Tricky cut
If you have prescribed a cut back for your Thuja Smaragd, the cut requires special care. For conifers in general and trees of life in particular, pruning can have fatal consequences if the specific growth is not taken into account. It is characteristic of Thuja occidentalis and other conifers that they no longer sprout from old wood.
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The reason for the handicap is the lack of sleeping eyes as an “iron growth reserve” when branches, twigs or trunks fall out. Most deciduous trees create a multitude of dormant buds that guarantee renewed growth after pruning. Thuja emerald is forever disfigured if you cut the shrub into the old wood. As long as the cut is focused on the green needled branch area, a tree of life proves to be easy to cut.
Occasions and dates for the cut - types of cut
A leisurely growth of 10 to 20 centimeters per year does not prevent thuja emerald from reaching a majestic height of 6 meters and an expansive width of up to 2 meters, uncut, over the years. These dimensions cause considerable space problems in the small garden. The concerns expressed about a radical cut recommend the regular use of secateurs. In order to keep the growth under control without impairing the emerald green colors, the rule of thumb applies: it is better to cut frequently and moderately instead of rarely and vigorously. The following table will familiarize thuja gardeners with all of the options for expert pruning:
| Cut type | Goal / occasion | best date |
|---|---|---|
| Assembly section solitaire | build a stable framework | Early February to early March |
| Section of the hedge | shapely growth, dense branching | Early February to early March |
| Topiary hedge | Control of height and width growth, cutting in trapezoidal shape | February |
| Maintenance cut hedge | Shape retention, well-groomed appearance | End of June to mid-July |
| Clearance cut solitaire | Remove dead wood, maintain growth habit | February |
You can delete a radical tapering cut from the list of sensible cutting types without replacement. Thuja emerald must never be cut into old wood. This premise implies that, as a shrub or hedge, you cannot put the conifer on the cane without challenging total failure.
Build up solitaire in steps
Thuja Smaragd is characterized by a tight, upright and slim growth. High-quality young plants leave the nursery with several scaffold shoots. These compete with each other and usually drive out on the exposed side in order to win the race to light. The result is a one-sided weight distribution, so that the tree of life falls apart under the influence of snow pressure or strong wind. A targeted cut prevents the undesired process and strengthens the stability within the conifer. How to do it right:
- The best time is from the second or third year in February
- Let the three strongest scaffold shoots grow uncut as a supporting structure
- Cut the side shoots emerging from the scaffolding in a step-like manner
Thoroughly examine a solitary thuja emerald every late winter. The pruning takes place in a perfect framework, when three uncut main shoots gather several side branches at different heights. This is achieved through a derivative cut. To shorten a side shoot that is too long, look for a strong side branch in the upper third of the needled area . Make the cut where both shoots fork.
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Premature cutting of the main shoots marks the end of height growth
A Thuja Smaragd continues to grow slowly but steadily, as long as tip buds are enthroned on its central shoots. This applies equally to the pruning of solitary and hedge. Please only trim the tips of the shoots if no further vertical growth is desired. The growth law of peak promotion teaches us that after the removal of the peak buds, the growth forces are distributed to lower-lying buds. As a result, a Thuja Smaragd always expands when it is deprived of its topmost buds.Construction cut guarantees opaque hedge
Thuja Smaragd takes its time to grow. With a growth speed of 10 to 30 centimeters, it takes many years of patience for the trees of life to form an opaque hedge. Understandably, every inch of green is noted with glee, so that gardeners do not prune their thuja hedge in the first few years. As a result, a loose habit develops that is particularly susceptible to windthrow and snow pressure. For this reason, this tutorial advocates a successive top-up cut aimed at a densely branched and lush thuja-emerald hedge. This is how it works:
- The best time is from the second year in February on a frost-free day
- Build up a trapezoidal thuja emerald hedge
- Tension cords as a guide for the conical cutting profile
- The previous year's growth cropping up to 4 or 5 centimeters
- Do not prune the hedge crown until the final height is reached
- Cut off twigs growing into the inside of the hedge at the roots
The gradual upbringing of a thuja emerald hedge takes special care of all tip buds as long as the desired final height is not reached. Cut all sides and flanks to within 5 centimeters. The hedge should be wider at the base than in the crown area for light-flooded growth. Annual pruning of the lateral shoot tips in the needled area promotes dense branching because buds located further down on the shoot also benefit from the flow of sap.
