In many countries of the world, thuja is considered almost the best “material” for acquiring the skills of topiary cutting of conifers. She has high decorative properties, persisting all year round, varied in color and shape, does not require careful care, and, most importantly, grows slowly. The last fact is encouraging because pruning the tree will be rare and not too labor-intensive.
Why trim thuja?
What can be gained as a result of patience and effort? Look at the examples of topiary art located in the garden adjacent to the English estate of Hall in England, and everything will immediately fall into place.
There, fancy chess pieces, realistic outlines of lions, peacocks and geometric shapes, whose age reaches three centuries!
The plasticity and flexibility of the branches is what gives the shape of the crown the outlines of letters, numbers, people and animals. But this does not mean at all that the first time you will be able to trim the thuja in such a way that the most famous landscape designers will envy. This is a labor-intensive activity that requires patience and special skills, imagination and perseverance at the same time.
Well, while you are gaining relevant experience, try trimming your thuja in the spring and give it a simple geometric shape, decorating the area with a green cone, ball or pyramid.
Basic rules for cutting thuja
Pruning and formation of evergreen thuja begins a year after it takes root in a new place. If the specimen has been well acclimatized and is in a healthy condition, then it is permissible to begin realizing your artistic ideas.
Do this taking into account the following nuances:
When is the best time to prune?
In order for the seedling to tolerate the execution well, it is important to know exactly what time of year it is carried out.
In reality, pruning the thuja plant is acceptable and in early spring, and hot summer, and even late autumn.
The main “resolving” parameter is the average daily temperature, which should be +4 °C, but not lower.
Yet again, different varieties Thujas have their own expiration dates for resin, and therefore it is better for beginners to prune at "golden mean" season, namely in the second half of summer and early autumn.
Care after pruning comes down to the following activities:
- Loosening the tree trunk area and getting rid of weeds;
- Mulching the growing area with porous and fertile natural materials;
- Spraying the crown with growth stimulants such as Epin or Zircon.
Horizontal crown formation
If pruning your thuja plant in early spring isn't something you want to do every year, try forcing it to grow horizontally using weights suspended from the branches. They can become plastic bottles, filled with sand, pegs driven into the ground and even wire, forcing young branches to bend in a bizarre way. For the winter, such “corsets” are removed, and everything unnecessary is cut off.
Curvy babes
In order for the spherical thuja to have a neat cone-shaped shape, it will have to be trimmed three times a season. To do this, a rope is tied to the top, the second end of which is wound to a peg driven into the ground.
Excess greenery is trimmed along this improvised side of the triangle. The correct cone will appear by moving a peg with a rope around the circle.
Spiral outlines also appear quite simply: wrap the tree with tape, tape, or even paint it water-based paint from a can, taking into account the angle of the spiral.
This perennial like thuja, it belongs to the cypress family. The original shape of the thuja has made it popular among gardeners. This plant has many varieties; it is quite undemanding to growing conditions.
For many decades, it is the thuja that has been used in landscape design to create unique hedges, as well as individual elements natural landscape.
With a professional approach, you can do beautiful shape this plant.
In order for the thuja to have a beautiful shape, the pruning procedure must be carried out in a timely and professional manner. Data care green plant involves removing damaged branches, in which case the plant will have a chance to renew itself, the crown of the thuja will be beautiful and lush.
Let's analyze the rules for pruning thuja, as well as the timing of such activities. To prune thuja, you will need sharp garden pruners, as well as a growth stimulator. Optimal time Experts call the beginning of April for pruning thuja. In order for the crown of the plant to have a beautiful shape, pruning should be carried out monthly until cold days arrive. It is advisable to prune this plant in dry and windless weather.
To obtain the desired shape, in April all old and damaged branches are removed from the thuja. If the plant’s crown is too thick, be sure to thin it out and remove some of the branches, increasing circulation. fresh air in the crown, reducing the risk of pests.
In order to correct the growth of thuja, pruning should be carried out in the upper part of the plant. In this case, you will have a plant that will begin to grow in width and not in height; the thuja will delight you with its original appearance. To become the owner of a spherical thuja bush, cut off the branches that form the crown.
