Where We Grow - Green Giant (2024)

FAQs

Where We Grow - Green Giant? ›

Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae Spacing

Or better yet for a unique green giant hedge, plant them in two rows, 4 feet apart, with the trees staggered 8-15 feet apart within each row. The row(s) should be at least 6-8 feet away from any building, driveway or road.

Thuja Green Giant Arborvitae Spacing

Or better yet for a unique green giant hedge, plant them in two rows, 4 feet apart, with the trees staggered 8-15 feet apart within each row. The row(s) should be at least 6-8 feet away from any building, driveway or road.

As a general rule, smaller and shorter Thuja varieties can be spaced closer together than taller and more vigorous trees, such as the Green Giant. Shorter hedges, such as those that are 8-10 feet tall, should be planted about 3-4 feet apart. Larger trees such as The Thuja Green Giant should be planted 5-6 feet apart.

Usually, Thuja green giants will take three years to establish themselves. During the first two years of planting, their branches need more protection against winter weather so that they don't break.

Arborvitae like both regular moisture along with nice drainage in the soil. Confusingly, overwatering or poorly drained soil causes some of the same physical symptoms – foliage turning yellow or brown and/or dieback, especially on the exterior of the plant and the tips of the foliage.

Planting too close together: Homeowners, who wanted a really dense screen rapidly, often plant arborvitae far too close together. As they grow the competition for light, root space, water and nutrients mean the plants suffer.

How far apart should you plant Green Giant Arborvitae trees? Spacing Green Giant trees anywhere from 3 feet to 10 feet apart, is generally advised, depending on how tall the hedge is desired to grow and how large the plants are, to begin with.

Its low-branching, dense columnar-pyramidal habit reaches a mature height of 40-60 feet and width of 12-18 feet with a lifespan of 40-60 years.

"Green Giant" grows to a maximum average height of about 60 feet, with a maximum width of about 14 feet. In optimum environments, the tree can grow up to 4 feet per year. The Leyland cypress is a bit larger -- it grows to a maximum height of about 70 feet, with a maximum average width of around 15 feet.

If your screen or hedge is against a building, plant 6 feet from the wall, to protect the foundations. If you are planting against a fence, plant 3 feet from the fence so that the lower part of the plants remains bushy and the hedge remains on your side of the property line.

How do you make green giants grow faster? ›

Fertilizing Thuja Green Giants

However, when you plant them, you can help them get established more quickly by adding Root Rocket® Evergreen Rocket. To give your Thujas a boost as it grows, you can also add a well-balanced, slow release fertilizer (like formula 10-10-10 or 14-14-14) to the soil once or twice a year.

Although “Green Giant” arborvitae has excellent pest resistance, it is sometimes susceptible to bagworms, insects that make distinctive orange-brown hanging bag-like structures. These structures can be mistaken for cones, but are generally fairly unattractive.

The best time to plant arborvitae trees is after the last frost in early spring or in the late fall before the ground hardens. Arborvitae trees are hardy in USDA hardiness zones three to eight and do well in a range of soil types.

Multi Purpose 10-10-10 Fertilizer works well. Liquid fertilizers (such as Miracle Gro) are mixed with water and applied the same as you would water the plant (see product for specific details). This should be done three or four times per year starting in late April and ending in mid July.

Too Little Water. In most soils and conditions a good rule of thumb to follow is that most established plants need about 1 inch of water per week. If your area isn't getting regular rainfall and you're not offering your arborvitae supplemental water it will begin to become stressed out, often showing signs of browning.

The best time to water Arborvitae is in the mornings.

To conserve moisture, especially in very cold seasons, add a layer of mulch to the soil.

Arborvitae will produce growth from dormant buds on old wood. The lower branches need sunlight and air flow to grow so you will need to continue to trim these trees. Both the vertical shoots at the top and throughout the tree should be trimmed so that they don't shade and prevent air flow for the bottom branches.

Pruning Arborvitae is very similar to pruning other conifers and evergreen shrubs. In general, do any significant pruning while the plant is dormant. Try not to remove more than 1/3 of the tree's foliage at one time. And always remove any branches that are dead or are diseased.

