Content
In regions with harsh climatic conditions, more and more gardeners are choosing thuja for landscaping. Agricultural scientists brought it to the eastern part of Russia in the middle of the last century and managed to grow it. It is worth knowing how to plant and care for thuja in Siberia (photo), which varieties are most frost-resistant, and how to care so that the plant successfully takes root, grows and develops over many decades.
Today, hedges of thuja and individual plantings of conifers are far from uncommon in the Urals and Siberia. The plant is expanding into new regions for which this beautiful tree was quite recently a real exotic.
Does thuja grow in Siberia?
It is believed that the homeland of thuja is North American forests, their southern part. But there are species that can grow in the northern USA and Canada. There they can be found even on swampy, damp and cold soils. It was from these climatic conditions that the seedlings brought to Siberia were taken.
The western species of thuja has adapted well to harsh climatic conditions and is able to withstand severe frosts, long winters, and deeply frozen soil.
The average lifespan of the plant is 150 years, it is undemanding to the soil and tolerates pruning well. But when growing in Siberian conditions, it is worth choosing the planting site more carefully, enriching the poor soil and monitoring the soil moisture.
The plant is used universally: as a hedge, in individual plantings.
Thuja varieties growing in Siberia can look like trees up to 20 m high or shrubs. The shape is varied - pyramidal, cone-shaped, columnar, ovoid. The bark is red or brown, later becoming lighter. The needles are green in summer, turning slightly yellow in winter. Its complete replacement occurs after three years, falling off along with small branches.
Frost-resistant thuja varieties for Siberia
Western thuja is the most unpretentious of all existing species. Several hardy varieties are most popular in Siberia.
Emerald
Evergreen thuja with a dense pyramidal crown and bright green needles. The height of the plant is 6 m, the width without pruning is 2 m. The annual growth is about 20 cm in height and 5 cm in width. The crown is very flexible to give interesting shapes with a haircut.
In spring, flowers appear on the branches - small cones, which later fall off. In Siberia, there are thujas of the Smaragd variety with two types of color - green and golden.
Hoseri
A dwarf variety of western thuja with an original ball shape. It has scaly needles of dark green color. The variety is winter-hardy, wind-resistant, and sensitive to drought. In Siberian conditions it grows well on fertile loams and tolerates shearing easily. The crown diameter is about 1 m and grows slowly.
Brabant
Western thuja is columnar-shaped with a compact and branched crown. The maximum height in Siberian conditions is 4 m. Moisture-loving. Does not tolerate short-term thaws well, which can cause premature sap flow.
Thuja can grow in both sunny and shaded areas. The crop requires constant pruning to keep it in good shape. In the harsh conditions of Siberia, the use of ephedra is universal.
Danica
A dwarf variety of thuja, capable of growing in the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia. It is one of the most decorative. It grows slowly, only 5 cm per year. In adulthood it reaches 60 cm in height.
This thuja has a thick, spherical crown, reddish bark, and soft, scaly needles. The root system of the plant is superficial. The crop is undemanding to soil fertility and moisture.
Fastigiata
Thuja has a column-shaped crown, its shoots are pressed to the trunk, the needles are emerald and fluffy. In Siberian conditions it grows up to 6 m in height.
The annual growth is about 30 cm. In winter, the color of the needles does not change and can easily be trimmed. Conifer cones are brown and very small. The culture is frost-resistant and undemanding to soil.
Clot of Gold
Thuja has the shape of a bush, 2 m high and 1.5 m wide. The shape of the crown is an ellipse or cone. The needles are needle-shaped, delicate, lemon or copper shades.
Grows well in well-drained alkaline soil. Prefers sunny or slightly shaded areas.
Planting thuja in Siberia and subsequent care
In order to grow thuja in the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia, a number of conditions must be met:
- purchase a seedling that is resilient, frost-resistant, and able to withstand strong cold winds and snowfalls;
- comply with planting deadlines;
- choose the right place for plants;
- dig holes the size of which corresponds to the size of the root system of the seedlings;
- perform landing according to the algorithm;
- carry out full care after planting thuja in open ground.
Recommended timing
It is best to plant thuja in spring or autumn. For Siberia, the most preferable time is early spring, immediately after the snow melts. A few months before the onset of winter, the plant has time to take root, grow coniferous mass, and then successfully overwinter.
After autumn planting, thuja should be covered very carefully for the winter. The event is more successful if a seedling with a closed root system is purchased. The best time for planting in autumn: late August-early September.
Site selection and soil preparation
For thuja growing in Siberia, a place illuminated by the sun is suitable, and the time is only in the morning and evening. When constantly exposed to direct sunlight, its needles lose moisture and become less decorative. You should not choose a place exposed to northern winds and drafts.
Thuja is unpretentious, prefers lightly drained soils, but is capable of growing on soils with high water content. Before planting, it is necessary to prepare a soil mixture and enrich it with organic and mineral fertilizers, and make drainage in the planting hole.
