Excellent specimen. Does the tip bend AT ALL in winter with snow cover?

Interesting about taking out a duplicate leader...

....is there any "rule" about which Thuja varieties should be maintained that way, and which are OK with two or more leaders ?

Would I be correct in assuming that the "pudgier" varieties are OK with multiple leaders ?
.....for sure I have to wrap them in winter, to prevent some of the duplicates splaying out under heavy snow/ice load.

never staked.. nor encouraged upwards in any way .. it just takes care of business ..

the duplicate leader started about 4 feet up .. and i wouldnt have known... if i hadnt ... noticed it developing a beer belly ... so it was removed.. because it was ruining its form ... there is little use having this FORM of arb otherwise.. dont you think..

it scoffed at this winter 'once a decade' ice storm ... and snow load is never an issue ...

ken

Are you saying that all DeGroots need to be periodically checked for double leaders?
I have three three year olds (planted as teeny babies) that I have never checked, guess I need to get on that.
I think they are a gorgeous and very useful variety and am always surprised that I don't see more of them.

{{gwi:742713}}

cear... that size in 3 years from one foot???

is snow load an issue for you in KY???

you should always take a minute or two.. to reach in.. and clean out dead needles.. and that is when you will find an extra leader ...

i think.. i saw wasps around the tree.. making me wonder if there was a nest inside ... [there wasnt] .... and that was when i found the problem ...

ken

Three years from teeny, teeny Evergreen Nursery $5.95 size.
Are they too small or too big?
:)

{{gwi:742714}}

Snow load... moderate I'd say.
Should I wind some twine around them when the big one is due to hit?

It's not that it is 'too' one way or the other. I'd say that is very impressive growth. Thanks for sharing.

Steg

yeah.. i call that one foot of green ...

the pic above looks a bit close to the house.. especially if there is an eave above ... wouldnt want to start hacking on it.. just when it gets to perfect size ...

ken

I wonder what is actually "normal" for an Arborvitae like this in cultivation? Do they tend to grow multiple leaders because they are clones taken from branches, or is that the form of the original seedling tree?

Most of the 'Degroots Spire' I see for sale are dense with multiple leaders, which I assume the growers pruned the tops to make them more bushy. People like to buy bushy looking ARbs, so the market provides them.

Ken,

Yes, that is a superb specimen. You did it right.

If you are stuck with multiple leaders then a heavy snow load or ice storm could do it in. Wrap with twine, it's sold in green, or tape in winter to hold it together. Otherwise it's just a matter of time.

Dave

I don't know guys, but on my screen Ken's photo shows up a bit too dark.....

Is this any better ? (it is for me)

Incidentally, what's the difference between a Degroot's Spire and a Smaragd ?
....is there more to it, than taking out multiple leaders ? (Thnx)

"the pic above looks a bit close to the house.. especially if there is an eave above ... wouldnt want to start hacking on it.. just when it gets to perfect size ... "

I knew the photo looked that way but there is currently still plenty of room for me to walk behind it and there is no eave above it at all.

my photo is a bit dark.. because i was shooting from below into a bright cloudy sky ...

and because with my card reader problems.. i dont have a photo editor on the laptop which will read the camera card.. so i couldnt adjust contrast..

regardless.. its still pretty ok on my screen.. so perhaps your monitor is a bit on the dark side...

as to DS vs emerald green aka smargard ... its all about form .. and growth rate ...

smar's planted 10 years ago. are still squat plants.. that have gone from about 4 to 8 feet .... fat and chubby ...

DS is obviously much more inclined to grow straight up ... faster ... and thinner ...

otherwise .. they are both green arbs with similar needle shape ...

ken

Ken, I have 16 degroots spire waiting to reach the size of yours. they are 3 ft now. brought them at 2 feet with multiple leaders, usually 2-3 leaders from the base of the tree reaching half the height. I clipped and removed them all.
by the way, what kind of little fir is in front of the degroot?

Abies concolor 'Compacta'

I have two 8 ft DeGroot Spires. I cut some duplicate leaders out, they filled up with foliage nicely. But I notice that they form new duplicate leaders higher up. I never had any problems with snow loads.