Thuja haircut

Thuja has been planted by gardeners on their plots for many decades. This is a wonderful plant that is not picky. A wonderful and varied view decorates not only private green areas, but also city parks, recreation areas and local areas. In this article, we will consider such a thing as a thuja haircut.

Can cutting thuja harm the plant

Newbies who have just chosen this beautiful plant for themselves, faced with some spreading of the branches, are puzzled by the question: is it worth cutting the tree and whether it will harm it. It is absolutely possible to say that it is possible and necessary to cut. Thuja is the type of trees and shrubs that, under the conditions of correct and correct pruning, not only will not receive negative consequences, but on the contrary, the development of shoots and crown will improve.

Summarizing, there are 5 reasons why pruning is performed:

1. Removing needles that have completed their life cycle from the crown of the plant.
2. Removal of diseased or injured branches.
3. Thinning of the crown.
4. Limiting the height and volume of the tree.
5. Formation of a specific form when decorating a landscape.

The crown of various types of thuja should be trimmed on time when creating a design. Only in this way will the desired appearance of the tree and the shape of the crown be preserved. Designers know that the approach to this process is not the same for all types and varieties of thuja, and all plants are considered individually. The main reason for a shearing schedule is the growth rate of the plants.

For example:

• The Brabant variety adds 35 cm wide every year, and 15 cm high and is pruned twice a year.
• Thuja Columna has a smaller growth than Brabant, 20 cm wide and 10 cm high. But it is also formed by pruning twice a year.
• The varieties Smaragd and Wagneri are cultivated once a year, as they grow only 5 cm in height and 10 cm in width a year.

Spherical thuja are treated only as a preventive care, and the pruning is done sanitary. Therefore, they perform it as needed, sometimes less than once a year. But some gardeners adhere to the scheme 2 times a year.

Thuja haircut: types and purposes

Thuja sanitary pruning

As it became clear from the above, there are two types of trimmings: sanitary and decorative.

1. Sanitary processing is performed with all types of thuja for healthy and harmonious development and growth. In the process of this pruning, yellowed and aged needles are removed both from the upper part of the crown and directly from the tree trunk. Such an event is the prevention of fungal infections and the colonization of pests. In addition, dry and damaged shoots are removed during sanitary pruning to increase density and improve appearance.
2. Formative pruning is aimed only at the aesthetic improvement of the plant or giving it some specific complex forms, for example, animal figures. It also helps to correct and control plant growth.

When is a thuja haircut performed: in spring or in autumn?

In order to carry out high-quality pruning of thuja and not harm the plant, it is important to clearly plan the timing of this type of care. Choosing the best lead time depends on the type of thuja and the purpose for which you are pruning.

For sanitization, trees and shrubs are cut twice a year, in spring and autumn. In the spring, dry and frozen shoots are removed from the plant during the cold season.Thus, thuja growth processes are accelerated after winter. Autumn pruning has the opposite purpose. It is performed so that wintering for the plant is easy and without consequences.

Decorative processing of the crown is carried out from the last week of April to mid-August. It is not recommended to prune the tree after these deadlines, as you can harm or mechanical damage to the flower buds. If they are damaged, thuja may not give an annual growth and not enter the flowering period in the next season.

In cases where it is necessary to increase the green mass of the plant, all pruning measures are transferred to late spring, after the flowering period has passed.

Scissors and other tools for cutting thuja

At first glance, especially to people who perform this type of thuja care for the first time, it may seem that this needs to be learned for many years, and even the equipment is expensive to buy. But we will dispel this myth. All that is needed is a pruner and a pair of garden shears. Not expensive, convenient and do the necessary work.

With the help of a pruner, pruning is performed in order to thin out the crown and remove dry branches. Garden shears shape the silhouette of the plant and gently cut the shoots.

There are two types of scissors: mechanical (manual) or electrical. Here we cannot give you advice in choosing one or the other. With experience, you yourself will come to a decision which is more convenient for you in your work. But note that experienced gardeners recommend electric shears for processing a large number of trees. This recommendation is logical from the point of view of the expenditure of physical forces. The electrical appliance takes on part of the load when it is used.

Tui grown in private plots, or in the amount of 2-4 pieces, mechanical shears are enough, the work will be done more accurately.

In addition to the above two tools, a sickle or hatchet is used to remove thicker tree branches. Be sure to prepare your tools before starting work. Namely, sharpen them, as dull blades can seriously injure the crown of the plant.

The choice of special clothing is up to you. You will not receive any serious physical harm when pruning, but the tree will release resin in the process, and it, in turn, will stain you and wash it off quite difficult.

General scheme of sanitary pruning

The rules for correct pruning are quite simple, but you need to know them so that the procedure will benefit, not harm.

