Content
Coniferous trees and shrubs are widely used as a design option for landscape design. Thuja is no exception. Based on wild-growing large trees, a large number of varieties with various colors, shapes and heights have been created. Thuja Kornik is the result of the work of Polish breeders. The founder was the thuja foldata, a representative of the western variety of the Cypress family.
Description of thuja Kornik
From the wild-growing folded species, Thuja Kornik received not only a decorative habit, but also high frost resistance. Perennial evergreen thuja resists winter temperature drops of -350 C without loss, and development is not affected by spring frosts down to -60 C. This quality makes it possible to grow the tree in all climatic zones. And also the priority in choosing a variety is the shape of the plant and a slight increase during the seasonal growing season.
By the age of 15, the height of the thuja folded Kornik varies between 2.5-3 m. The biological life expectancy is more than 200 years.Thuja grows in the form of a tree with a regular cone-shaped, dense crown. Folded thuja is shade-tolerant and resistant to strong winds. Thuja is undemanding to soil composition, with an average degree of drought resistance.
The photo above shows Thuja Kornik, its external description is as follows:
- The central trunk is of medium diameter, tapering towards the apex. The bark is gray with a brown tint, the surface is rough with small longitudinal furrows.
- Skeletal branches are short, thick, strong. The arrangement to each other is compact, growing at an angle of 450 relative to the trunk.
- The tops are flat, branched, vertically located. The crown is formed by peculiar folds, the young shoots of the thuja form the same length, they rarely protrude beyond the boundaries of the visual form.
- The needles are scaly, thick, tightly adjacent to the shoot, rich green in color along the entire length of the stem, golden on the upper part.
- The folded thuja Kornik produces cones every season in small quantities, they are round in shape, 13 cm long, consist of thin scales, at the beginning of growth they are green in color, and by the time they ripen they are dark beige.
- The seeds are small, brown, with a transparent light wing.
- The root system of thuja is compact, intertwined, of mixed type, the deepening of the central part is up to 1.5 m.
There are no resin ducts in the wood of the thuja folded Kornik, so there is no sharp pine smell.
The use of thuja Kornik in landscape design
The decorative effect of the folded thuja Kornik is given by the unusual arrangement of the upper part of the branches and the non-uniform color of the needles. Thuja takes root well when planted or transferred to another place.It does not provide significant growth, so it does not require constant crown formation. Thuja harmoniously combines with flowering plants, dwarf forms of conifers and ornamental shrubs. Thuja is used in single and mass plantings for landscaping urban areas, children's institutions, gardens, summer cottages and personal plots. As an example, in the photo below, Thuja occidentalis Cornik in ornamental gardening.
Design of the central part discounts.
Background of the composition near the facade of the building.
In a group planting with dwarf conifers and large decorative plants.
A molded hedge of thuja Kornik separating the zones of the site.
Single planting for lawn decoration.
Thuja Kornik as part of a mixborder of low-growing coniferous trees and shrubs of various shapes.
Features of reproduction
Thuja foldata Kornik propagates vegetatively and by seeds. The generative method takes longer; 3 years must pass from laying the material to planting the seedling. When sowing, take into account that the seeds of folded thuja Kornik do not have a high germination rate. Of the total mass, only 60-70% of the planting material will produce sprouts. The cones ripen by mid-autumn, the seeds are collected and left until spring. At the end of May, thuja is sown in a greenhouse or container, and by autumn shoots appear. The next summer, the seedlings are picked, left for the winter, and planted in the spring.
The vegetative method is faster and more effective. You can propagate thuja Kornik by cuttings or layering. Cuttings are taken in June from the middle part of the shoots, 20 cm in size. The sections are treated with a manganese solution and planted at an angle in fertile soil. In the spring, the rooted material will sprout; it is planted in a place designated for the cultivar.Preparation of cuttings begins in early spring, the lower branch is dug in, and insulated in the fall. Next season it will be seen how many buds have taken root, plots will be cut and the thuja will be planted on the site.
Landing rules
If you plant a thuja purchased from a nursery, pay attention to the external condition of the seedling:
- he must be at least 3 years old;
- without mechanical and infectious lesions;
- with well-developed healthy roots.
Disinfection of the purchased thuja Kornik is not necessary; all measures were carried out before sale. Self-harvested seedlings are dipped into a manganese solution for 4 hours, then the thuja is placed in Kornevin for the same amount of time.
