The thuja plant belongs to the Cypress family. This exotic evergreen miracle can decorate any garden, house adjoining territory or summer cottage, and you can also make a beautiful green corridor or hedge out of it.
One of the most convenient and uncomplicated ways of propagating thuja is the cuttings of a plant. This is a very convenient and effective method that perfectly preserves the varietal qualities of thuja, and allows you to get a full-fledged tree in just 2-3 years. It is quite possible to grow thaw from a twig at home.
Thuja
This is a symmetrical conical evergreen tree or shrub with a fairly dense crown. The needles are scaly, dense and lying crosswise. All varieties of this plant have a characteristic aroma. Cones and flowers are either invisible or not formed at all.
How to grow thuja from a twig? Not so difficult. I can’t even believe that a full tree or bush can be obtained from the cuttings. In height, an adult plant can reach 70 meters with a trunk diameter of up to 6 meters. Young plants have soft needles, and in adults it becomes scaly and crosswise opposite. Their cones are oval or oblong with scales in an amount of two to six pairs, of which the upper ones are sterile, and the rest carry 1-2 (sometimes 3) ovules. Flat with two narrow wings, the seeds ripen in the first year of life, in the fall.
Thuja is undemanding to the growing conditions, tolerates the smoke and dustiness of urban air, is frost-resistant and is widely used in landscape gardening. Thuja is usually grown in open ground.
Propagation Features
How to grow a tree from a thuja branch? A more detailed story about this method of growing plants is presented later in the article. In the meantime, consider some of the features of reproduction.
Due to its unpretentiousness and resistance to frost, this plant is often used for landscaping house areas. But thuja is a relatively expensive pleasure, so it is best and not so difficult to breed them yourself. Even beginner gardeners can do this.
Two ways of reproduction:
- by seeds;
- twigs and cuttings.
The first method is quite painstaking and long, it takes 6 years. In addition, it is generally accepted that plants grown from cuttings are more hardy. It is also not advisable to propagate thuja seeds of decorative varieties with seeds. The best way to reproduce is with branches.
Cuttings for propagation
How to grow thuja from a twig? At home, the reproduction of this plant for many gardeners is a familiar thing. For spring cuttings of thuja, you should choose the most beautiful branches of a young plant that has not yet had time to numb (age no more than 3 years). It is best to cut green half-meter cuttings with a small piece of wood bark at the end. The best time to hold such an event is the morning of a cloudy day. Tear off the selected stem should be a sharp downward movement.
The tip of a torn shoot with a “tree heel” is necessary as the basis for new roots. If the bark exfoliates, it needs to be slightly leveled, cleaned with a knife. Otherwise, the stalk will either rot or dry. Their lower part should be freed from needles, in order to avoid the formation of rot when in contact with the sand.
When thinking about how to grow thaw from a twig, it is important to remember one more condition: if the stalk is taken from the tops of the axial shoots of the plant, the tree will grow branched, and when it is cut from the side branches, the bush will have a creeping shape.
Cuttings should be soaked in Kornevin during the day, after which they should be planted in wooden crates with large river sand. To ensure air intake, holes should be made at the bottom, and brick supports should be installed at the edges of the box.
Breeding periods
The answer to the question whether it can be grown from a branch is unambiguous. Of course you can. When is the best time to host such an event? Cuttings are preferably carried out in the spring, since it is at this time of year that all processes occurring in living nature are faster. And in the thuja (in its shoots), the movement of juices intensifies, so the cut stalk will take the first roots much faster. Reproduction is usually carried out from late March to early April. If this period is skipped, cuttings can be carried out in June.
There is some danger that the branches planted for germination may fall under spring frosts. This can be avoided by installing a box with cuttings in a greenhouse with a film.
How to grow thaw from a twig in the summer? Summer cutting of cuttings occurs in the second wave of plant growth. During this period, sufficient watering of the substrate, where the formation of the roots of the twig occurs, is important. All the time you need to monitor the frequency of irrigation and soil moisture. Seedlings can be severely affected by summer heat. Therefore, the plant should be sprayed all the time with a spray gun (twice in the morning and evening).