Decorative pruning of this plant involves constant pruning of the plant, getting rid of all annual growth. Such actions will help maintain the crown of the thuja in an aesthetic condition and shape its crown. With monthly pruning, there is a slight loss of the plant's decorative appearance, but after a short period of time this problem will automatically be resolved, and the plant will again have a lush green form.
Some gardeners are convinced that the accelerated growth of the crown is caused by constant adjustments, while experts suggest reducing the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant.
If on thuya for summer period Before the green crown has time to form, invite specialists, they will carry out sanitary pruning of this plant, carefully cut off all the extra branches, and trim the crown. If the thuja is planted in the shade, thinning can be eliminated, and the crown of the plant will remain thick and lush. If you want to transplant a thuja from one place to another, make sure that the plant has a layer of soil located around the roots of the plant. Adult plants do not like replanting, so it is best to replant young plants.
Old spherical or columnar-shaped plants gradually form in several trunks and may fall apart. The cause of this problem is snow, which sticks to the branches and pulls them down. You can solve a similar problem by using old stockings; they need to firmly tie the tree crowns together; in addition to nylon stockings, you can use electrical tape or PVC.
Serious pruning of thuja can only be done by professionals, as it is a labor-intensive procedure. When such pruning is completed, the plants receive the correct geometric shape, and you will enjoy their naturalness and originality.
Thuja- unpretentious, fast growing coniferous plant of the cypress family, very popular among gardeners. Cypress, spruce, larch are other popular decorative conifers. Thuja will decorate any garden or garden if you follow the recommendations on how and when to trim it.
Why trim thuja?
As an element landscape design acts as a single planting with a clearly defined crown shape: spherical, cone-shaped, or when forming hedges, protective wind screens.
The plant has several varieties with different shades of needles and the ability to form a crown. Decorative purpose thuja determines the need for regular pruning.
Goals of cutting thuja:
- sanitary: removal of dry, dead and diseased branches;
- crown thinning to create comfortable conditions plant:
- decorative: emphasizing the natural shape of the tree or artificially giving the required configuration.
In low-growing species, it remains good form bush with minimal pruning. An old thuja in the shape of a ball or column can, over time, split into several trunks and begin to disintegrate. Taking into account the condition of the tree, unnecessary trunks are removed.
Can all thujas be and should be pruned?
Thuja tolerates haircuts well if you follow certain rules. Whether a particular plant needs to be trimmed depends on whether the crown shape matches the gardener’s or landscape designer’s design.
For some varieties of thuja, it is enough to trim the crown as little as possible, as they have a naturally beautiful appearance. Thuja Brabant is pruned regularly, because this variety has a spreading, loose crown. Shearing is carried out the year following planting.
Trimming time – when to prune?
Thuja begins to be pruned in the spring, after the frosts have ended, and can be done throughout the summer and autumn. The beginning of pruning is determined by the climatic features of the area, in the southern regions you can begin the procedure already at the end of February.
Trimming in damp rainy weather is undesirable, because at this time the content of pathogenic microorganisms in the air is increased, and after pruning the tree has open wounds and is especially susceptible to disease.
Thuja pruning in spring and summer
After the past winter, it is mandatory sanitary pruning , removing branches that died over the winter and were damaged by snow. If the tree was wrapped in fabric for the winter, it is necessary to give it time to straighten. A crown that is too thick is thinned out so that the tree feels better in the heat. Forming cutting of branches is carried out after spring active growth thuy.
The best time for pruning is late May-early June. During this period, young shoots appear and buds bloom.
Pruning thuja in autumn
The second optimal period for circumcision is at the end of August. when the tree begins to prepare for winter. Before cutting thuja at the end of summer and beginning of autumn (September), you should pay attention to the condition of the plant: how it survived the summer, how good the green mass is at the bottom of the tree, near the ground. Fast growing western thuja should give an increase of 30 cm over the summer.
Excessively long branches cause harm to the plant winter time, because too much snow will stick to them.
Purpose autumn pruning Arborvitae is preparing the plant for winter. At the end of August, thuja is pruned not only in decorative purposes, but also for protection from snowfalls.
Basic rules for cutting thuja
Correctly carried out haircut will give the crown of the thuja splendor and add decorativeness to the plant.
The haircut rules are very simple, it is not difficult to adhere to them:
- Normal annual growth is 20 cm. The branches should not be cut too short; the cutting norm is two or three years' growth, depending on the type of thuja.