Recommended timing
According to the description given by the originators, thuja foldata Kornik is a frost-resistant crop, shoots and roots freeze very rarely, but adult thuja has these qualities. Young seedlings are not so strong, so in regions with cold climates, Kornik thuja is planted in the spring, approximately in early May. Autumn planting, even with good insulation, can result in the death of the plant. In the south, thuja is planted in April and early October.
Site selection and soil preparation
The plant is shade-tolerant; Thuja Kornik retains its decorative crown in partial shade and does not turn yellow in the sun. The site is selected in accordance with the design decision. The soil composition is only neutral, slightly alkaline is allowed.
Light, aerated loams or sandstones with satisfactory drainage are suitable. Do not place thuja in lowlands with stagnant moisture and in wetlands. A week before planting, the soil is dug up and, if necessary, products containing alkali are added to neutralize the acid in the soil.To prepare a nutrient substrate, mix sand, organic matter, and topsoil in equal parts, add superphosphate at the rate of 50 g/5 kg.
Landing algorithm
Dig a hole with a diameter of 60*60 cm and a depth of 70 cm. Cover the bottom with a drainage pad. Coarse gravel is suitable for the bottom layer, the upper part can be filled with expanded clay, the drainage thickness is 15-20 cm.
Description of planting western thuja Kornik:
- 1 hour before placing the seedling, the hole is completely filled with water.
- The nutrient substrate is divided into 2 parts, ½ is covered with drainage.
- Thuja is placed vertically in the center.
- Cover with the rest of the fertile mixture and compact.
- The hole is filled to the top with soil left over from digging.
- They are compacted, watered, and the trunk circle is covered with mulch.
The root collar should be on the surface, approximately 2 cm above the soil.
Rules for growing and care
In the photo, Thuja Kornik looks impressive. After planting, the further development of the tree will depend on correctly carried out agricultural techniques: mandatory watering, timely fertilizing and pruning.
Watering schedule
Young thuja up to 5 years old is watered more often than an adult tree. The schedule is determined by seasonal precipitation. During the hot period, thuja seedlings are watered 2 times a week with 5 liters of water. For an adult folded thuja Kornik, one watering every 10 days with a volume of 15 liters is enough. To preserve moisture, mulch thuja at any age with sawdust, peat or wood chips. In the morning or evening, sprinkling is carried out at intervals of 2 times every 6 days.
Top dressing
The micronutrients added during planting are sufficient for the normal development of thuja for 4 years. In the 5th year of growing season and subsequent years, fertilizing is applied 2 times per season.In the spring, the Kornik thuja is fertilized with special products for Cypress trees or “Kemira Universal”; in early July, the thuja is watered with a concentrated solution of organic matter.
Trimming
The natural shape of the crown of the western Kornik thuja is compact, dense with a bright two-tone color, and does not require a shaping haircut if the event does not include a design concept. Healthy pruning of thuya is necessary. Sanitary cleaning and shaping work is carried out in the spring, damaged areas are removed and given the required shape.
Preparing for winter
In the southern regions, mulch and abundant watering of thuja in the fall are sufficient. In temperate climates, thuja Kornik is covered for the winter.
Preparatory work:
- Carry out water-recharging irrigation.
- Increase the layer of mulch.
- The branches are secured to the trunk with a rope so that they do not break under a layer of snow.
- The thuja is covered with burlap on top.
Arches are installed near the seedlings and moisture-proof material is stretched, and covered with spruce branches on top.
Pests and diseases
Cultivars are less resistant to diseases and pests than wild species. According to the description of the variety, thuja western Kornik can be infected:
- A fungus that damages young shoots, they turn yellow, dry out and fall off. Eliminate the disease with Fundazol.
- Late blight, which covers the entire thuja, the infection begins with waterlogging of the root ball. Thuja Kornik is treated with fungicides and transferred to another place.
- Young trees are susceptible to fungal infection - rust. The disease appears on young shoots as brown fragments. The thuja sheds its needles and the branches dry out. The drug “Hom” is effective in combating the problem.
The main pest on the thuja folded Kornik is aphids; they get rid of the insect with “Karbofos”. Moth caterpillars, called moths, are less likely to parasitize.If there are a small number of them, they are collected manually, the mass accumulation is eliminated with Fumitox.
Conclusion
Thuja Kornik is a selection variety of Western folded thuja. An evergreen perennial tree with two-colored needles and a vertical arrangement of the upper parts of the branches is used in park design and ornamental gardening. Thuja is unpretentious in care, with minimal annual growth, and retains its shape for a long time. High frost resistance allows you to grow the cultivar in cold climates.
