Nice panoramic pic. I think the problem with the slower growth of 9-17 might be water (or lack thereof). This is a major factor that usually determines Thuja growth. A Thuja will grow even when it's pretty dry, true, but... giving it extra water in dry periods will make it grow much, much faster.

The color of the grass also seems to indicate a dry area to the right. Why is it drier there? Hard to tell exactly. Maybe that part gets more sun? Though, the more probable reason is the large tree in the back. It seems to be a good potential candidate for water drainage in that part of the garden.

Take my word: give extra water to 8-18 and you won't regret it. Thuja's need water to grow fast. They will survive dry periods, but you don't want them just to survive...

Oops, I didn't notice you DID mention that part gets a lot of sun. Well, sun is OK, and a Thuja in full sun will usually grow faster than one in partial shade. As long as it gets enough water. But in this case it must mean that area is significantly drier.

Good luck!

I like the rounded outline. It really does a lot to your property.

I planted 30+ this year at 10" as well. The first 15 came completely bareroot and had root systems with unbelievable mass. They're doing excellent. The next batch I planted from 4 or 5" peat pellets I call them, so, I'll be anxiously awaiting progress.

Nice work again!

Dax

Nice post Fognoggin.

Hard to be certain from the pic, but it appears these trees are surrounded by turf. Were you to mulch the area around the trees, most likely by making a continuous mulched bed, I can just about promise you that growth would accelerate. The usual caveat that mulch not be heaped up around the trunks themselves would apply. Give it consideration. You wouldn't be sorry.

+oM

gardener365, I'm not that artistic. It's a straight line of trees that looks curved because the photo is so long. Mine came in peet pots. Good luck with your trees, but I think your feeling of "anxiously awaiting progress" with change into an appreciation for patience. Nothing makes you more conscious of the passing of time than watching trees grow.

wisconsitom, thanks for the tip. Yes, the trees are in turf. Would the mulch help simply by killing the competing grass and weeds under the tree? I was considering simply cutting 2' circles of landscaping cloth to accomplish the same thing.

be very careful .. in z5 .. with time release fertilizers ...

make sure you are using a formula for your VERY SHORT SUMMER .... a 4 month or 5 month window ...

you do not want the 9 month pot formula... and do NOT want them NOT hardening off properly in late fall ...

in fact.. better yet... SKIP ALL FERT from now on ....

you would be better off with a $10 bag of 12-12-12.. applied to the lawn ...or if you feed your lawn.. dont bother with adding extra to the trees ... the roots are well into the lawn by now... even just your lawn clippings are probably enough ...

do NOT kill them with too much love..

and roundup a circle.. one foot greater than the diameter of the plant.. so there is no need for weedwhipping anywhere near the plants ....

what are the neighbors giant trees??? maples??? why are teh smallest plants closest to the giant trunk behind the blue trampoline????? root competiton ...

and dont discount reflected light off the shed.. causing problems with the plants closest to the shed on the right ...

looks great.. good luck

ken

Ken, thanks for the great advice. I'll take all I can get. But what do you mean by "roundup a circle". I have RoundUp, and am aware of how effective it is, but do you mean that it can be used to safely kill grass around the trees without harming them? If this is true, I'd be shocked.

fognoggin: there is some degree of debate on the roundup subject. The general consensus however, is that as long as the roundup does not touch any of the foliage of the tree, it will do no harm.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons are where I have to be careful (never can an herbicide be used with these shallow surface rooting plants). Otherwise RoundUp is very commonplace for tree ring applications.