- Branches should be trimmed little by little, but regularly. If branches are pruned too much, it stresses the plant and can cause poor growth.
- During trimming, especially in the spring, diseased and dried branches are certainly removed, and the crown is thinned out.
- The haircut is carried out slowly, because for recovery when improper pruning the plant will take a lot of time, it will not be a decoration of the garden.
- It is necessary to coordinate thuja pruning with the weather forecast, there should be no rain in the days closest to the procedure.
Video: how to properly trim and shape the crown of a thuja
How to properly trim and shape a thuja with your own hands?
When planting new plants, you should immediately cut off branches sticking out in different directions. On next year begin to impart to the plant the required form, not forgetting to remove dry and diseased branches.
When pruning, follow the rules:
- Haircut should be done on small areas simultaneously.
- While working, it is necessary to move some distance away from the plant as often as possible and evaluate the result.
- Branches must be trimmed without leaving stumps.
- The formation of holes in the crown that do not heal for a long time and disfigure the tree should not be allowed.
It is better for inexperienced gardeners to start by forming the crowns of those varieties of thuja that are naturally the right kind, do not require significant cutting skills. For example, Thuja Smaragd has the shape of a pyramid; it is slightly adjusted.
If the thuja has not been pruned for many years, radical pruning will be required. It should be done carefully - the thuja does not tolerate this kind of pruning and may die.
Haircutting tools
What tool is needed to cut thuja?
To properly trim thuja for a non-professional gardener It is enough to have the following tools and devices:
With a small number of plants, it is enough simple tools, the main thing is that they are sharp and well sharpened. Professional gardeners who have to trim large tracts of trees use power tools and special clippers, for example, for trimming thujas.
Planning your pruning
Pruning and trimming differ in their end goals. Thuja should be pruned mainly for health purposes. If you trim the branches, this will give the crown the desired shape. Any type of work should be planned.
The pruning and trimming plan involves the following steps:
- crown study;
- rough removal of branches;
- adjustment.
The thuja pruning diagrams clearly show how to trim the thuja to form a crown. Then directly trim the branches. Final stage, extended over time - haircut to maintain shape.
Mandatory pruning
Unlike pruning for decorative purposes, which is carried out at the request of the gardener, It is necessary to prune diseased and dried branches - this is an obligatory stage of plant care.
Unpruned diseased branches will cause damage to the entire plant.
The bulk of the work falls on spring period , in summer and autumn, prune for sanitary purposes as necessary. If the crown has become too thick, it must be thinned out for unhindered air flow, sufficient solar lighting all areas of thuja.
Plants in a hedge should be the same in height; the crown of excessively tall specimens is cut off.
The crown of the tree will grow in width if the top of the central trunk is cut off.
Those that appear on the thuja can be trimmed. They are used in folk medicine, because they have many beneficial properties. If the cones are dried, they will open and the seeds can be collected to propagate the plant.
Formation of a beautiful crown
The crown is formed only on a healthy adult plant after mandatory pruning.
The following factors need to be considered:
- when choosing a shape, take into account the natural shape of the crown;
- do not trim too much;
- the shape needs to be adjusted regularly;
- branches without needles are removed;
- the tool must be clean and well sharpened;
- to create a neat crown, use auxiliary means: twine, templates, slats, paint, etc.;
- prevent holes from appearing in the crown.
Globular thuja haircut
The crown of many varieties of thuja itself forms a ball; it is necessary to trim off too long and diseased branches. Tui round shape used to create other shapes, because they tolerate haircuts well.
Topiary haircut
A topiary haircut involves the formation of various figures and shapes from the natural crown of plants. Topiary haircut has been used for many centuries, A feature of modern topiary is the use of a frame when creating green sculptures.
Thuja is perfect for this species garden art, because it tolerates haircuts well, its crown is plastic and very decorative.
Frame for topiary haircut Pyramid shape
Thuja occidentalis variety Smaragd is best suited for creating a pyramid, because it has a natural cone shape. A frame of slats is created around the thuja, the number of which corresponds to the number of ribs of the pyramid. The slats connect at the top of the pyramid. The haircut is carried out on all edges at once, otherwise it is difficult to achieve the same result on opposite sides.
