Thuja Columna

Thuja Columna columna - This is an evergreen tree that is perfect for decorating any area. Landscape designers are very fond of thuja, so this plant is perfect for decorating park areas. Moreover, the culture is very unpretentious and undemanding. Therefore, she can remain beautiful and healthy for a long time. Today we will tell you about the characteristic features of the variety, breeding methods, as well as the rules for planting and caring for the Columna variety thuja.

Western thuja Columna: variety description

Thuja Columna: photo

Thuja of the Columna variety is considered an evergreen tree, belongs to the Cypress family. The homeland is considered to be North America, but for a long time thuja has spread literally throughout the planet. It is grown in parks, recreation areas, in personal plots. She has a very beautiful decorative appearance, so the Columna thuja is used quite often in landscape design. Her needles are quite thick, crown columnar... The color of the leaves is green. However, they turn brown in winter. And in the spring they turn green again. The needles are located on short shoots, they adhere quite tightly to them. The bark of this variety is brownish-red. Plants are tall, can grow up to 10 meters.

We can assume that this culture is a real long-liver, since it lives for about 200 years. However, it must be properly cared for. The growth per year of thuja Columna is also high, each year the twigs grow by 30 centimeters. Consequently, the height of the thuja Columna, upon reaching 10 years old, can be as much as three meters.

Gardeners note that the decorative qualities of Columna retains, even if the plant is not cut off. Thuja is not demanding in care, and the growth is intense. In addition, as he remember, this plant is considered a long-liver. You can organize a beautiful hedge from the Columna thuja. She has a beautiful appearance, so she goes well with green plants. If you take good care of it, then this evergreen tree will become an integral part of your backyard. As you remember, they often create living plantings, hedges from the thuja Columna. This green fence has a wonderful appearance, and if you want you can give it an interesting shape.

Thuja Columna: photo of an adult tree

In addition, the plants are unpretentious, they perfectly clean the air, retain dust, and even reduce the noise level at the site. With this plant, you don't even need to spend money on a real fence, thuja can reliably save your site from prying eyes. Columna fits into a wide variety of green compositions, it looks great both next to flowering trees and other coniferous bushes.

Columnar thuja Columna: reproduction

Thuja columnar Columna propagates either by planting seeds or by cuttings. Let's make a reservation right away that it is quite difficult to grow this crop using seeds, so usually only professionals who grow crops for sale are engaged in this. In order to grow one such tree, you will need at least 3 years, so over such a long period, your tastes may change, and the process of planting Tui Columna seeds is very difficult, so if you consider yourself a lazy gardener, then it is better not to do this. The seeds are placed in a bump, in order to extract them from there, you will need to place this fruit in a warm place in order for the scales to open.Then you will need to put the cone in water for a couple of days, and then you can already send the planting material to a pot of soil. A seedling grown in this way will be very resistant to adverse conditions, however, in order to grow it, you will need a lot of time, effort and patience.

Thuja western Columna: photo

Therefore, most gardeners prefer cuttings. Such seedlings also retain all the properties of the mother plant, but you can grow a seedling many times faster, so try to start reproduction of thuja with cuttings. First, you will need to cut off the branches, it is best to choose healthy and strong branches for this. Moreover, they must be at least 5 years old. It is not necessary to break off the shoot; it is best to cut off the shoot carefully with a knife. Leave a heel from the bark, it is best to cut branches 10-15 cm long. It is recommended to clean the lower part of the shoot from leaves. If you don't, the cutting may start to rot. Then the exfoliated bark will also need to be hit, and it is recommended to pinch the top of the cutting.

After that, you can place the scions in a nutritious soil containing sand and peat. Cuttings can be used throughout the season. You can do it even easier, the seedlings are sold in nurseries and in specialized stores. However, remember, and there you need to be on the lookout. Do not buy defective or damaged plants. The root system of the seedlings should be well developed, there should also be no rot. It is best to purchase plants with a closed root system or with an open, but with an earthy clod. Such plants take root better. It is believed that usually as a result of reproduction, about 30% of the cuttings take root, so be sure to try this method as well.

Western thuja Columna: planting and care

Once you have selected a seedling, you will need to plant the plants correctly. To do this, you need to adhere to our recommendations, and then your thuja will definitely be strong and healthy. It is best to plant this crop in the spring, so that during the summer-autumn period the plants are well prepared for wintering, if you plant it in the fall, the plant may die. It is recommended to plant this culture in sunny places or in an openwork shade. If you choose an area that is too dark, the plant may also die. This culture does not like drafts. Therefore, keep these requirements in mind. Be sure to keep the distance between plantings, remember that thuja is a very voluminous plant, so retreat from other crops at least 3 meters.

