The dwarf thuja Reingold is one of the most decorative conifers that was bred in North America, and in 1536 came to Europe. Due to its good resistance to drought, cold and wind, the unique plant is suitable for cultivation throughout our country.
Western thuja Reingold - decorative ephedra
Brief information about the variety
- Colour: in the warm season the needles are golden yellow, in winter - brown.
- Height: 120-150 cm.
- Crown diameter: 70-100 cm.
- Growing regions: it can grow even in cold climates, the main thing is to do insulation in the first years of life.
- Landing features: shaded area with access to daylight. The distance between the seedlings is 1.5-2 m, in a row - 2 m.
- Immunity: High frost resistance, disease resistance observed.
- Life span: 200-250 years.
General characteristics
Thuja Reingold has a Latin name - thuja occidentalis rheingold.
Description of the coniferous plant:
- at a young age, the crown is round, later it takes on a conical or ovoid, compacted shape;
- average height varies from 120 to 150 cm, circumference - from 70 to 100 cm;
- the shrub does not grow rapidly - the annual growth is 5 cm;
- needles are needle-like and scaly, golden-yellow in the warm season, brownish in winter;
- young shoots are soft, pinkish, erect;
- the central conductor is covered with brownish-brown bark;
- cones of chocolate color, rounded, 7 mm long.
Life expectancy is 200-250 years.
Due to its good frost resistance, the ability to easily tolerate drought and wind, the plant is successfully cultivated in the south, in the center of the country, as well as in the middle lane. It can also be grown in the North, the Urals or Siberia (subject to warming in the early years).
Landing rules
The features of growing this crop practically do not differ from the rules for planting and caring for other conifers.
The optimal time for planting plants with open roots is April, May or mid-August.
If you have young bushes with a closed root system, you can plant them at any time of the year, except in winter.
Ephedra selection
If you decide to grow this variety in your garden, the first step is to get a high-quality and healthy seedling.
When buying, you need to conduct a thorough inspection of the crown and earthen coma.
Any spots of red, black and yellow tones on the surface of shoots and needles are a sign of infection.
Thuja will decorate your site
Healthy trees:
- bark on the central conductor and branches without mechanical damage - cracks, outgrowths, scratches;
- the roots with a lump should be free of mold and acidity.
- a seedling with an open underground part has roots of a uniform light brown color, without rot and fractures.
Choose bushes 2-3 years old - they already have a good root system and a dense green mass.
Site and soil preparation
Thuja western Reingold grows successfully in a shaded area with access to diffused daylight.
When planted in the sun, the needles quickly burn, dry out and crumble. If planted in the shade, the plant does not develop well and loses its decorative qualities.
Prefers windless places with deep passage of groundwater. It can be planted on loam, provided that good drainage is made from sand or vermiculite - 20 kg per 1 m².
When planting on sandy loam soil, add a couple of buckets of clay.
The plant develops well on the ground with a slightly acidic reaction - within 5-6 units. If the norm is exceeded, the place for planting is sprinkled with dolomite flour, calcite or slaked lime.
Landing technique
Planting holes are prepared a few weeks before planting so that the soil has time to settle. Their dimensions should be 2 times larger than the dimensions of the earthen coma.
Half a bucket of broken brick, pebbles or rubble is poured into the bottom to prevent moisture stagnation during watering.
After that, it is filled with a nutrient mixture of peat, turf and sand (2: 1: 1). The roots are lowered, without shaking off the soil, they fill all the voids with the remaining fertile soil, trample, watered.
When planting, it is important that the root collar is above the ground surface.
This eliminates the risk of rotting and death of the plant. To avoid rapid evaporation of moisture, it is necessary to mulch each ephedra with peat or pine sawdust.
The optimal distance for a group planting is 1.2-1.5 m, the distance between rows is 2 m.
Care requirements
All care for Thuja Reingold comes down to several activities - moistening, loosening, pruning and fertilizing.
Watering
In the first months after planting, it should be frequent and abundant - once a week, a bucket of water is consumed per plant.
If the summer is dry, the amount of water is increased to 1.5-2 buckets. Adult shrubs moisturize less often - 3-4 times per season.
Frequent sprinkling of the crown - once every seven days - has a positive effect on the growth and health of the needles. Additionally, such irrigation protects against the invasion of parasites.
Mulching and loosening
Good care will help you grow a beautiful plant
Loosening is done the next day after moistening the soil.
It helps to maintain its loose and light structure, as well as good moisture and oxygen access to the roots.
During the procedure, weeds are removed and weeding is carried out between the rows.
The final stage is the introduction of mulch. Peat soil or sawdust of coniferous trees acts as a covering and protective layer. Mulching prevents moisture evaporation and the growth of unnecessary vegetation on the site.
Fertilizer
Nutrients will help to increase immunity, accelerate the growth of the aboveground and underground parts of the plant.
The first fertilizer is applied the next year after planting. The best time is early spring before the start of sap flow.
Special means for decorative conifers or Kemira-universal are suitable (30 g is dissolved in 10 liters of water). Some people use nitroammophoska at the rate of 40 g per bucket of water.
In the fall, 3-4 weeks before the onset of stable cold weather, you can recharge with mineral components - 15 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium nitrate are consumed for 10 liters of water.
Thuja western Reingold responds positively to foliar feeding three times per season - in early spring, in mid and late summer.
Can be used: Quadris, Megafol or Epin. Sprayed in the evening to avoid burning the crown in the sun.