• Weather. On the day of pruning, the weather should be cloudy, so be sure to check the forecast in advance. On a sunny day, burns may occur on the cut branches. The absence of precipitation within 2-3 days after sanitization is also important.
• A visual inspection of the tree is mandatory. Only healthy trees can be trimmed. The presence of signs of illness suggests that the procedure should be postponed.
• In the process of pruning, damaged branches are removed, lifeless dry, sick and having an unhealthy yellow color.
• It is important to remember that more than thirty percent of the green mass should not be removed to thin out the density of the tree. Dwarf and bush varieties do not thin out.
• The final stage in the pruning process is the mandatory abundant soil moisture.

Decorative trim

Tui Grab Fastigiata: haircut with a cone

The basic rules for pruning are the same for both sanitary and decorative care. We have listed these rules above.

Thuja is dearly loved by landscape designers for the ability to give it all kinds of shapes with the help of a decorative haircut. Trees are given decorative beauty with the help of the same pruning shears and garden shears.

Experts with a creative approach also create animal figures, general fabulous compositions and even well-known characters, but this, of course, is aimed specifically at art. Most gardeners use simple geometric shapes: triangle, circle, cone, square, spiral and column.

When deciding on the future shape of the thuja, first of all take into account the natural shape of the plant. Thanks to this, it will be easier for you to carry out a haircut, and the plant will not get out of the general picture of the garden. Also, this approach will be convenient for beginners. It is from simple figures that they begin to learn a decorative haircut.

A decorative haircut, like a sanitary one, is stressful for the tree. For this reason, it should be started no earlier than 6 years from the moment of transplanting the thuja to a permanent place.

Thuja haircut depending on its type

Thuja haircut Western Smaragd, in the form of a ball

In the process of the figure formation of thuja, its natural appearance is paramount, and focusing on it, it is quite clearly possible to understand that not every type is suitable for any figure.

The best representative for the tradition of almost any form can be safely called thu Emerald... This species reaches 5 meters in height with natural growth and has a conical shape. The main feature of Smagard is that the look is easily restored after a haircut. You can meet this species in parks and gardens. The most often given shape is a pyramid and a cone, a little less often a ball on a leg. And it is from them that the figures of animals are created.

Lovers of tall and neat columnar-shaped plants will like varieties with a dense crown, such as Columna and Fastigiata.

Western thuja Brabant and Holmstrup get an aesthetically beautiful look with a haircut in the form of a pyramid and a cone.

Not tall thuja type Woodwary or Danica great in the shape of a ball, when decorating alleys and paths. Vourvadi belongs to the same type, but with a small peculiarity: a haircut is carried out once every 3 years so that the crown does not lose its density.

Thuja haircut with a cone

A cone or triangle haircut is the most convenient for those with little experience and the easiest to work with. The best varieties for the cone are Brabant and Smaragd, but in principle it is suitable for almost everyone.

To give this shape, in addition to scissors and pruning shears, you need three slats, preferably made of wood, but other material is also possible. They are installed in the form of a hut, at the same distance from each other, close to the green mass of thuja.

It is important to remember and know that the height of the yard must be higher than the processed tree itself. Having installed the boards, the top of the resulting triangle is fixed to each other with a dense rope or twine. Cut off those branches that eventually break through between the yards. Having given the necessary shape to the sides of the thuja, remove the frame and process the lower part.

Known options for cutting with a cone with an acute angle downward. This type of pruning should be avoided, as the lower part of the tree will be left without the amount of sunlight it needs.

Thuja spiral haircut

Thuja Brabant haircut, spiral

The spiral haircut of the thuja is the most unusual of the standard shapes; such trees look original and interesting. The Brabant variety, as a universal type for a haircut, is perfect for giving this shape, just pay attention to Smagard.

Spiral trimming is done as follows:

1. A dense rope or bright ribbon is attached to the top of the plant. Next, they wind the rope around the thuja in a spiral, not deepening it into the crown of the tree, but leaving it on the surface. The rope twists around the plant from top to bottom and is fixed on the ground tightly without the possibility of displacement.
2. With the help of garden shears, they create the first outlines of the future spiral.
3. After receiving a guideline in shape, they begin to trim the needles closer to the tree trunk. The important point is that the resizing of the length of the branches should be obvious.
4. Having obtained the desired spiral shape, the rope is removed.

The main advantage of such curly trimming is in the variety of types of the resulting spiral: the number of revolutions, their size and smoothness. Thanks to such variations, thuja in the form of a spiral will decorate the garden of even the most fastidious esthete.

Haircut with a ball

A decorative ball-shaped thuja haircut is best suited for not tall varieties. Globozum or Donica - these are the ideal representatives for this form.

First of all, to give a spherical shape, the top of the thuja is removed. Such manipulation "forces" the plant to gain green mass to the sides, and not in height. Further, visually assessing the size of the remaining crown, cut off those branches that violate the intended shape and go beyond it.