If we talk about the type of soil, it is better to choose a fertile and alkaline soil. The air permeability of the soil is also important, therefore it is not recommended to plant this crop on heavy soils, especially on clay. The planting pit must have a moisture drainage system, therefore it is recommended to place a drainage layer on the bottom. The planting hole should be at least 60 cm deep, and up to 100 cm wide. However, for Tui Columna, the size of the hole depends on the volume of the root system, as well as on the height of the seedling itself.

Thuja Columna in landscape design: photo

As you remember, fine gravel, expanded clay, pebbles should be laid on the bottom. The hole should be filled up with fertile soil, with the addition of sand and peat. It is recommended to feed the plants in the spring, for this they use nitroammofosk. The root collar of the seedling should be located approximately at ground level, so do not try to deepen it. Otherwise, the seedling will dry out quickly.

Western columnar thuja of Columbus: about cultivation

In order for your plants to thrive, you need to provide proper care. Of course, the culture is unpretentious, but the plants should be fed, cut and prepared for winter on time. Undoubtedly, the absence of diseases and pests on the site is considered a condition for normal development, therefore, preventive examinations and treatments should also be carried out.Young seedlings are usually watered once every 6-7 days. This is necessary in order for the plant to develop normally, and this should be done several times a week, but if the summer turns out to be dry, then the amount of watering should be increased. Very often it is recommended to clean the thuja, wash off the dust from it. To do this, spray the trees with a hose under high pressure. This also makes up for the lack of moisture, this event should be carried out no more than once every two weeks.

After you water the plants, you should weed the tree-trunk circle and loosen it up. This is necessary in order for moisture to penetrate into the deep layers of the earth. If we talk about fertilizers, it should be noted that it is best to feed the seedlings only a year after planting in open ground. It is recommended to apply complex fertilizers to the soil, which are sold in specialized stores. To keep the trees looking neat, you need to prune the shoots regularly. It is advisable to do this in a circle, while cutting off up to 30% of the length of the branches. In early spring, before the start of sap flow, it is recommended to carry out sanitary pruning. Old and diseased branches are removed in order for new shoots to grow more intensively.

Columna is a fairly frost-resistant culture, so it is not afraid of the cold, but it is recommended to cover young trees up to 3 years old. To do this, mulch the soil around the plants with straw, compost, peat. And on top they cover it with spruce branches or other breathable material. You can even wrap them with thick paper, very young plants can be covered with a five-liter bottle, cut from the bottom.

Diseases and pests

This culture has a fairly high immunity, however, preventive examinations should still be carried out. If we talk about insects that most often infect the leaves, then this is aphid. Usually this pest destroys the lower part of the shoots. If the needles began to turn yellow and crumble on the plant, then this is the effect of this pest.

Often a false shield settles on a columnar thuja, then you need to immediately fight this pest. This insect also loves to eat needles, so it destroys plantings quickly. It is best to immediately go to a specialized store, purchase the appropriate pest control drugs, but it is best to process the plants until the buds bloom on the thuja, but if you are already late, use the remedies after the appearance of pests.

This variety of thuja often affects rot, so if the shoots began to turn yellow, then become dark and die off, then most likely this is a manifestation of this disease. In order to get rid of it, you need to spray the plant several times a week until Columna is fully recovered. Sometimes fungal infections spread on the site with plantings. This happens when the soil becomes too wet, in order to overcome these diseases, you need to adjust the watering regime, and also treat the plants with fungicides. If most of the plant is affected, then it is best to cut the tree down, and replace the soil near it with another. Otherwise, this fungus will disturb you and your garden for a long time.

Conclusion

Columnar western thuja Columna is considered an unpretentious plant, and its appearance is simply amazing. That is why thuja is considered practically the most popular tree used to decorate personal plots. However, in order for the plant to really please you, you need to properly care for it, as well as prevent the appearance of pests on the site and the spread of diseases. Do not forget that you will need to trim the tree, otherwise it will lose its shape. It is best to propagate this crop by cuttings, but if you are a professional then you can grow a seedling from seeds. This eternally green tree is becoming more and more popular every year, try and grow this miracle in your country house.