To make the fence in the garden more beautiful, the living wall of coniferous plants is ideal for this purpose. Thuja Columna, bred in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, looks best. She perfectly adapted to our climate: she is not afraid of Russian winters, does not fade under the summer sun and keeps her shape without a regular haircut.
Thuja western Columna - ideal hedge
Description of culture
There are 5 types of thuja, of which the western one is widespread in Russia, as the most winter-hardy, unpretentious, refined and original plant.
Characteristics of the variety
Thuja western Columna (Thuja occidentalis Columna) belongs to the group of columnar varieties with an average growth rate: in a year the thuja increases in height by 15-20 cm, in width - by 5-7 cm.
The maximum height is 10 m in a single planting and 8-9 m in a group. The plant forms a tall narrow column with a diameter of no more than 1.5 m.
Appearance
The crown is smooth, dark green, consists of horizontal short skeletal branches, the ends of which end in fan-shaped overgrown shoots with soft shiny needles. With a decrease in temperature, it turns bronze, in the spring the color changes to green.
Due to its structural features, the surface of Columna looks like a homogeneous dense mass.
The bark is rough, reddish-brown. The root system is superficial, fibrous. The variety is frost-resistant, unpretentious, suitable for the formation of green walls and hedges that do not require cutting.
Landing
In order for thuja Columna to show itself in all its glory, it needs to provide comfortable conditions. These primarily include:
- landing site;
- priming;
- the size and quality of the landing pit.
Training
The place for Columna is chosen sunny or in lacy partial shade. A dense shade will lead to the loss of the decorative properties of the thuja, its crown will become loose and dull.
It is better to choose the soil light, air and moisture permeable. Optimally - loams without a close approach of groundwater.
The plant is undemanding to the nutritional value of the soil, but the acidity of the soil is critical for it: it must be slightly acidic or neutral.
The site is prepared in advance, for which:
- dug, removing the roots of the weeds;
- fill with compost, slow-acting mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, AVA-wagon, granular);
- if necessary, deacidify by adding dolomite flour or chalk.
Spring planting (April-May) and autumn (4 weeks before the onset of constant frosts) are possible.
Seedlings with closed roots can be planted at any time, including in summer.
A planting pit for seedlings with a height of 1.5 m is needed with a depth of 70-80 cm and a width of 2 times the root system.
Instructions
The seedling must be prepared for planting
When planting a seedling with an open root system, you must:
- inspect each spine and remove damaged ones;
- process the roots in phytosporin or a pink solution of potassium permanganate;
- soak for 20 minutes in a root-forming agent (Epin, Kornevin).
Thuja with a closed root system should be removed from the container, soaked with an earthen lump for 20-30 minutes in a root-forming solution.
At the bottom of the pit, a drainage layer 15-20 cm thick is poured, consisting of expanded clay, broken brick or river pebbles. For filling, prepare the composition:
- 2 pieces of garden land;
- 1 part peat,
- 1 part sand;
- 1 part of organic matter (rotted manure, mature compost, humus).
Note! When planting, fresh manure or bird droppings should not be introduced - they will provoke fungal root diseases.
The following actions :
- The pit is filled 1⁄2 with planting soil.
- Water abundantly.
- Place the seedling so that the root collar is at ground level. If necessary, add additional earth. The roots are evenly distributed over the entire area of the pit.
- The soil is carefully compacted.
- Pour water over from above in 2-3 doses, as moisture is absorbed. This watering will remove all air pockets in the pit.
- After complete absorption, the top is mulched with sawdust, bark, expanded clay.
Important! For group plantings, thuja are planted at a distance of at least 1.2-1.5 m from each other.
Care
Young plants need attention and care first of all. They do not survive the bright midday sun, they should be protected from sunburn.
Care consists of standard operations:
- glaze;
- weed removal;
- loosening;
- dressing;
- preparing for winter;
- sanitary pruning.
Tui love moist soil, lack of moisture has a bad effect on the needles: it becomes lethargic and crumbles. However, prolonged waterlogging of the soil negatively affects the health of the plant.
Columna is watered as the surface layer dries, usually 1-2 times a week. But watering should be abundant, which is able to moisten to a depth of 10-15 cm. It is there that the bulk of the absorbing roots of thuja is located.
Sprinkling is used in the heat. This operation refreshes the needles, promotes more active evaporation of resinous substances containing phytoncides.
Weeds are rivals of the plant in the struggle for soil nutrition, so they must be removed.
Loosening is carried out in parallel. The soil is also loosened after irrigation to improve the oxygen supply to the roots and remove the surface crust. The operation should be performed with caution.
You can save time if you use mulching. For this, mown grass, peat, sawdust, bark are suitable.
Top dressing
The first two years after planting the tree does not need to be fertilized
Thuja do not tolerate excess nitrogen, with its excess, decorative qualities are lost: skeletal shoots are stretched, the trunk is bare, fan-shaped overgrown branches are loosely adjacent to each other. The tree looks unkempt, ugly, like a broom.
