How to plant emerald thujas arbor.?
Question:Please give me some advise. Our soil is mostly clay. We have a 20 thujas, and want to to privacy fence. Those thujas are 5' tall. How fast are they growing? I have no information on these shrubs at all.
Answers:
Emerald green arborvitae is what I like to call the 'Home Depot' arborvite as this has been the only arborvitae, until recently, that you could buy at Home Depot. The biggest problem that you are going to encounter with this arborvitae is its multistemmed habit. If you live where there can be significant, wet snow falls, then snow loads can seperate and split the multiple stems. To prevent this damage, tie up the tops of your arborvitae at the start of winter and untie them after the risk of heavy snowfalls has past in spring.
Here are the planting directions from the University of Illinois Extension Service:
"Dig the hole only as deep as the tree or shrub was originally planted. Roots of trees and shrubs planted too deeply will suffocate from lack of air and the trunks are prone to rots. The diameter of the hole should be up to twice the width of the root ball. The hole should be shaped like a bowl. Loosen or rough up the sides and bottom of the hole so roots can easily penetrate into the surrounding soil.
Place the B&B plant into the hole by lifting it by the rootball or twine. Never lift a plant by the trunk. Remove all of the twine. Make sure none is left around the trunk. Either cut off most of the burlap or tuck it down around the base of the rootball. Burlap left above the ground will act as a wick and dry the roots after planting.
Trees or shrubs in containers or pots should always be removed from the pot. Paper or fiberboard containers do not decompose fast enough for good root growth. Using a utility knife, make four evenly spaced vertical cuts, about one inch deep, in the rootball. If the bottom of the rootball is packed with roots, cut an X in the bottom, too. Tightly packed root systems and circling roots will not grow out into the surrounding soil after planting. By cutting the roots and loosening the rootball, the roots will branch and spread outward. Growth may be slowed initially but the plant will have a much larger and healthier root system in the long run. Set the plant into the planting hole, making sure it is at the same depth as before.
Refill the hole halfway with the same soil that came out of the hole. In general do not enrich the soil with compost or peat. In extremely sandy soils, peat or compost may be added to increase water retention. If the trees or shrubs are going into a large planting bed, the entire bed may be amended with organic matter prior to planting.
Add water to the half-filled hole and allow the water to penetrate. Then fill the hole the rest of the way and water again. Cover the bare soil with a two to three inch deep layer of organic mulch. Mulch should thin to nothing at the base of the plant.
Trees less than four inches in diameter in protected yards do not need to be staked. The tree flexing in the wind strengthens the trunk as it grows. Trees four inches or larger, trees in windy areas, or trees that may be bumped by people or pets need staking.
Water as needed by checking at the edge of the planting hole once or twice a week to see if the soil is moist at the six-inch depth. Over watering is as damaging as under watering."
Emerald green arborvitae do adapt well to many types of soils including clays. They prefer a moist, well drained soil with a pH range of 5.2 (acidic) to 7.0 (neutral). They perform best is full sun locations. They are slow growers, so do not expect to see fast results.
Thuja occidentialis (Emerald) is neat, dense growing, narrow cone to 10-15 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. They grow best in well-drained soil.
Good Luck!!
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