Otherwise, pruning for shaping is best in the early spring, though you also can do some light trimming from spring to mid-summer. Avoid pruning later in the summer and into fall, as it can encourage tender new growth. Cold weather can damage that growth and weaken the entire plant.

We recommend using slow release fertilizer that has 50% nitrogen and has a high first number, like a 12-6-4 or 10-8-6 mixture. Granualized fertilizer works the best because it helps prevent the roots from burning and allow you to only fertilize once per year.

Do deer eat green giant arborvitae? ›

Deer are pests that eat arborvitae, but green giant arborvitae is the only one that I've planted that has not been damaged by deer. They will taste it but apparently don't like the flavor.

Planting Emerald Green Arborvitae beside a fence

Since these shrubs routinely reach 4 feet wide overall, leave at least 2-4 feet between the center of the trunk and the adjacent fence. Emerald Green Arborvitae trees have a pyramidal shape and tend to be wider on the bottom half than the top half at maturity.

Arborvitae Root Rot

If your Thuja 'Green Giant' is growing poorly, turning to reddish brown foliage, and seems to be dying, it could be root rot caused by soggy or saturated soil conditions. Let the soil line get a little dry between waterings. Water in the mornings so the soil has time to dry out during the day.

Light. Emerald green arborvitae should be grown in full sun or partial shade. They generally need at least six hours of sun daily, but too much direct sunlight can stress the plant and burn the foliage. However, they should not be planted in full shade either, since this can greatly reduce the density of the foliage.

Drought. Drought conditions often cause of arborvitae to turn brown. In the summertime, intense heat from the sun and dry soil contribute heavily to the brown of your tree. Constant watering during the summer season is vital.

Overall, Willow Trees and Poplar Trees are among the fastest-growing trees for colder growing zones, while Evergreen Trees and Conifers can be relied upon to grow quickly in many different climates. You don't have to wait years or even decades to see a tree you've planted reach its full glory.

The Empress Splendor (botanical name Paulownia fortunei and P. elongata) is the one of the fastest-growing trees in the world. A hardwood, it can grow 10-20 feet in its first year and reaches maturity within 10 years.

There are reports of the empress or foxglove tree (Paulownia tomentosa), named after its purple foxglove-like flowers, growing 6 m (98 ft) in its first year, and as much as 30 cm (12 in) in three weeks. The shortest time a tree has taken to reach 90 m (295 ft) tall is 79 years.

To plant, dig a hole twice as wide as your root ball but only slightly deeper. Remove the tree from its container and tease the roots apart gently with your fingers. Do not add evergreen fertilizer when planting. Fill the hole halfway with soil and tamp down with your foot.

Watering After Planting

Once a week should do it. If you plant in summer, make that twice a week. If you plant in fall or winter, you may not need to water at all, although if you don't see much rain, soaking every couple of weeks is worthwhile.

Do green giants have invasive roots? ›

Are the roots invasive? Thuja Green Giant roots are not known to be invasive or aggressive.

'My hedge looks pale and thin' Instead of thick, bright-green foliage on your Thuja Green Giant, or other evergreens, they are growing slowly, and the leaves look pale, perhaps with some of the older pieces looking yellow. There are two possible reasons for this – lack of nutrients or lack of water – or both.

In the winter, you may notice that the leaves of your 'Green Giant' or other arborvitae tree start to turn brown. The browning usually begins on the outer tips of the tree and extends inward toward the trunk.

Topping is often done when a tree's height becomes problematic. When the top of an arborvitae is cut off, however, it creates a very flat and unsightly appearance. No new growth will occur once the upward growing branch tips have been cut, and no horticultural benefit exists for topping an arborvitae.

Yellowing needles can be a sign of either too little or too much soil moisture. Plants should on average receive about 1 inch of water a week once established, depending on soil type. New plantings need to be watered so that the transplanted roots are kept moist, but not waterlogged.

Watering. For the first few months after you plant your Emerald Green Arborvitae, it will need to be watered twice weekly. After that, you can transition to watering ½-1 inch per week. Watering the right amount is imperative.