Spiral haircut
This type of decorative haircut is very popular among landscape designers and ordinary gardeners. A spectacular spiral is obtained from a plant with a straight trunk; if the thuja has several trunks, they must be tied together.
The shape of the spiral can be outlined using a rope or tape to make the cutting line more clear. Used for basting spray paint. At the first stage of cutting, you do not need to go too deep inside the plant, leaving the branches to adjust the shape. The haircut is carried out with scissors, which are held parallel to the direction of the coil.
Video: spiral pruning of thuja
Taper haircut
The easiest way is to give the thuja crown a cone shape; beginners should try their hand at this type of haircut. To make the cone beautiful and not distorted, a frame of three wooden slats is used. They are made a little taller than the tree.
The slats are installed in the form of a hut, secured at the top with twine or wire. Then the branches are cut sequentially between the slats. At the end of the cutting, the bottom of the tree is adjusted.
Ovoid shape
The egg-shaped crown is also one of the simplest haircuts, because many varieties of thuja initially have a spherical or ovoid crown. For example, it is enough to slightly correct the crown of the western thuja variety Wagneri, since it has an ovoid shape. Thuja Smaragd can be given the shape of an egg by cutting off the top of the plant.
Haircut with paws
Thuja can be used to form a bonsai. All side branches should be removed, leaving paws at the ends. In addition to cutting, you will need to bend the branches down, securing them with twine or using a weight.
Horizontal crown formation
Thuja will grow horizontally if you use special methods:
- Over a plant that does not yet possess tall, a wire is stretched to prevent the branches from growing upward.
- In autumn, the wire is removed and vertically stretched branches are trimmed.
- You can hang various heavy objects from the branches or tie them to pipes laid along the plantings.
Features of cutting some varieties
U different types Arborvitae have their own characteristics, which are taken into account when cutting. Thuja occidentalis is popular in ornamental gardening in Russia.
Varieties of western thuja differ in crown shape:
- variety Smaragd has the shape of a pyramid;
- Columna variety differs in the columnar shape of the crown;
- variety Danika forms a ball-shaped crown.
The varieties Smaragd and Columna do not need constant trimming; their crown can be slightly adjusted, because it looks great in natural form. It is necessary to trim thuja of the Brabant variety regularly, otherwise it takes on a shapeless, sloppy appearance due to its excessively loose and spreading crown.
Thuja Smaragd
Thuja Columna
Thuya Danika
How to trim thuja in a hedge?
The choice of thuja varieties for hedges depends on required height, density and shape of the crown, color of the needles. Thuja occidentalis is best suited: varieties Brabant, Smaragd and Fastigiana.
When making a hedge, you should not wait until the tree reaches the required height; you should trim it from the first years, shape green wall gradually. The top of the fence is made narrower than the bottom.
For a smooth hedge and same size plants use special devices:
- templates;
- vertical racks;
- mesh with large cells;
- leg-split.
Video: trimming a thuja hedge
Care after pruning
After pruning is completed, the tree requires special attention And additional care. A few simple procedures will help the thuja quickly get stronger.
Thuja is an evergreen coniferous plant that is often found both in urban landscapes and in small suburban areas. The shrub is not picky in care and has many garden forms. To preserve the green mass, the plant needs regular pruning. Next, we will discuss when pruning of thuja is carried out, at what weather conditions It is worth performing the procedure in the fall and what algorithm of actions to follow.
Basic tasks and pruning order
After the thuja pruning procedure in the fall, the tree experiences stress and is prone to disease. During this period, it is important to provide him proper care, which consists of a set of simple measures:
- abundant watering - each thuja requires at least 10 liters of water;
- fertilizing - the tree is fertilized with humus, peat, and other specialized mixtures (no fertilizing is needed in summer);
- spraying with growth stimulants before winter - performed immediately after cutting to soften the impact of cutting on the plant.
The main advantage of thuja is its ease of care and the ability to realize a varied landscape. Not unimportant integral part Caring for this evergreen decoration involves systematic pruning of the plant throughout the year. It will free the thuja from dead, diseased branches and give the crown the desired shape.
How to trim thuja: video
Thuja is considered one of the unpretentious plants, which are successfully used for landscape design. Thuja is recognized as such a plant due to its characteristics. Having learned some rules of care and certain properties of the plant, anyone, even a novice amateur gardener, will be able to care for the plant and successfully grow it; in addition, this crop will please the eye all year round, since the shrub is evergreen. Thuja is a member of the cypress family.
