HELP I have 12 Thuja w/ very bare areas Will prunning fill itout?

gerri-2008

16 years ago

Hi, I just became in love with landscaping but I know nothing.

I thought I got a good deal when I bought 12- 5' (perimetial?)

Thuja Green Giant trees for $7.00 each. The trees were grown free range against a fence when I bought them in spring 2007. They are not dense and are rather bare at the bottom particularly on the side that faced the fence. We planted them with the ugly side toward the sun because my husband said the better side will then twist toward the sun and cover the bare side. Will prunning help these trees fill out? Also, how do I prune it, by cutting the top 6" or so? Hey, I'd appreciate any and all that you can tell me.

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Comments (2)

vetivert8
16 years ago
And she answers with more questions: do you plan to let them grow to their potential height of 20-30 feet? Are you growing them as a feature divider in a lawn - or will you be planting in front of them with other shrubs/small plants? Are they planted so they can grow full width of around 5+ feet or closer together?

I'm suspecting that, as these seem to be fastigiate trees (upward growing), you might need to give a touch of guidance to branches needed to fill in bare patches. If you do this you'll have to be bonsai-careful about wiring or persuading, so the bark isn't damaged - leading to collapse later on.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
16 years ago
'Green Giants' are a hybrid form of arborvitae noted for fast growth. They are rapidly becoming a viable substitute for Leyland cypress, which tends to be short-lived and plagued with a variety of problems. GG's are not all that fastigiate, having a growth habit that more resembles a Leyland than a typical arborvitae - expected size at maturity could be as much as 50-60 feet with a spread of 10-15'. Form is conical (like a Christmas tree) rather than columnar or fastigiate. 10 y.o. specimens at my nursery are pushing 20' tall with a 8' spread. Once established, annual growth is reputed to be 3-5', which the nursery trees (planted) seem to be achieving easily. The parent of this plant is Thuja plicata, or western red cedar and this tree will easily hit 60-80' in its lifetime with a spread that can get as wide as 35' or more, depending on trunk structure.

While you can hedge them at a desired height, this will take a great deal of maintenance to maintain. Hedging is the only reason to be cutting back the leader(s) or the topmost growth. If you want height, leave the top alone and gently shear back the side shoots/foliage. This will accomplish a similar result as with the shearing of Christmas trees - a somewhat narrower form but with dense side branching and an appearance of fullness. Young GG's do present a lanky, sparse appearance, much like young Leylands do. Maturity will help them to fill in and become more "tree-like".
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