Techny Cold Hardy Thuja Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on January 10, 2023

Planting instructions

Site your thuja where it will get at least four hours of direct sunlight a day. Southern gardeners should site their plant so that it receives some afternoon shade. Unpot your tree and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the tree in the hole, spreading out the roots. Holding it upright and steady, fill in around the roots with topsoil, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a two to three-inch layer of organic mulch such as bark chips around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth but keep it from touching the trunk to avoid problems with rot.

Watering and nutrients

When newly planted, water your tree every few days for the first month or so. Although this thuja doesn’t like soggy soil, it does best when the soil is moist. Watering once a week is usually enough, although you may want to increase your watering if you’re experiencing very hot or dry weather. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release product designed for evergreen trees and shrubs, such as a 10-10-10 formula.

Pollination

As evergreens, thuja trees have cones rather than flowers. The trees are monoecious, meaning that a single tree has both male and female reproductive organs. Pollination happens due to the action of the wind, which brings pollen from male to female cones.

Pruning

Monitor your tree for dead, damaged or diseased branches, which should be pruned out whenever you see them. Additional pruning to shape the trees is optional, but if you wish your Techny Cold Hardy Thuja Tree to have a more formal shape, prune it in early spring before the onset of new growth. The tree will assume a loose, vertical pyramid form if left unpruned.

Pests and diseases

Although not prone to any particular diseases or pests, you may occasionally see insects such as bagworms, juniper scale insects or spider mites on your trees. A healthy tree can fend off most infestations, but if insect pressure is severe, consider releasing beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to attack the pests. Horticultural oil can also be used as a deterrent. A disease that is occasionally seen on thujas is arborvitae needle blight, which causes brown leaf tips. Prune and discard any infected foliage or branches. A fungicide can also be used.

Achieving maximum results

Knowing how to best use your Techny Cold Hardy Thuja Tree in a landscape or garden is one way to achieve maximum results. One logical option is to use it to create a hedge or privacy fence on the border of your property. Plant your thujas in one or two staggered lines, spacing each tree about three feet from the next. This is close enough that they should grow together within a few years and can then be pruned into an attractive shape. Usually, they are pruned to be wider at the base of the tree than at the top so that the sunlight can reach all the branches. These trees can also be spaced more widely apart and left to take on their natural shape, which would work well for lining a driveway. They can also serve as excellent foundation plantings, sited a few feet away from your home or other building, with smaller shrubs and perennials in front of them.

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