You can use the shrub:
- Like a hedge.
- For landscaping any piece of land.
- For landscape design.
Caring for this shrub is not difficult, but care must have a system and consistency.
The most popular varieties are:
- Aurea.
- Wagner.
- Globoza nana.
- Albospicata.
- Globoza Danika.
How is thuja planted?
You can use the following methods for planting thuja:
- Plant the plant as seedlings.
- Plant the seeds of the plant.
Planting will have the best effect on the plant if it is planted in early spring. After the shrub is planted, you will need easy care, which consists in constant watering plants. Also, the bush needs to be protected from constant exposure to sun rays. Among other things, the plant should also be protected from the wind. Thuja is suitable for growing in an apartment.
What is needed for normal growth and development of thuja?
So that the plant does not get sick and grows and develops confidently, you need to organize diffused sunlight for it, abundant watering in summer time, in winter you also need watering, but not abundant, but moderate. From spring to autumn, the shrub should be fed with special fertilizers.
Preparing for winter
After winter, brown-brown spots may appear on the bush. These are traces of burns due to direct sunlight. In winter, with the help of wind and sun, the bush dries out, the ground is cold and frozen, because of this there is not enough moisture for the bush. To prevent these facts from leading to sad circumstances later, you need to prepare everything in advance . Preparing thujas for winter involves caring for the bushes starting in spring.
Activities for caring for thujas in spring
What are the practical benefits of pruning Thuja in spring?
Many people believe that the natural form of the plant is more beautiful and harmonious. But, if you look objectively and figure out what’s going on, you will notice that without trimming the crown, it is allowed to grow excessively, the branches of the plant become heavier, larger in size, they later begin to interfere with each other, therefore, pruning the thuja is necessary. It is better to trim thuja in spring, during this period the tree has not fully awakened, and not all growth processes of the bush have been activated. How should thujas be pruned in the spring? In order to properly prune, you need to have certain knowledge. By correctly trimming the crown of the thuja, you can get the shape you need.
Rules for pruning
- Buy necessary tools. These must be clean, well-sharpened instruments, since you cannot work with blunt instruments. Among the tools you need to have pruners or scissors, special scissors called a sickle, protective gloves that are necessary to protect your hands from scratches.
- It is necessary to inspect the tree. This is necessary in order to identify damaged branches and those branches that have diseases, and at the same time notice what the possible shape of the crown will be in the future.
- Trim the tree. It is necessary to trim off limp, dry, or diseased branches. You need to trim them using garden shears. Thinning the crown must be done in order to get rid of excessive crown density. This is done using a sickle, which is designed for working with ornamental and garden trees.
- The next step is to carry out a decorative haircut. Trimming the tree in this way is necessary in order to give the crown its shape. It can be in the shape of a cube, ball, cylinder, or even a pyramid. In addition, cutting thuja limits the height of the tree. If the crown has already been pruned, then in the spring you need to trim only the branches of annual growth, as well as the tips of adult branches. To make a tree grow wider, you need to trim the top of the tree trunk.
To prune thuja in spring, you need to choose a dry day, so the plant will receive minimal stress from cutting the branches. After cutting the branches, the tree needs to be fed to further stimulate its growth. by special means. An artistic haircut in the spring is done several times, it takes the whole spring and summer. What do experts recommend for shaping the crowns of thuja? It is worth knowing that thuja is easy to trim and can handle it painlessly.
Thuja is used to form landscape compositions. The crown shape can be made in different ways, depending on the variety. When the variety is short, it should not be used to decorate hedges or any tall figures, but if the variety is columnar, then it is suitable for spiral compositions. There are also cone-shaped varieties of thuja. When there are trees of this type, they can be used to create arches from its crowns, a figured entrance, for example, into a hedge.
Not every novice gardener will be able to shape thuja crowns efficiently and beautifully the first time; for the first time, you can turn to professionals for help in this matter, and later, when the whole principle of this work and all the points are clear, you can start doing all this on one's own. Working with such plants, according to professionals, is a pleasure, since every case of such work gives his unique look , it is possible to create every time unique design, created by living trees.