It should be noted that thuja can be reproduced both in the substrate and in water. A torn twig almost equally takes root both in a glass of water and in the ground.
Soil preparation
Sand must be boiled before disinfection. To do this, you need to put it in an enameled bucket, pour water and boil for five minutes, and then cool it and drain the water.
Do not wait for it to dry. Add ½ cup 3% potassium permanganate solution, and, stirring, pour into boxes.
Planting and care of cuttings
How to quickly grow thuja from a twig? To do this, all activities should be carried out in accordance with the following rules.
- Make holes at an angle of 45 degrees using a peg (the distance from one to the other is about 5 centimeters). Cuttings should be deepened by 2 centimeters, compacted and watered. Set drawers in a shaded place.
- In case of frost, seedlings should be covered with polyethylene.
- For favorable rooting of cuttings, it is necessary to maintain a sufficiently high air humidity (up to 70%) with a temperature of 18–23 ° C. At a higher temperature, the film must be removed and the plant covered with moist gauze.
- Spray daily for two months (twice a day in hot weather).
- Ventilate the greenhouse regularly. When it is covered with a film, then water the soil, and if it is under gauze, spray it.
It should be noted about another unusual, but beloved by professional gardeners, method of growing arborvitae from cuttings. This is rooted in potatoes. Starch and potato juice help to quickly develop the root system.
Here we came to an important point in the answer to the question, how to grow thuja from a branch? In autumn, cuttings should be transplanted to a bed or in other containers (for example, flowerpots) for further growth of the shoots. Immediately in open ground should not be planted sprout. First, the plant needs to be hardened, for which the box must sometimes be taken outside to get used to the natural environment.
About 2 months after planting, the sprout is finally rooted. A good sign is the appearance of buds on the handle.
Landing
How to plant a thuja from a twig into the ground? For this, first of all, you should take care of the most convenient place for it and prepare the soil mixture. Before you start growing thuja, you need to consider all the features of the future existence of the plant. For him, it is necessary to choose a place well warmed by the sun. The sun's rays should visit the plant growth area in the first half of the day, and partial shade from neighboring vegetation should reign in the second half. The soil mixture should consist of sand, peat and sod land (equal proportions). Moreover, the soil mixture must be disinfected with potassium permanganate (3%).
It should be noted that the size of the rhizome in the cuttings is normally not small - 8-10 cm. After planting the seedlings in the soil, they should be covered with a film. For the winter it is better to remove it, and instead of the greenhouse, cover the plant with needles or fallen leaves. These seedlings are germinated for 2-3 years, and they should be regularly weeded and watered.
Signs that the plant has taken root are the emergence of new young shoots. In the spring, cuttings wake up, and the roots begin active growth. Therefore, after the end of spring frosts, seedlings should be transplanted to a permanent place, digging them together with the ground.
Features of planting a young plant
Before planting a plant in open ground, put a mixture of compost, manure and garden soil into the hole. The root system of the thuja should not be broken, and the root neck should be left above the ground.
After planting the plant, it should be watered abundantly and put pine bark or sawdust on top, which will protect the root system of the plant. Mulch should not cover the lower branches of the arborvitae, as they can block.
Care for young seedlings
How to grow thuja from a twig? How to care for her?
Rules for the care of young seedlings:
- once a week to pour ten liters of water;
- to moisten the branches and wash off the dust, spray them with clean water from the spray gun;
- regularly weed;
- to top dress;
- for the winter period, cover with fallen leaves or spruce branches;
- to clean from shelter in the spring and then to look after as before.
In the spring, cut dry branches with secateurs and then periodically give shape to the plant (otherwise it will turn into a shapeless bush). Posh tree can be a reward for all the efforts that will be made during the cultivation of the cuttings.
Finally
In order to get real pleasure from the process of growing a plant from scratch and save money, it is best not to buy seedlings, but to produce thuja yourself. Given and observing all the recommendations of professional gardeners, this is very simple. The reproduction of thuja branches and cuttings is quite an interesting and fascinating process.