plant is not as beautiful as when cuttings. For propagation from the bush, lignified branches of about 40 centimeters in length are cut and placed for some time in water. After a short period of time, they will take root, after which it will be possible to plant the cuttings in a container with a substrate. When the seedling is a little stronger and the root system is formed, it will be possible to plant it on a personal plot. This is best done in mid-spring so that the tree can adapt in a new place, as well as grow stronger and gain strength before the onset of winter. Using the propagation of thuja by cuttings, you can easily make a beautiful hedge from this shrub in your garden that will delight the eye.
The main problems in caring for the plant
Despite the unpretentiousness of the thuja, certain problems can arise in the process of caring for it.
Most often they are related:
- with improper landing or choosing the wrong place;
- with a weakening of the plant after winter;
- with the defeat of the plant by various harmful insects or diseases.
The thuja plant can suffer from fungal diseases and infections caused by various bacteria. As a result of this, the shrub begins to lose its attractive appearance, the needles turn yellow and begin to fall. If no action is taken in time, the plant may die. Fungicides are used to fight most diseases. Processing is performed twice with an interval of 2 weeks.
As for harmful insects, the thuja suffers from:
- ticks;
- aphids;
- mottled;
- leaflets;
- bark beetles;
- scale insects.
Preventive measures will help protect the plant from pests. To do this, in early spring, it is necessary to spray the bushes with a solution of insecticides. Reprocessing is performed two weeks after the first.
Selection of planting material
As mentioned earlier, thuja, landing and care in the Leningrad region for which are very simple, perfectly survives in any climatic conditions. But in order for the shrub to grow well and be healthy, it is very important to choose high-quality planting material. When choosing seedlings, consider the following aspects:
- On sale are already sprouted seedlings, ready for planting on open ground. At the same time, planting material can be both with an open and a closed root system. But in order not to purchase low-quality or diseased seedlings, it is recommended to buy them in specialized stores or nurseries. So you can not only be sure of the high quality of planting material, but also get advice from qualified specialists who will help you choose the variety that is most suitable for the climatic conditions and soil characteristics of your region.
- When choosing a seedling, carefully inspect the branches. On a bush there should not be any dried up or damaged branches.
- Swipe your needle over the needles: if it falls off, this indicates a low quality of the seedling.
- On the trunk of the plant should not be any spots. If they are found, then this is a sign that the technology was not followed when growing the seedling or the bush was struck by some disease, which, if possible, would have to be combated immediately.
You can also buy a young seedling, which first will need to be a little grow in a pot and only then planted in the garden in the open ground.
In addition to the tips and recommendations listed above, also pay attention to the variety of thuja that you buy. The thing is that different varieties of this plant have different preferences in the microclimate and, accordingly, different requirements for climatic conditions.
Conclusion
It turns out that caring for exotic plants in our climatic conditions is quite simple. Thuja is an unpretentious evergreen beautiful plant that will become a wonderful decoration of any homestead. Shrubs look good both on their own and as solid plantings. Adhering to the tips and recommendations given in this article, you can implement in your garden any landscape design project that will delight you and your loved ones with its beauty throughout the year.