How to Grow Thuja from Seeds: Work That Needs to Be Done Before Winter

 

 

 Do you have a good place to grow thuja?

 

     "They will grow best in full sun, but can tolerate some shade. Thuja Green Giant trees adapt to almost any soil, including clay and sand, but avoid areas with constant standing water for best results.”

 

If you have such conditions, we can discuss the propagation of thuja:

 

     "The simplest and most convenient way to propagate thuja is to sow seeds in the soil before winter. The seedlings will be strong and grow well. You can grow the desired amount of seedlings in a relatively short period of time.

 

     Thujas are not capricious, bear the cold. These are one of the most suitable plants for hedges: thuja are evergreen plants, so they will protect the garden from the cold wind both in winter and in summer. True, a hedge requires a lot of expensive plants, so it is best to grow them yourself.

 

     By seed propagation, you can grow any number of seedlings in 3-4 years. Do not be alarmed that they grow only 7 cm in the first year. After two years, the seedlings will already reach 50 cm, and then they will grow about 30 cm per year.

 

     How to prepare seeds from thuja cones

 

     The seeds ripen in late August-early September. Then you need to collect pine cones before they open.

 

     Place the collected thuja pine cones in a thin layer to dry in a warm, dry place. As soon as the pine cones start and open, they will release the seeds. Do not store seeds for a long time; if the seeds are stored at room temperature, they will germinate much less well after only three months. If you still sow in the spring, stratification will be required.

 

     It is best to sow the seeds in autumn and leave them to overwinter. Natural stratification (being in the cold) promotes vitality, seedlings will appear earlier than when sown in spring, will require less maintenance, will grow faster and will successfully overwinter for the first time.

 

     Sowing thuja seeds

 

     You can sow thuja seeds directly into the soil, but it is better to sow them in a box - it will be easier to take care of the seedlings, and it is also convenient to move the box to the desired place.

 

      Add to the box a mixture of garden soil, garden soil, peat and sand (1:2:0.5 ratio). Compact the soil so that there is another 2-3 cm to the edges of the box. Make grooves 5-6 cm apart. To make it easier to place the seeds, widen the grooves.

 

     Arrange the seeds evenly in the bottom of each groove.

 

     Cover the seeds with about 1 cm of soil. Flatten the ground. If the weather is dry, water a little, just be careful not to wash the seed. If there are seeds that have washed away, cover them with a small amount of soil, in wet weather, no need to water.

 

     How to care for thuja seedlings

 

     Place the box with the sown seeds outside, preferably under a tree, then the seedlings will not be exposed to direct sunlight in the spring (this is dangerous for conifers, as well as for thuja).

 

     If there are animals, cover the box with film or something else. After the snow melts, make sure that the cover does not touch the ground.

 

     When the earth warms up to 10-15 degrees Celsius, the first thuja seedlings appear after 2-3 weeks. Thuja seedlings do not look like adult plants - their spines are needle-shaped, not scaly, like adult thuja.

 

     You may get the impression that some other plants, such as firs or junipers, have sprouted instead of thuja. Don't worry - after 2-3 months, the first twigs will appear, which will be like adult thuja trees.

 

      Every two weeks, fertilize the seedlings with a mixture of mineral fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium). It is possible to use a mixture of fertilizers with trace elements (with manganese, zinc, molybdenum, copper, boron). During the season, the seedlings grow by 7-8 cm and remain in the box for the winter.

 

     If you didn't plant very densely and the box is deep enough (or if you sowed directly into the ground), you can leave the seedlings for another year.

 

     Of course, thuja seedlings will grow more if you plant them in the designated place after the first winter. That place should be in semi-shade. Fertilize the ground, per square meter you will need: rotted manure (1 bucket), nitroamofoska (40 g) and wood ash (250-300 g). Swirl everything to mix about the depth of a spade's head.

 

     Thujas are easily transplanted at any age.

 

     When planting, make sure that the root neck remains at ground level, do not bury it, because it will start to shrivel, and then the thuja will turn yellow and die.

 

     After planting, leave and mulch with peat. Fertilize every 2-3 weeks, water in dry weather, loosen the soil after watering, weed. In the third year, when the seedlings are about 50 cm high, they can be planted in a permanent place.

 

     How to choose thuja for a hedge

 

     Thujas are quite simple for hedges, and seedlings grow in various forms when germinated from seeds. Fortunately, there is a solution: the shape of 2-3-year-old seedlings is already clearly visible. You will easily choose the right amount of seedlings of the desired shape for a hedge or other. purposes. Thujas easily tolerate pruning, so you can shape the hedge."