Planting a thuja hedge is child's play. And caring for the hedge is also very easy. You don't have to pay much attention to this.
Thuja is preferably planted as a hedge. This is not only a visual enrichment for every garden, but also fulfills practical functions. If a natural privacy screen is to be provided, the trees of life are an excellent choice. A thuja hedge will grow quite quickly, enhances the winter garden even in the cold season and is easy to maintain and trim. The cypress plants form different crown shapes. Narrow and conical growing species can reach a height of up to 15 meters. If you want a smaller hedge, you can opt for spherical varieties that only grow about three to four meters high, are very easy to cut and are ideal as beginner plants.
When should the thuja hedge be planted?
The Thuja hedge can be planted in spring or late summer. Spring is preferable because rooting will take place more quickly than if planted before winter. You can start planting as soon as the ground is frost-free and has warmed up slightly. The months of April and May are considered the ideal planting time.
How should the planting distance be chosen?
If the goal is a particularly dense thuja hedge, the young plants should not be too close together. The plants grow quite quickly and would get in the way of their development if they were too narrow. Ultimately, growth would be hampered just as nutrient uptake could no longer be guaranteed to the same extent for each plant. A planting distance of 40 to 45 centimeters is recommended so that each plant can develop optimally.
Tip:
Don't be discouraged by initial gaps between young plants. These will close fairly quickly and with proper care the plants will grow into a dense and he althy hedge.
Which Thuja species are suitable for hedge planting?
| Thuja Style | Species Description |
|---|---|
| Thuja Brabant | This particularly strong plant is very suitable for hedges. Because the plant has multiple stems, you can quickly gain reliable privacy protection. Advantages: ❍ Fast growth ❍ Easy to care for ❍ opaque ❍ strong Disadvantages: ❍ does not tolerate drought ❍ Avoid cutting back into old wood |
| Thuja Excelsa | The plant is also known as the giant arborvitae, grows quickly and is a popular plant for beginners. The lush green and shiny leaves are an ornament all year round. Advantages: ❍ grows quickly ❍ withstands severe frosts ❍ strong, attractive foliage Disadvantages: ❍ Does not tolerate longer dry periods ❍ Avoid cutting back into old wood |
| Thuja Emerald | The Thuja Smaragd impresses with its deep green foliage and grows into a compact hedge. However, this takes some time. Advantages: ❍ vigorous ❍ grows dense ❍ attractive foliage ❍ easy to maintain Disadvantages: ❍ does not tolerate prolonged drought ❍ grows slowly |
The ideal location for the thuja hedge
The location of the thuja hedge needs to be carefully considered, because the initially small plants will grow into a stately hedge, which later cannot be easily transplanted and moved. Trees of life generally thrive best in sunny to partially shaded locations. Too dark a location could affect growth. If the plants can absorb rainwater, this promotes growth and he althy development. Therefore, locations under trees are not recommended. You should also keep in mind that the plants are sensitive to road s alt. Placing it at the side of a path or road is therefore less recommended.
What should the floor be like?
Thujen don't like locations that are too dry. A fresh soil that can store moisture well is ideal. Before planting, you should loosen the soil a little. You can mix in hummus, peat or compost. In this way, the young plants are supplied with sufficient nutrients and can grow well. Thujas tolerate sandy and too acidic soil less well.
Planting a Thuja hedge - step-by-step instructions
- Select location.
- Measure area.
- Set number of plants.
- Dig a planting ditch (in doubleroot ball width).
- Loosen the subsoil and remove roots, stones and other deposits.
- Work the compost into the soil.
- Water the root ball until no more air bubbles rise.
- Lightly loosen the root balls.
- Plant carefully and straight.
- Fill the planting trench with soil.
- Gently step on the ground.
- Water plants well.
- Fit a windbreak in less sheltered locations.
Water and fertilize Thuja hedge
Young plants should always be supplied with sufficient moisture. Older plants require less water. Free-standing Thuja hedges can then absorb the necessary moisture from the rainwater. On dry, hot summers, however, occasional watering should not be missed. If you put bark mulch on the ground, the moisture can be stored better and the thuja hedge is usually supplied with sufficient moisture even on hot days.
Mix compost into the soil during planting to ensure long-term fertilization. In addition, you can feed the plants with a special fertilizer for hedge plants once a year. Make sure you have a high magnesium and nitrogen content. From August there should be no more fertilization so that the plants can prepare for hibernation.
Cutting the Thuja hedge - what should be considered?
Even though the thuja hedge should grow as quickly as possible and protect against prying eyes, you must not neglect the pruning of the arborvitae. Thujen tolerate pruning very well.
When should a trimming be done?
Thuja hedges can be cut in early spring when no new shoots have formed. In spring, larger hedges can also be pruned vigorously. Trees of life can also be pruned in early summer. You can take advantage of the growth break of the plants in June. The resulting wounds can close evenly, since the plant is growing less quickly at this point.
The best pruning result is achieved on days when the sky remains cloudy. Focus on the young shoots. Cuts that are too deep can cause holes. These disturb the harmonious overall picture of the hedge and it takes a long time before natural and closed growth is restored.
Note:
Thuja hedges not only offer an attractive privacy screen, they are alsopopular hiding places for birds. Before you use the scissors, you should check whether there are inhabited bird nests in the dense branches. If this is the case, defer trimming the hedge until the young birds have fledged.
Important: protect interfaces in heat
Thuja hedges are considered robust and hardy. However, this does not apply to the fresh interfaces. These are particularly vulnerable and can, for example, burn when exposed to high heat and make the plant vulnerable to pests and fungal infestation. Hedges should therefore not be trimmed on sunny days, if possible. If this cannot be avoided, the following measures can be helpful:
- electric hedge trimmers ensure a fast, precise cut
- Cover interfaces with garden fleece
- leave fleece on the plant overnight if exposed to strong sunlight
Overwinter Thuja hedge correctly
Due to the evergreen foliage, the hedge made of thujas is also very attractive in the cold season. Once the young plants have grown into a stately hedge, they prove to be robust and hardy. Varieties are commercially available that are hardy down to -35 degrees and can therefore withstand even the most severe frosts. Even the plants offered with a winter hardiness of down to -25 degrees should survive the winter in our latitudes unscathed. But always make sure that the plants are sufficiently supplied with liquid even in dry winters.
If you keep the thujas as a mobile hedge, i.e. in one or more planters, then you must protect these vessels well in winter. You can find out more about this in our article Overwintering Thuja - Tips for overwintering outdoors and in tubs.
By the way:
If the leaves turn brown in winter, this is a natural process, which serves to adapt to the cold season, there is no reason to worry. On the other hand, if the thujas turn brown and die, this can be due to the so-called miner moth. More on this in our article Thuja is turning brown - leaf miner is to blame.