Many dream of planting a coniferous plant in their own area. But pines and ate very bulky plants for a small space. Therefore, many people choose arborvitae for these purposes, because it’s easier to look after them than decorative varieties of other evergreen beauties, and they look no worse. Thuja westerns are best suited for decorating the area. Their needles also consist of needles, like pines and firs. Among the western varieties, the thuja Golden Taffet attracts attention. It will be discussed further.
Botanical Description
Golden Tuffet is a dwarf shrub of a spherical shape. The maximum height of this ball is 60 cm. In our latitudes it reaches only 15–30 cm. The diameter of the crown is about one meter. It is dense, formed by short branches that bend easily under its own weight, so they are constantly drooping.
Needles do not cling to the shoot, but stick out in different directions, which adds volume to the bush and gives a feeling of airiness. The color of the needles varies depending on the season. In the summer, it is golden in color. By winter, it becomes bronze or orange. With the arrival of heat, it is again golden.
The growth rate of the bush is 6–8 cm per year. In adulthood, under natural conditions of growth (West North America), it reaches 30 cm in height and 80 cm in diameter
Origin of name
Thuja occidentalis Golden Tuffet - English name for the plant. The word “Tuffet” is used to indicate a low, rounded-shaped stool. It is he who reminds an adult bush of a thuja. In the literal translation, the phrase “golden tuffet” means “golden mound”.
Landing
Western thuja sunshine lover. In the shade, it can also grow, but you should not expect a bright golden color from it. Therefore, you need to prepare a place for landing in the most illuminated place of the garden. There should be fertile soil. If not, then you definitely need to fertilize it with humus or compost.
Important! Landing is recommended in the spring after the soil has warmed up well.
Description of the step-by-step landing process:
- Thoroughly grow in the container thawed.
- Prepare a landing pit. Its dimensions should be larger than the size of the container in one and a half to two times.
- Drain the bottom of the pit with a layer of 20 cm.
- Pour into it the extracted soil, previously mixed with peat in equal proportions. Here you need to add a complex mineral fertilizer (5 g 1 l of water).
- Install the bush in the pit so that its root neck coincides with the ground level.
- Fill the roots with soil, water abundantly.
- Cover the trunk circle with a layer of mulch from bark or slivers.
Thuja care
The main thing in caring for a pillow-shaped shrub is to pay special attention in the first two years after planting. The further life of the plant depends on how all the rules are followed.
Watering and feeding
Watering should be regular, but moderate. The Golden Tuffet root system is located close to the surface, so she really does not like it when the moisture stagnates. Irrigation procedures should be carried out once a week. In hot periods, thaw should be sprayed with soft, settled water.
Did you know? Latin name thuja — "Thuja" has an ancient Greek root, which means "sacrifice."
It is imperative to protect the young plant from direct sunlight so that they do not burn tender needles.
Top dressing is carried out in the spring and in the fall. In April-May, Nitroammofoska (30–40 g / m²) or complex fertilizers are introduced. In the middle of autumn - potash fertilizers in the same amount.
Loosening and mulching
After each irrigation procedure, it is necessary to loosen the earth. So you provide oxygen access to the roots. This must be done very carefully.
To preserve longer moisture in the soil and reduce the frequency of watering, it is necessary to mulch the soil. A layer of 5-7 cm from the bark or slivers is enough.
Pruning
Dwarf thuja does not need forming pruning. Her crown independently takes the form of a slightly flattened ball on top. Sometimes it can be cut a little in the spring, so that it becomes thicker.
A sanitary haircut is extremely necessary for the plant. It is also held early in the spring, before the sap flow begins. Sick, damaged, dried branches are removed.
Did you know? In Canada, fresh arborvitae branches make brooms with a pleasant smell.
Breeding
Western thuja Golden Tuffet propagated by cuttings or division of the bush. Cuttings are harvested from young shoots, which are no more than 3 years old. They are cut off in the spring, before the awakening of the kidneys. You can harvest planting material in the summer, but in order for it to take root well, it needs to be wintered in a cool, bright room. Cuttings are planted in light soil or sand under a glass jar or film and shaded. Spring harvesting in open ground can be planted in the fall, and summer - next spring.
It is very convenient to propagate this variety of thuja by dividing the bush. The procedure is carried out in the fall, and preparatory work in the spring. The bush must be bumped after the snow melts to stimulate the growth of lateral roots. Then they carefully dig it out, use sharp tools to separate it so that each has a well-developed root system, and plant it in a permanent place.
Important! Very rarely, reproduction is carried out using layering. It takes a year to root them. Unfortunately, this method does not allow transmitting the special shape of the plant crown to a new generation.
Possible diseases and pests
Thuja Golden Tuffet is considered a sustainable species and is rarely affected by diseases and pests.. But under adverse growing conditions on the bush, fungal diseases can appear - fusariosis, shute brown. Treatment with fungicides saves them. For preventive purposes, it is desirable to use a one percent solution of Bordeaux fluid. They spray the bush in April.
Pests can attack the plant - thuja aphid, mole-mottled, false shields. They are expelled by insecticides (Decis, Aktara) with an interval in processing a week and a half.
The use of wood in landscape design
The spherical shrub looks good in the landscape design of small, rocky and heather gardens, in rock gardens and flowerpots. Perfectly frames the beds and flower beds, performing the role of hedges, borders. He landed both alone and in groups. It is advisable to grow thuja next to slow-growing conifers.
The golden color of the evergreen distinguishes it from similar species. Thanks to this, you can create bright accents in green coniferous compositions. And ease of care makes thuja a favorite of gardeners.