Pruning
The description of the culture includes a mandatory sanitary procedure for removing damaged branches every spring. It is carried out before the start of sap flow - twigs that have frozen over the winter, as well as dried out, mechanically injured and infected parts are removed.
Some gardeners carry out a formative haircut, although this variety of western thuja does not need it.
To align the crown, give it a symmetrical and compact appearance, you can carry out a light shaping - cut off all the shoots of the current year by 2-3 cm in length.
To avoid infection with sores, you should take a sterile sharp object, and after the operation, treat the cut areas with a solution of copper sulfate.
Shelter for the winter
Adult thuja Reingold have increased frost resistance and can withstand temperatures as low as -30 ° C.
They do not need to be covered for the winter, you should only spud the near-trunk zone with peat to insulate the root system and protect it from drying out in winter.
Additionally, the crown can be tied with twine to protect the young growth from breaking off under the weight of snow.
A young specimen up to three years old needs insulation - first they are mulched with pine sawdust or peat soil, then the branches are tied to the central conductor, wrapped in burlap or spruce branches. Under such a shelter, the above-ground part will receive the necessary access to oxygen and will not rot.
The insulation material is removed in the spring, when the snow thaws and the last spring frosts pass.
Reproduction
The description of this culture includes two methods of reproduction: seed and using cuttings.
The first method is ineffective, laborious and is more used by breeders to breed new hybrids. Therefore, amateur gardeners prefer cuttings.
Harvesting shoots
An adult and healthy tree is suitable for reproduction.
A healthy and adult tree from 5 years old with a lush and well-developed crown is suitable for cutting. At the top, the strongest and thickest shoots are chosen, cut off at a height of 15-20 cm, leaving a small piece of old wood.
The lower part is freed from adjacent vegetation, sprayed with a growth stimulant - Epin or Kornevin, then immediately planted into a wet substrate of peat and sand mixed in equal amounts.
Planting and leaving
For successful survival, the cuttings must be planted at an angle of 40-45 ° to a depth of 3-4 cm. Then they are watered, covered with a film, placed in a warm room (20-22 ° C) and diffused daylight.
All subsequent care consists in daily airing for 30 minutes, irrigation as the earthy coma dries up, gently loosening and removing weed shoots.
After 2-3 months, provided the above conditions are met, you can expect the mass appearance of young buds on the shoots.
After the shelter is removed, the planting is placed in a cooler place (17-18 ° C) and good lighting, but with protection from the scorching sun.
Saplings continue to grow at home - they water, loosen, and only after a year and a half from the moment of rooting, they are transplanted to an open area.
Diseases and pests
The description of thuja western Rheingold includes good disease resistance. Infection is possible only if the basic rules of care are violated.
- Drying of shoots or fusarium. A fungal disease that affects the root system blocks access to moisture and oxygen, as a result of which the aerial part turns yellow and dries out. Weakened conifers or specimens growing in thickened and weed thickets are susceptible to infection. First, the diseased parts are cut out, then the crown is sprayed with systemic fungicides - Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, karbofos or Ridomil Gold.
- Late blight. Another dangerous fungal sore of thuja, which appears on plants growing in boggy. First, the fungus infects the roots, after which it moves to the crown - the shoots and needles become gray, the tree dies. Phytophthora is not subject to treatment, therefore, the affected specimens are dug up and burned. For prevention, it is necessary to use healthy seedlings, avoid thickening, overflow, and plant on soil with good drainage and deep groundwater.
- Spider mite. Entangling all the needles with a thin cobweb, the insect sucks out juices from young organs and tissues, as a result they turn yellow, dry and crumble. At an early stage, you can use an infusion of garlic and dandelion. The launched form is treated with acaricides - Aktellik or Aktara.
- Tuvaya moth. The larvae of this parasite gnaw out young shoots, which leads to their death. You can destroy pests by double spraying with Tornado, Moskitol or Fumitox preparations at intervals of seven days. The affected parts must be removed and incinerated.
- Aphid. Drying and yellowing of the ephedra can be provoked by this harmful insect, which multiplies intensively and sucks out all the juices from young tissues. Shoots growing in the lower part of the central conductor are damaged first. The branches are removed, and the crown and soil around the trunk are sprayed with Karbofos.
Application in landscape
Due to its high decorativeness, compact shape and resistance to frost, wind and drought, the coniferous tree began to be readily used in landscape design when decorating gardens in different styles:
- planted singly or in groups along alleys, fences, curbs;
- used as a complementary element to other ornamental crops in mixborders, rock gardens, ridges and rockeries;
- a miniature shrub on a flower bed, surrounded by dwarf roses, oak trees, mosses and creeping plants, looks colorful and attractive;
- the multi-level composition looks impressive, in which the upper level is made up of thuja reingold, the lower rows are heather, various ground cover varieties of moss, mosses.
Thuja western Reingold (thuja occidentalis reingold) 🌿 review: how to plant, seedlings of thuja Reingold
Thuja western Rheingold. Thuja occidentalis Rheingold. Landing 2016.
Tui Globoza Aureya and Reingold
Reviews
Gardeners who have been using thuja in landscape design for several years leave only a positive characteristic.
- The culture perfectly tolerates gas pollution, does not take up much space, rarely gets sick - this greatly facilitates care and makes it possible to plant a tree in any corner of the garden;
- Successful cuttings allow you to get several young plants from the mother bush to create unique compositions;
- Good resistance to disease and frost are the main qualities for which many amateurs in the North, Central and Middle lane fell in love with these needles.