Dax

i use generic RUp ... aka credit ... hundreds of properly mixed gallons per year ...

you will have to coat about 75% of the entire tree to kill it ... it has no effect once it hits the ground.. and no effect on any part of the tree that is not green

i have a 200 foot bank of juniper.. which i spot spray to kill various weeds growing through it ... no impact on it ...

practice with your sprayer with water on the driveway .... VERY LOW PRESSURE....this aint french perfume .... find out how many pumps.. and how to adjust the nozzle .. so that DROPS come out ... drops are affected by gravity ... and fall to the earth ... mist can blow in the wind ... when you can do such.. properly mix some credit

set the wand at the one foot mark .. nearly on the ground ....and spray toward the plant .... angling so as to avoid as much contact as possible on the plant .... go once around.. and then move on ...

a week or two later .... perhaps with an assistant .... go back to work under the plants .... they either lift low branches.. or use a hockey stick to move things out of the way .. and spray the things under the plants ... and dont worry about letting the branches fall back on top of the sprayed area ....

i have found .... by breaking the job into 2 parts.. that my concentration is higher.. resulting in less overspray ...

in a worse case scenario .... make the mix in a bucket.. some good rubber chemical gloves.. and a washcloth ... and reach under the tree and swab what under there .. pulling toward you ...

once you get the stuff out of there.. it will tend not to grow back and maintenance will be much easier ...

and most important.. remember not to walk across sprayed areas .. until it is dry .. or you will have mysterious brown dead spots in your lawn.. the size of your shoes ...

pic below.. i have maintained this row of GG since they were 2 inch peat pots with 4 inch rootings in 2002 ... and NEVER USED A WEED WHIP ON THEM ..

good luck

ken

PS: if you get the inclination to sneeze.. put down the sprayer.. and step away ... or swat bugs.. trust me... lol ... drops flying everywhere ...

if there is an error.. spray down the foliage ASAP ... and respray when it is dry ....

PPS: and what about that giant neighbor tree.. is it a maple????
{{gwi:268165}}

Good tips.

You can also carry a piece of cardboard around with you and jam it up next to the tree and then spray with an herbicide. That'll control unwanted drift.

Dax

Ken,

The large neighbor tree behind the trampoline is a pin oak. It's about 20' away from my GG's.

Thanks so much for your RoundUp advice. That's going to be such a timesaver and should help my trees to thrive. For three years I've been weaving the mower in and out of those trees like dental floss. In spite of all I know, I sure feel ignorant sometimes.

Thanks also for posting that photo. It's nice to see that you have some runts in your litter, too. I find it amazing how indentical plants can grow so differently.

Dax,

Thanks for the cardboard tip. I've got two pieces setup. A large piece with a large hole in it and another piece to guard the tree while spraying underneath.

Up until now I've tried not to water these trees unless in a drought, thinking they would grow deeper roots. I'm going to try to water more often. That, and clearing away weeds and grass, ought to help greatly.

I meant to ask...

Now that I've got my row of GG's planted and established, and GG seedlings can be had for $3, I was considering planting another row in front to create greater privacy. I would stagger the row, thus creating a zig-zag pattern between the two rows.

Is this a foolish move?

To think about, my two GGs planted at 3 feet tall in the spring of 2004 are right at 20 feet tall and 7 feet wide now. I'm in the middle of switching servers and will try to post a picture in a few days. These trees have never been babied except I do use generic Roundup as per above. Get ready to jump back! Hank

Looking forward to that photo Hank. I didn't measure but I planted about what I thought to be eight feet between my plants. I'm looking for a more tree-like look for my screen. I'll probably space my 'Hetz Wintergreen' six feet apart as they are 3-4' wide when 40 feet tall. That's just what I prefer and I'm young enough to see the results.

There are a lot of good Thuja's to be had.

fognoggin',

If you wish to stagger another row maybe you should add a different plant such as 'Hetz Wintergreen' for more interest.

Sure, a double row is a good idea. You will without a double row indeed have a thick screen however soon enough.

Dax

Frognoggin

Benefits of an organic mulch, ie. woodchips, = lessened competition from weeds, much better moisture retention, and a slow improvement in soil characteristics as the mulch decomposes, besides keeping the string trimmer away. Controlled studies at the Morton Arboretum have shown as much as a two-fold increase in growth over the same species unmulched. Best, most cost-effective thing you can do to help your trees!

+oM