Forming a thuja hedge is a simple job, but often raises many questions. Together with Vaiva Maroziene, landscape green specialist and teacher of the «Yellow Wheelbarrow» course, we tried to discuss the most relevant nuances of thuja formation and provided the 5 most important tips:
If until now the formation of a thuja hedge seemed to you to be a confusing and unclear issue, after reading the article you will already know clearly:
– when and how many times a year to shape the hedge;
– how much to cut young, adult and old thuja trees;
– it is necessary to prune the columnar thujas;
– is it possible to narrow the hedge, how strongly and how to prepare;
– how to cut the sides of the hedge evenly and which tools are best to use for this purpose.
1. Kada and how often to prune?
Vaiva says you shouldn’t be afraid to prune often. The more often you do this, the more beautiful, graceful, geometric and decorated your hedge will be. Pruning is necessary at least once a year:
- In spring, if you want to stimulate the growth of your hedge plants so that they reach the desired height and luxuriance in the shortest time possible;
- In autumn, if the height of the hedge suits you and you simply want to maintain a beautiful shape of the hedge.
It is important to note that pruning will be much easier if done more often, such as 2-3 times a year. And it is worth pruning more often, because:
- It will take less time: if you prune more often, the thuja will not have time to grow too much, so you will cut it faster;
- Shaping is much simpler: by pruning often, the previously formed cutting line remains more visible, so you can simply prune «by eye» without using additional markers;
- The plant suffers less stress than pruning it rarely and drastically, it grows and bears fruit faster;
- You are immediately satisfied with the result, because it is not necessary to prune very hard and wait a couple of years for the bare branches of the hedge to turn green again;
- With frequent pruning the hedge always looks beautiful and tidy.
2. How much to cut the tops?
How many centimeters to cut the top depends on the age of the thuja, its size and the effect you want to achieve.
Young and small seedlings of thuja:
If you planted small young thuja trees, it may seem that after cutting the tops they will completely lose their appearance and will not even remotely resemble a fence. But it’s the opposite: cutting is necessary, because this way you will stimulate the growth of the thuja and they will begin to perform the function of covering the fence much faster. Cut at least 10 cm and, if you are not very brave, shorten the upper part by at least 5 cm and do it in spring.
Fromsmaller and taller Thuja:
Even if you get fairly tall thuja trees, they still won’t be the same height, so if you want to get a neat look of the fence, match their tops. You can not be afraid to cut about 30-50 cm and, if necessary, more, so that all your thuja becomes the same height. This will give you a starting point for further hedge formation.
Old thuja:
When shaping the old thuja, you can shorten the upper part and even more – you can cut a whole meter without regrets. Do it in this order:
- First we cut the trunk to the desired height with a saw;
- Then trim the sides with garden shears.
You can find the specific tools we used at the end of the article.
3. Does the formation of a thuja hedge vary if you grow a columnar thuja ‘Smaragd’?
Often people choose the columnar thuja «Smaragd» in the hope that it simply grows evenly and does not need to be pruned. The truth is that «bellies» form on the sides of unpruned columnar thuja. If you like the look of your hedge, you can leave the sides untrimmed, but the tops still need to be trimmed at least once a year. And if you’re aiming for a smooth wall effect, shape the sides of the columnar thuja too.
4. How narrow can the hedge be?
If you have a formed hedge, but you want to narrow it and you doubt whether you can securely adjust the green hedge frame, we assure you: you really can. Thuja will be healthy and nothing bad will happen to him, even if you leave him only 35-40 cm wide.
How to narrow the field?
You can shorten the thuja branches even by half: let the branches measuring from the trunk be at least as long as the spring. At first, thuja trees pruned in this way will look rather bare, but they will definitely grow back. During pruning you will see that the inside of the hedge is full of brown twigs: they must be cleaned and removed (we have already told you in detail about the causes of browning – you can read here). After cleaning, you will also see the small green branches more clearly – they are your guarantee that the thuja will recover. True, you may have to wait not one season, but a couple of years, but a heavily pruned hedge will certainly be lush and green again, only much narrower.
When is it best to carry out drastic pruning and how to prepare the plant so that it adapts without problems after such changes?
- Perform severe pruning in spring so that the plant recovers and strengthens faster;
- Two weeks before pruning, water the plant with «Delfan solution» – this is a growth stimulator, a natural source of nitrogen, especially suitable for strengthening thuja before and after drastic pruning. You can find it in garden shops or order it online directly from the manufacturer «Baltic agro» via email. shops (Click here).
- After cutting the hedge, after a week, water the thuja again with the Delfan solution.
5. How to cut the sides of a hedge straight and what tools to use?
In most cases, «by eye» is enough to trim the sides, but if you want more precision, you can:
– Stretch the rope along the entire length of the hedge and cut along it;
– Use a vertical cursor.
As we have already mentioned, pruning will be much easier if done often (2-3 times a year). Then the formation line will be more visible, additional marking will not be needed, and the process itself will take less time.
Forming a thuja hedge will be easy and smooth if you choose the right tools for specific jobs:
- If you need to shorten the tops of the young thuja or cut another branch, good garden shears;
- It is more convenient to use for decorating and shaping the sides of the hedge hedge shears;
- If you want to cut a tall, long hedge evenly, do it telescopic electric scissors – you will easily reach the top of the hedge and form smooth sides without even getting up from the ground;
- When shortening and shaping the old thuja, trunk and thicker branches, be sure to cut with a saw – especially convenient to use Telescopic pruner.
This article was created in collaboration with the garden and garden tools and environmental care products specialists of the company «Gardena». If you don’t know which tools to choose for managing your livestock, you can consult industry professionals via email. by post: info@gardena.lt.
READ ALSO:
«4 reasons why thuja turns brown: how to recognize it and what to do»
«Pruning hedges for beginners: when and how to do it»
«Thujos Smaragd: when it is worth buying small»
«A modern alternative to the thuja: the sedge hedge»
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