In fact, arborvitae is not different than most other shrubs in that yes, you can plant arborvitae in fall and it will likely establish itself more easily in that season.

Arborvitae Winter Care

Use up to 4 inches (10 cm.). In addition to mulch, you may need to wrap evergreens in burlap or other material for winter protection if your winters are particularly severe. If you do, don't wrap too tight or cover the plants too completely.

What do you spray on arborvitae? ›

When needed during the growing season, sprays of malathion or insecticidal soap that contact the aphids will control them. Imidacloprid can be applied as a soil drench in early spring for systemic control. Dormant sprays of ultrafine horticultural oil will control overwintering insect eggs.

Like most conifers, arborvitaes will not produce new growth on older bare stems, so they don't tolerate renovation or hard pruning. Cut into the brown, and it will stay that way. To maintain plant health, don't remove any more than one-third of the live foliage area per growing season.

Brown arborvitae can be saved from conditions that cause it to brown, but it usually doesn't change back to the healthy green it once was. That doesn't mean the entire tree can't be saved, however.

If your arborvitae was zapped by winter burn, it's tempting to quickly prune off the brown parts. Hold off, please, until well into spring or early summer, to see if the brown branches bounce back.

Best Time to Water Arborvitae

Mornings are a great time to water arborvitae, but if the soil is dry a few inches down, water right away, no matter the time of day.

Emerald green arborvitae is excellent for anyone looking for hardy privacy trees that need almost no attention, including fertilizing. If you want to make your privacy hedge grow faster and fuller, you can add fertilizer to its soil yearly in the spring. Slow-release fertilizer with a 10-10-10 ratio is best.

Water early in the morning to minimize water loss due to evaporation and wind drift. Mulching around the base of trees and shrubs helps them take in water and stay healthy.

A general rule of thumb is to plant Green Giant arborvitae trees 6-8 feet apart for best performance.

The name Thuja Green Giant is aptly named. These trees can grow up to 3 feet per year until maturity in ideal growing conditions. Their ultimate height is 50-60 feet tall and their width can be up to 12-20 feet.

(Thuja occidentalis)

It grows up to 3 feet per year, reaching a total size of 15-20 feet tall and 3-5 feet wide.

What is the best spacing for arborvitae? ›

SPACING. We are frequently asked how far apart to plant Emerald Green Arborvitae for a hedge. Conventional advice is to use spacing of 18 inches to 4′ apart for Smaragd trees, depending on the desired final height of the hedge and the size of the starter plants.

Planting Green Giant Arborvitae

To plant, dig a hole twice as wide as your root ball but only slightly deeper. Remove the tree from its container and tease the roots apart gently with your fingers. Do not add evergreen fertilizer when planting. Fill the hole halfway with soil and tamp down with your foot.

The Emerald Petite Arborvitae is the world's first ever true dwarf Emerald Arborvitae tree. It is a fast-growing evergreen with dense emerald lacy foliage, and it grows to a maximum of 6 feet tall. This is a perfect centerpiece ornamental tree, or it would work in a formal privacy hedge.

Up to five feet a year is possible, under ideal conditions. With growth rates like that, after a few short years you have 15 foot, 20 foot and soon 30 to 40 feet trees. The growth stays upright and narrow, so you get the height, but they won't get too fat around, or crowd your garden.

We recommend using slow release fertilizer that has 50% nitrogen and has a high first number, like a 12-6-4 or 10-8-6 mixture. Granualized fertilizer works the best because it helps prevent the roots from burning and allow you to only fertilize once per year.

5-6ft. | 1 to 9 @ $152.95 ea.

Arborvitae Root Rot

Let the soil line get a little dry between waterings. Water in the mornings so the soil has time to dry out during the day. Check to make sure you don't have a leaky water pipe or irrigation water nearby. If the soil naturally stays wet all the time, my Green Giant will not survive there.

Deer are pests that eat arborvitae, but green giant arborvitae is the only one that I've planted that has not been damaged by deer. They will taste it but apparently don't like the flavor.