It is important to remember and know that with a decorative haircut of a thuja in the shape of a ball, the green mass of the plant is not removed by more than one third of the total volume. Otherwise, the tree will receive great stress, which will lead to a decrease in the protective functions of the plant and, as a consequence, further diseases.

Thuja curly haircut

A curly or topiary haircut is gaining momentum in its popularity. To complete it, you need a frame made of durable metal wire. The frame is in the shape of the desired shape or shape, and the plant is placed inside while still in the seedling stage. Thuja grows, increases in width and length, as soon as the plant grows and goes beyond the perimeter of the frame, the green mass is cut to the desired shape and the frame is removed.

The advantage of such a haircut is that it is practically impossible to cut off the crown more than necessary. You can also purchase a frame of almost any shape, from a circle or square to animals (elephant, hare, bull, etc.). An important point is that such a haircut is possible only if the plant develops under the frame from planting. You cannot trim an already mature thuja like that.

Pyramid pruning

Considering the pyramid and the cone from the point of view of the decorative haircut of the thuja, one can note not only their similarity in terms of the shape of the figures, but also the technique of shaping. The only difference is in the number of battens used to create the frame. In the case of a haircut under a pyramid, you set them as many as the sides of the pyramid.

In one haircut, the crown is trimmed on all sides at the same time, which creates a symmetrical silhouette. The best representatives of thuja for this form can be safely called Brabant and Holmstrup.

Thuja pyramidal pruning

Other forms of haircuts for thuja

In addition to all the above-listed figures for haircuts, thuja are often given the shape of an elongated oval, or, more simply, egg-shaped. This option for processing the crown is suitable even for inexperienced gardeners. It is easy to carry out and pleasing to the eye in its finished form.

Shaped haircut eggs spherical thuja varieties, such as Wagneri, are best suited. When processing this variety, you practically do not have to do anything, since the natural shape of the crown already has the desired shape, and you only slightly correct it.

But everything described above does not mean that tall varieties cannot be processed like this. Can. The first thing to do is trim off the top and then adjust the shape of the egg on the sides of the green mass.

The next in the list of simple shapes is the shape Cuba... For this, again, undersized varieties of thuja are suitable.

The haircut scheme is as follows:

1. On the ground under the plant, they indicate the shape of a square.
2. Yards are installed and fixed in each corner. Their size must necessarily correspond in length to the sides of the future square.
3. Further, the boards are resorted to the installed yards in a horizontal position, so that a square frame is obtained.
4. Pruning begins at the top of the tree, just above the upper border of the established square, proceeding to trimming the sides and dropping to the bottom of the crown.

Due to the length of the rais, you can vary the shape from a square to a rectangle.

Should you cut the top off?

You can shorten the top of the thuja without any fear, the tree is perfectly restored after such manipulations. If we consider decorative processing, then in 60% of cases it is necessary to create the desired shape.In addition, by cutting off the top, the crown of the plant becomes thicker due to the fact that nutrients go to the side branches.

Thuja curly haircut

Pruning for the cold season

Pruning for the winter period of the year is performed at the end of summer, namely from the second week of August. Such a haircut is performed so that the tree can more easily endure the cold and it is performed in the following order:

1. All dry or injured branches and shoots are removed.
2. Closer to the trunk, branches are partially removed, which improves air exchange.
3. If necessary, they carry out processing with garden pitch in the places of the most voluminous cuts.
4. To avoid branches breaking off under the weight of snow, those that go beyond the formed crown are shortened.

Care after haircut

Manipulations with thuja pruning are easy. It recovers quickly both after trimming and sanitizing. However, trimming is stressful for your plant and your job is to help it recover faster.

Here's a list of the steps to take:

• Pruning branches leads to the fact that the plant gives off moisture more than necessary and, as a result, needs to be restored. Therefore, be sure to water the water abundantly at the end of the process. Make sure that there is no excess water in the soil, but at least 10 liters should be poured per plant.
• Focus on the season. Having completed the processing in the last month of spring or early autumn, it will not be superfluous to feed the thuja with fertilizers. When pruning from June to August, no feeding is required.
• With the help of growth promoters such as Zircon, the stress of a haircut can be minimized.
• After processing, carry out a thorough visual inspection of the tree, paying particular attention to the areas of large cuts. If there is enough resin, the plant will regenerate on its own. But its lack testifies to the weakened state of the thuja and the required help. In the second version, a specialized paste or garden pitch is used, which is based on pine resin.

After cutting the thuja and the appropriate care after it, do not abandon the plant, continue to monitor its condition. Throughout the recovery period, thuja is in a weakened state and is susceptible to attack by pests.

Conclusion

Performing thuja pruning according to the simple rules that we described today, your long-term beauty will delight the eye for more than one season.