planting 10 thuja green giants, tips?
mopower440
16 years ago
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mopower440
16 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
16 years agoRelated Discussions
Planting Thuja Green Giant Screen
Comments (2)Plant them on at least 6 feet centers. It would be even better, if you desire a faster privacy screen, to plant two staggered rows of them with each being planted on 8 or 10 feet centers, and the staggered rows with holes that are dug at least 6 feet between the front and back rows. Water them well, but if planting in a clay soil which is not elevated or otherwise draining well, monitor them closely to ensure you do not allow their roots to suffocate by sitting in too much water. Also do not let the roots dry out too much. While the trees are getting adjusted, do your best to keep the soil evenly moist, but not soggy. If you want to feed the trees do not use anything more strong than the slow release 4 month lasting, non-burning Osmocote. This fertilizer can even be mixed into the planting backfill soil without burning the roots. In October apply more osmokote by spreading it under the trees and gently scrape small amounts of the top soil and mix in the fertilizer. Also spread cedar mulch under the tree if your soil seems to dry out too quickly. If the trees become stressed and their needles growing on the lower branches begin to yellow, do not cut off those branches; not even if they begin to appear as though they have died. You can remove any dry needles you desire, but do not cut off any entire branches. Just like most arborvitae trees, Green Giants will not regrow any branches, which you cut further back than anywhere the needles have been growing out from. When any branches have appeared to die, take the time to determine if your tree needs less water, more water, or a better watering system. Once you correct the problem and the tree becomes happy again, it will begin to produce green needles again on those once dead appearing branches. Also do not let dogs urinate on any of your Green Giant trees. These trees will begin to die if a medium to large size dog has consistantly been allowed to use them as a place to urinate on at least for several weeks. If your trees are sheltered from the cold winter north and northwest wind, or if they do not receive too much winter direct sun, they might stay green all even all winter. Otherwise they could turn a redish or burnt brown color over the winter months. If this happens do not be alarmed, because once Spring temps warm and rains arrive they should green back up nicely. I have noticed that Green Giants which stay green year round seem to gain more growth height throughout the year. Green Giants which struggle by being planted in poorly draining situations, and or which turn red in the winter seem to grow much more slowly. If these manage to survive they will spread and grow thicker trunks and their top growth will be so slow that the trees stay fairly nicely filled out from top to bottom. The fast growing trees often begin to send up a growth shoot which appears much more sparce than the bottom parts of the tree. When this happens, if you give the tree a feeding of osmocote the trees will, over a short time, begin to fill out the top growth to be more in balance with the thickness of the lower, older developed part of the tree. Do not cut off any of the thin looking shoots that burst forth at the top of your trees. Each thin shoot which begins to grow out of the top of your trees is needed for the trees to grow taller....See MoreBest Fertilizer for Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja Green Giant)
Comments (5)A friend of mine planted about 100 Green Giants about three years ago. They were about 18-24" tall when he planted them. Green Giants are pretty deer resistant, but where my friend and I live there are just too many deer in a small area (island) for that to mean much. The first year he planted these 100 Green Giants, the deer destroyed about 25 of them. After he replaced them, I recommended that he start using Milorganite fertilizer around the trees to keep the deer away. (It's an unadvertized fact that Milorganite acts as a deer repellent.) He started dumping Milorganite around the base of the trees on the perimeter of his property and the following year those were nearly 2ft. taller than the other trees (same growing conditions). Needless to say he started using it around all the Green Giants and this year some of the ones that he started using it on first are taller than me (6ft.). I started using Milorganite on my lawn a few years ago to keep the deer away that were eating my plants and it did wonders for my lawn. I started dumping it around all my perennials, mixing it in with the potting soil for my annuals, and tilling it into my vegetable garden. Everything improved! The stuff is like the Frank's Red Hot commercial... I put that s*#& on everything! I'm not sure it's the "best" fertilizer for your Green Giants, but it's definitely good. In the past I was always afraid to fertilize because I'd overdone it too many times and killed/burned too many plants and lawn. Milorganite is organic, so you can't really use too muich... it will just sit there on/in the soil until the soil microorganisms can consume it. Good luck!...See MoreBrownish / Bronze tips on Thuja Green Giants
Comments (4)based on those pix.. it looks like normal winter coloration .... is this the first you have looked at them since fall??? once they get going this spring.. they will green properly ... there conifers will never need fertilizer.. or anything else... ever... unless a soil test shows something is lacking.. and based on the growth you got last summer.. after transplant.. i would suggest nothing is lacking from your soil ... they are weeds.. let them do their thing.. with the only caveat.. on a recent transplant.. is to insure some supplemental water in july/aug/sept.. IF THERE IS A DROUGHT ... if ma nature takes care of it.. all the better... good luck ken...See MorePlanting Thuja Green Giant Advice
Comments (47)Jim, your two photos above that shows a road right next to the trees. I am very curious how much growth each year these trees will do each year. Please keep us updated if you can. It appears you have some pretty large trees right next to or overhanging these small trees, so they must get a lot of shade throughout the day? I farthest from any tree expert here, but the more sun these guys get i think the more growth they show? I have some new ones i planted too that the sun will be blocked by other larger trees in the area during the middle summer months....See Moreken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years agokatrina1
16 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years agobrandon7 TN_zone7
16 years agokatrina1
16 years agomopower440
16 years agowisconsitom
16 years agoDibbit
16 years agobrandon7 TN_zone7
16 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years agokatrina1
16 years agoTaher Zad
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 months ago
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