There are many amazing plants, suitable for creating magnificent hedges in gardens, alleys and personal plots in a trendy Mediterranean style, as well as a single decoration, reminiscent of the shape of the Crimean cypress.
Among such plants, thuja western Kolumna stands out. This plant is rather unpretentious to soils, taking root both on acidic and alkaline fertile moist soils. It is sensitive only to compaction of the soil surface and loves partial shade.
The homeland of thuja is North America. Its name denotes the concept of "round pillar", which corresponds to the appearance of the plant.
Thuya Kolumna: description
This is a coniferous tree, reaching a height of 5 to 10 m. The diameter of its crown is about 1.5 meters. The annual increase in plant growth is 15-20 cm in height and up to 7 cm in width. Dark green shiny scaly needles retain their color even in winter. Rare brownish cones are oblong-ovate, about 1 cm long. The seeds in the cones are flat with two narrow wings and ripen in the first year in the fall.
It prefers loams, calmly tolerates both dry soil and excessive moisture. The main thing is that the plant is frost-resistant. A feature is its very slow growth.
The thuja Kolumna has a beautiful conical and dense crown, the photo above clearly demonstrates this.
Landing rules
When planting, be sure to observe a distance between plants of at least 0.5 meters. Moreover, in a hedge with a 2-row planting, it should be about 0.7 m, and when planting in a 1 row - 0.5 m. In the alleys, the recommended interval for planting trees is 4 m. The planting is 60-80 cm deep. The latter depends on the diameter of the crown and the height of the tree.
Thuja Kolumna grows well both in a lighted place and in partial shade. However, in sunnier areas, it may suffer slightly from temperature fluctuations (or dries out in the heat, or dehydrates from frost). He likes thuja, sheltered areas.
The root neck of the plant during planting should remain approximately at ground level. Soil composition suitable for thuja: peat, sand, leaf and turf land (1: 1: 2 ratio) with the addition of mineral fertilizers in the amount of 500 grams of nitroammophoska for each adult thuja. It can be planted on any soil: peaty, marshy, clayey, on dry sandy loam, etc. Drainage should be used (15-20 cm layer) if planted on underlying clay.
Care
Thuja Kolumna, like all plants, accepts fertilizers well. But, it should be remembered that spring dressing (complex fertilizer "Kemiru-universal") is applied after planting only after 1 year. 100-120 grams of fertilizer per 1 square meter is taken.
Watering is recommended as follows:
- after planting, the first month - once a week, 10 liters of water per plant (produce sprinkling in the same way);
- in the drier season - 15-20 liters per 1 plant, but sprinkling twice already.
In areas with dry soil and in the shade of the crown, thuja begin to thin.
Loosening should be carried out shallow (up to 10 cm) - this is due to the fact that the thuja root system is superficial. Mulching is recommended to be done with a layer of peat or wood chips (up to 7 cm). Also, dry shoots should be removed annually. If necessary (creating a hedge), the plant can be cut, but not more than a third of the length of the shoot and molded its crown.
In winter, in the first year after planting, the thuja Kolumna needs warming.
Aged plants are quite winter-hardy. The only drawback is that thuja needles undergo spring and winter burns. It is advisable to protect it from both spring and winter direct sunlight. For this purpose, the thuja is covered with spruce branches or special material.
Conclusion
Thuja Kolumna is a wonderful plant that gives any suburban area, alley and park zone an attractive look.
Since it is quite unpretentious, any amateur gardener can grow such an exotic plant, subject to the above characteristics and rules for caring for it.