Therefore, nitrogen fertilizers are given to thuyas in a minimal amount, mainly in early spring, when needles need to be restored after winter damage.
In the first 1-2 years, feeding is not needed - the tree will have enough of the nutrition that was introduced during planting.
Subsequently, special fertilizers are needed for coniferous evergreens. There are spring and autumn mixtures that contain a balanced composition of macro- and microelements.
In order for the thuja to calmly survive the winter, it is necessary to perform 2 operations:
- mulch the trunk circle with leaves, peat and humus (with a layer of 10-15 cm to protect the roots from freezing);
- tie the crown and cover it with any breathable material to protect it from breaking by falling snow and from spring sunburn.
Pruning
Columna keeps its shape well. However, she needs spring sanitary pruning. Remove yellow and damaged branches. A shaping haircut is needed for this variety only to limit growth or when completing a design intent.
Diseases and pests
It is easier to prevent thuja diseases than to cure them.
Important! Banning fresh manure, poultry droppings and undecomposed compost reduces the likelihood of fungal diseases, while regular weeding keeps pests away.
For prevention, plants are treated with Bordeaux liquid.
In case of damage by late blight, rust, the shute should be removed and the affected branches should be burned and the thuja and near-stem circle should be treated with fungicides (HOM, foundationol).
When pests attack, insecticides are used: Fufanfon, Fumitoks Antiklesch, Decis, Aktellik, Aktara.
To increase immunity and relieve stress, the tree must be supported with Zircon solution.
Which is better: Columna or Brabant?
The best thujas for hedges are Columna and Brabant. Which variety should you choose?
Thuja is ideal for creating a hedge
Comparison of varieties
Characteristic | Columna | Brabant |
Crown shape | columnar | conical |
Height gain per year (cm) | Up to 20 | Up to 30 |
Maximum height (m) | 10 | 5 |
Maximum width (m) | 1,5 | 3-4 |
Needle coloring | Dark green | Bright green |
Color change in winter | Bronzes with decreasing temperature | Does not change |
The need for a shaping haircut | not | 2 times per year |
Crown change with age | Does not change | Over the years, it acquires a loose structure |
Distance between adjacent plants to create a hedge (m) | 1,0-1,5 | 2,5 -3,5 |
The table shows that it is cheaper and faster to create a hedge from Thuja Brabant. However, if you need tall plants with a dense crown, which do not need to be cut regularly, then it is better to choose the thu Columna.
In the top 20 western thujas, Columna is ranked 5th, and Brabant is second. Thuya Smaragd is in the lead in this rating - the most popular variety in the middle lane.
Application in landscape design
The narrow tall trees of Columna resemble Tuscan cypress, so they are planted to give the site a Mediterranean style.
In group plantings, this variety is most often used to highlight zones within the site, decorate a living wall in the entrance group.
It also looks good in the form of a specimen plant.
In the foreground, crops are planted that have the same soil and light requirements. Excellent compositions are obtained if you plant next to the thuja:
- forsythia European;
- hydrangeas;
- roses;
- hosts;
- primrose;
- badans;
- heather.
Against the background of a dark green crown, a bright green Smaragd or yellow thuja will look great.
How much are the seedlings
It is better to buy seedlings in nurseries.
The cost of seedlings varies depending on the size of the plant.
Sapling height | Cost (in official nurseries), rubles |
30 cm | 250-350 |
from 1.6 to 1.8 m | 3000- 3500 |
1.8 to 2 m | 4200 |
2.0 to 2.5 m | up to 6000 |
More than 2.5 | From 6000 |
In spontaneous markets, prices are much lower, but the risk of purchasing a diseased plant there is much higher.
Gardeners reviews
Tui is now perhaps the most popular plants in Russian dachas. Gardeners like their long decorative season, endurance to haircuts for any figure.
Owners of country houses note a significant improvement in the composition of the air in the plots and a decrease in colonies of blood-sucking insects after planting.
Young mothers with babies feel comfortable in the gardens with hedges from Kolumna: its soft needles do not scratch the child, and at the same time serves as a reliable boundary for the play area.
Florists engaged in landscape design are happy to use thuja in their compositions: thanks to its slow growth, the plan is not disturbed for a long time.
“Weekend” summer residents say that culture requires a minimum of effort. This is especially true for a shaping haircut.
The only thing that the owners do not like is the requirement to tie the crown and cover the plants for the winter. For large landings, this is a significant labor cost. However, upon reaching the age of 4-5 years, the need for these operations disappears.
Thuja western Columna (thuja occidentalis columna) 🌿 Columna review: how to plant, seedlings of thuja Columna
Thuja western Columna. Brief overview, description of characteristics, where to buy large-sized plants, seedlings
Thuja western Columnar | Plante.md
Thuja Columna is an easy-care, beautiful and affordable evergreen coniferous tree. With its help, any site can be turned into a stylish and protected from prying eyes garden. And the phytoncides secreted by this tall tree will refresh the air around the house and scare away annoying insects.