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Trees Garden Clinic

Will the deer eaten parts of these thuja green giants grow back?

11 months ago

Hi everyone,

Wanted to get some advice. We have these three thuja green giants that came with our home when we bought it that had the bottoms devoured by deer last winter (we were aware of the deer situation). I read online that deer eaten thuja is unlikely to grow back unless there is still some green on the eaten stems (which seems to not be the case for the majority of the bottoms- see pics below). We plan on being diligent about deer spray/fence going forward (we planted a bunch of new trees too), but wondering if folks can tell from the damage in the pics if the eaten bottoms are likely to grow back( and if so, would it eventually regain is originally fullness and any tips on how to help the growth come back faster)? If they wont come back, we have some fruitland osmanthus and osmanthus aurantiacus that we would like to plant in front of these big thujas to block the bottom view, but also didnt want to plant them there if the bottoms have a chance of regrowing because it would block some sunlight. The trees are planted in the southern direction (and get a few hours of direct sunlight each day currently because of some maple trees). We live in Armonk, NY and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Am

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Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 months ago
GG are supposed to be deer tolerant...

and im seriously wondering if these are GGs from these pix ...

they are full sun plants.. so growing in any kind of serious shade.. they might look wonky.. and screw up ID.. for me anyway ...

a lot of peeps in warmer zones.. and those in the pnw.. claim these things grow like weeds .. and can releaf in a season or two... sorry.. i dont buy it in my ground freeze z5 ... the growing season is at least half the warmer zones.. and the plants just dont grow as much as it does for others ...

that said.. if these were out your front door.. i might suggest something better.. but since they appear to be out back.. who cares..

prevent further damage.. and your trees .. aka conifers..in tree time ... counted in decades ... should recover.. sooner or later.. but mostly later.. and if that doesnt plz you.. get rid of them when you hit your patience level..

ken
Am thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 months ago
" GG are supposed to be deer tolerant... "

Depends on the deer appetite where you are planting. West coast deer typically leave these alone, as they do the native parent species, Thuja plicata. East coast deer (different species) appear to relish them as much as as they do American arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis.

IME, the damaged or browsed portions never fill back in fully so the trees will always look somewhat bare or skinny at the base and wider above any deer reach.

They are also moderately shade tolerant, as are both parent species of this hybrid but a minimum of 4 hours of direct sun will produce the best growth and appearance.
Am thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
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Thanks for the replies. I believe deer are the issue. One of the reasons I planted these were the advertisments stating that deer do not like them. Every aborvitie in the neighborhood is eaten on the bottom and if they survived the only growth is where the deer can't reach on the top. I have seen once a deer nibbling on the green giants. I have deer all the time and being a gardener it is a constant challenge. I have fencing around other plants and small trees but I try my best to put in deer resistant plants. I can only deal with so many fences. I'm getting better every year about knowing what to plant and what not to plant. It is upsetting when something is supposed to be deer resistant and get's chopped. I have a rododenrium on the side of the garage. It was not touched the first 4 years in the house. One year we had a lot of snow and the deer became desparate and ate every leaf off the thing. It came back but every year now it gets damaged. Ya never know from year to year what is going to be damaged. Fencing is the only method of protection. I think of it as a challenge but it's tough if considering expensive plants. Love the forum. Learning so much.
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That does look quite burnt. I've bored everybody here with my stories re: GG's up in Z4, but since it appears to relate to your situation, I will recount: Planted a handful up at my tree farm place, one year three nice bigger ones-maybe 3 ft. tall at planting, and then a few years later, another three or four. The first group were up in a wind-swept fiied that I am well into the process of re-foresting. The others were down in a swamp. All looked good to great for the first four years or so. Then we had the extreme cold of last winter. The ones in the more sheltered swampy location, which had been growing by leaps and bounds, fried to a crispy brown. So did the ones up top in the field. Those ones though, did re-green right at their tips. The lower-ground ones did not. All are waiting for my saw. I've got no use for something so borderline in that climate. Should also add, my woods is composed primarily of Thuja occidentalis-the actual species. They have their normal winter coloration, but always bounce back like nothing happened. So, even though you're quite far to my south, it looks like this plant is not a good choice for you. I feel bad for you as you had obviously invested a great deal more in the GG's than did I. Finally, as bad as they look-and they do look bad-why not leave them be. They could bounce back more than it seems, although at that point, I'm sure you'd be thinking more or less what I'm thinking-what good are they if this is going to happen? Good luck, and maybe check out the T. occidentalis cultivar 'Hetz Wintergreen'. A very handsome plant which grows quickly and is far less inclined to discolor in winter. +oM
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bengz6westmd
11 months ago
Brother's neighbor has GGs that were stripped low down by deer. They then surrounded netting around them for a number of winters and now they've recovered down low. I don't think they used the netting this past winter -- maybe the deer lost interest?
Am thanked bengz6westmd
Am
Original Author
11 months ago
Thanks everyone! We put in two small osmanthus plants to cover up the eaten bits and will transplant them if they grow back. and yes, apparantly deer around us eat everything!

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