Cut the thuja emerald hedge into shape
Once a thuja emerald hedge has reached the perfect height and density, the topiary ends in an annual topiary . The cut is considerably simplified because you can orientate yourself on the clearly recognizable interfaces of the previous year. There is no longer any danger of accidentally cutting too deep into the old wood. This also makes the installation of orientation aids for the recommended trapezoidal shape unnecessary. How to complete the central topiary with horticultural expertise:
- The best time for the topiary is in February when the weather is frost-free and overcast
- First remove dead wood, intersecting or mutually touching shoots
- Set up with hedge trimmers (€ 135.56 at Amazon *) so that your view is directed towards the uncut green area
- Swivel motorized scissors up and down evenly, parallel to the hedge
- Cut as close as possible to the previous year's interfaces
In contrast to the structural cut, a shaped cut leaves only a few millimeters of fresh, green needle scales. For a straight cut surface, please work on the sides of the hedge with your arms extended and out from your shoulders. You can cut the hedge crown perfectly with swiveling movements from your back.
Digression
The right tool for every type of cut
If the right cutting tool is available, cutting Thuja Smaragd is a horticultural pleasure. In order to skilfully cut a hedge into shape, an electric hedge trimmer does the cutting work accurately and as quietly as a whisper. From a hedge length of more than 10 meters, you should ideally manage the cut with a petrol-powered hedge trimmer. For the independence from battery or power cable, the noise of the machines is accepted as an exception in order to cut the mighty green wall. The hedge trimmer can remain in the shed for contour cutting on solitary units. Since the cut is focused on individual branches, high-quality one-handed loppers are dedicated to the task with flying colors. It is up to you to decide whether you would prefer bypass or anvil scissors.Summer pruning for a neat hedge
Under ideal conditions, a thuja emerald hedge grows up to 30 centimeters per year. The well-groomed appearance suffers as a result of the shoots sticking out of the hedge. The ideal time window for a regular maintenance cut is open at the end of June . Near St. John's Day, June 24th, trees of life and other plants take a short pause in growth and then sprout again with reduced strength.
If you cut a third of this year's growth in summer, your thuja-emerald hedge will thrive all the more densely and bushier. Alternatively, you can simply shorten branches protruding from the shape. It is important to note that you cut by the beginning of September at the latest so that fresh shoots ripen in time for winter.
Breeding birds always have priority
The Federal Nature Conservation Act stipulates a strict grace period for pruning. In principle, it is forbidden to prune hedges, bushes or tree tops from March 1st to September 30th . The breeding season of native and immigrant birds extends over the defined period. Any disruption or even displacement will result in fines of up to 50,000 euros. In exceptional cases, light maintenance cuts are permitted, provided they focus on this year's growth. Furthermore, before pruning, it must be ensured that there are no nests in the wood .
Before each pruning measure, carefully inspect Thuja Smaragd for feathered inhabitants. If you find what you are looking for, please postpone the cutting time until later. A tree of life can easily cope with pruning at the end of the breeding season between mid and late August.
Tips
When choosing an appointment for the pruning of Thuja Smaragd, act according to this rule of thumb: never cut in frost, strong heat or blazing sun.
Solitaire benefits from the cutout
If a Thuja Smaragd as a solitaire is given a professional construction cut, the care of the cut is reduced to an occasional clearing of dead wood. As the illustration below illustrates, you can use this opportunity to prune back too long or low-hanging shoots. How to do it right:
- Thinning out solitary thuja emerald every 3 to 5 years
- Saw off dead wood on astring without damaging the trunk bark
- The best time is in February when the weather is frost-free
- Extra-long, arching branches lead to a side shoot
If you find yourself forced to clear a dead or unfavorable branch, there is a risk of a large, dark gap. In this case, do not cut until you have bent the relevant shoot to one side as a test. If this opens up a hole that is too large, move the point of intersection further outwards.