Landing algorithm
After choosing a seedling and location, planting in Siberia is carried out according to the algorithm:
- For a three-year-old thuja, dig a hole 50 cm long, 90 cm wide and 70 cm deep.
- Broken brick or expanded clay is laid at the bottom in a layer 20 cm thick to create drainage.
- The prepared soil is poured in a cone onto the drainage layer - for a seedling with an open root system and an even layer - for a closed one.
- The plant is placed in the center of the planting hole.
- The voids are filled with prepared soil mixture.
- The root collar of the thuja should be located above the soil level.
- The plant is watered abundantly.
- Add soil if it settles.
- Mulch the thuja tree trunk with peat and grass.
The soil mixture includes turf soil, sand, humus and peat, mixed in a ratio of 3:1:2:2. It is permissible to use special mineral fertilizers for conifers.
Growing thuja in Siberia
After planting the thuja, it needs to be provided with proper care:
- carry out regular watering and irrigation;
- remove weeds, mulch the soil;
- periodically fertilize;
- regularly trim the crown;
- prepare thoroughly for wintering.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Thuja is a drought-resistant, but at the same time moisture-loving plant. During the first time after planting, watering is carried out in the morning and evening. When the first signs of rooting and growth appear, thuja is moistened once a week in a volume of 10 liters per plant. In this case, the climatic conditions of Siberia should be taken into account, making the necessary adjustments to the watering schedule.
An adult plant requires at least 30 liters of water once every 2 weeks. Over the age of 5 years, it is watered only in intense heat.
Any thuja should be subjected to periodic sprinkling, which is carried out early in the morning or late in the evening, excluding very cold weather, which often happens in Siberia.Thanks to this procedure, dust and dirt are washed away from the needles, the pores open, and the air is saturated with essential vapors.
In dry autumn, abundant watering should be done to prepare the plant for winter.
To provide complete care for thuja in Siberia, it needs additional feeding. Their quantity and quality depend on the soil on which the thuja grows.
Loosening and mulching the soil
Some time after watering, the soil under the thuja crown is carefully loosened to a depth of no more than 7 cm. Such care is required in order not to damage the roots, which are located on the surface. After loosening, to protect the thuja from weeds and preserve moisture in the soil, the tree trunk circle is mulched. Compost, pine sawdust, peat, and pine bark are used as mulch in Siberia. In addition to retaining moisture, mulching helps enrich the soil with nutrients.
Pruning rules
Thuja pruning begins in early spring and continues in summer and autumn. The specific time depends on the weather conditions of Siberia. It is undesirable to carry out the event in rainy weather, when there is a maximum number of pathogenic microbes in the air. Since the plant has open wounds after pruning, harmful microorganisms can easily enter there.
It is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning, during which damaged, diseased, dead thuja shoots are removed.
The crown is thinned out so that the plant feels more comfortable in the heat. The best time for the procedure is May.
The rules of any haircut are quite simple:
- You can’t cut the branches too short, the norm is within two years’ growth;
- In order not to expose the plants to stress, trimming is carried out regularly and little by little;
- the natural shape of the thuja crown should be taken into account;
- tools must be clean and well sharpened;
- voids should not be allowed to form in the crown.
Preparing thuja for winter in Siberia
Young seedlings in the first year of planting require reliable shelter and protection from frost in Siberia.
The danger for plants lies not only in abnormally low temperatures, but also in the possibility of needles burning, since in winter there is no sap flow and the thuja lacks moisture.
To protect plants, they are tied with twine in a circle and covered with light-colored non-woven material that reflects sunlight and allows air to pass through.
To protect the roots, remove weeds even before the first frost and increase the mulch layer to 25 cm using compost and leaves. To enhance the protection of the thuja in Siberian conditions, additional spruce branches are thrown on top.
For shelters, it is convenient to use special wooden frames on which material is stretched - burlap, gauze.
Pests and diseases
If agricultural practices are violated and unfavorable weather conditions, thuja in Siberia can be affected by diseases:
- late blight - an infection that first affects the roots of the plant, and then the crown, which as a result withers and the conifer trunk becomes soft;
- brown shoots - first brown scales appear, and then all the shoots turn yellow;
- rust and shutte - falling and darkening of needles (most often on young thujas).
To treat plants, spraying with foundationazole, removing and destroying the affected shoots is used.
Among the most dangerous pests of thuja in Siberia are thuja aphids and false scale insects. They are destroyed with the help of karbofos, decis and other insecticidal preparations.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that planting and caring for thuja in Siberia (photo) is not much different from this process in central Russia.
Due to climate conditions, some dates are shifted, preparations for winter are carried out more carefully. If all planting and care rules are followed, thuja will take root well and develop in the harsh weather conditions of Siberia.