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Lead cut prevents brown gaps
The cutting technique of the derivation helps the private and professional gardener over many a hurdle in the care of the cut. Designed for the perfect fruit wood cut on fruit trees, a derivation cut also on ornamental trees such as thuja emerald guarantees the optimal cutting result. Don't just cut a branch that is too long somewhere. Instead, choose the intersection at the fork on a young, fresh branch. The previously subordinate branch will take over a management position at this point without creating an annoying gap in the appearance. With the help of the derivative you can also shorten a tree of life that has grown too high.frequently asked Questions
Accidentally cut into the old wood so that my Thuja Smaragd now has a gap - what to do?
Not paying attention for a moment and the scissors have already got into the unpinned area of the shoot. To ensure that your Thuja Smaragd does not have a permanent gap at this point, proceed as follows: Pull neighboring green branches into the gap and tie them there. For binding, please use soft hose ties that do not cut into the bark. It can take some time until the gap has grown and the binding material can be removed again.
Is Thuja Smaragd suitable for keeping in a bucket? If so, how big should the pot be?
Trees of life have no objection to cultivation in the tub. As long as there is an adequate supply of water and nutrients, the conifers thrive just as well as in the bed. So that a Thuja Smaragd does not tip over in the bucket, the container should always be wider than the plant. At the beginning we recommend a pot volume of 25 to 30 liters. In parallel to growth, the bucket has to enlarge regularly so that the dimensions are correct.
We would like to plant an easy-care, evergreen conifer hedge that is no more than 200 to 250 centimeters high and 50 centimeters wide. We associate low-maintenance with low-maintenance pruning. Is Thuja Emerald a suitable strain for this plan?
Among the most popular arborvitae varieties, thuja emerald grows the slowest. Furthermore, the conifers overall remain lower and slimmer than varieties such as Columna or Malonyana. With increasing age, Thuja Smaragd will of course clearly exceed the desired height and width. By pruning the hedge early once a year, you can keep the growth habit compact and narrow. Regular pruning is better than cutting the bushes once to 250 centimeters when they have grown too big. In this case, there is a marked increase in thickness in the lower area, which requires an even stronger shape cut.
I am planning to plant Thuja Smaragd as a hedge in a new development area. The condition of the soil is problematic, because it is a former field that was filled 170 centimeters deep with sand and gravel, so that there are hardly any humic components. How deep is the tree of life rooted and how do I have to create the planting ditch?
The thuja hedge will not grow in sandy-gravelly soil. The root depth of thuja emerald depends largely on the local conditions, so that a specific measurement is not necessary. Experience has taught us that in normal garden soil a root depth of 50 to 75 centimeters is reached after 10 years. We therefore recommend digging a 1 meter wide and deep trench for the thuja hedge, which you fill with topsoil.
I am forced to cut back a 25 year old thuja emerald hedge deep into the old wood. The vertical main shoots still have residual green at the tips. Can I stimulate growth here by cutting the branches and inserting a young green twig into the slot, similar to the grafting of fruit trees?
With a probability bordering on certainty, scratching is just as unpromising as finishing. Conifers stopped growing forever in the old wood. This also applies to thuja emerald. After a vigorous pruning, the hedge will only sprout again if it is limited to the green area.
The 3 most common mistakes
If the emerald-green needle dress is spoiled by brown spots or the thuja-emerald hedge is balding, the gardener has made a classic cutting error. In order to protect the readers of this tutorial from making mistakes in the care of the incision, the following table takes up the three most common mistakes with tips for effective prophylaxis:
| Cutting errors | Damage | prevention |
|---|---|---|
| cut into the old, brown wood | no more green shoots, brown spots | always cut in the green needled shoot area |
| no trapezoidal shape when cutting the hedge | bald, patchy hedge base, premature balding from the inside out | conical hedge profile with a broad base and narrow crown |
| cut in heat and blazing sun | brown, withered shoot tips | ideally cut when the sky is overcast |
Tips
When thuja emerald bushes enclose the property as a hedge, the shiny green shoots near the ground sometimes turn brown in winter. The cause is road salt, which is still used in many communities to keep icy roads drivable. As a preventive measure, stretch foil as a protective wall in front of your thuja-emerald hedge. On mild days, shower the arborvitae to remove salty splash water. In February you cut off browned shoot tips with the hedge trimmer.
