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The Occidental Tree of Life, also simply called Thuja after its botanical name Thuja occidentalis, is a robust and fast-growing coniferous tree that can grow to be hundreds of years old and tens of meters high as a solitary tree. Even a thuja hedge easily reaches a height of ten meters within a few years and can be up to three meters wide - no wonder that some gardeners only know how to help themselves with a radical cut.
Cut thuja hedge radically
Thujen are perfect trees for use as a privacy hedge: They are very adaptable, can get along in almost any location and grow very quickly and densely. Depending on the type and variety, the conifers develop between 30 and 50 centimeters of new shoots per year and thus reach considerable growth heights within a few years. Even if the species generally has a rather slender growth, thujas continue to grow in width. For this reason, regular pruning is recommended right from the start, otherwise the hedge will quickly outgrow you - and cutting the trees radically is absolutely not recommended.
Inside, thujas are bare and brown because the thick branches and twigs there are no longer green due to a lack of sunlight. Like so many conifers, arborvitae do not sprout again, or only with great difficulty, once you have cut into the old wood. Therefore, never cut into the brown interior, but always leave soft, green shoots! Many a gardener has regretted a radical cut because the once so lush green and dense hedge remained bare and unsightly. In some cases it will still sprout again, but experience has shown that it takes several years before the bald spots can no longer be seen.
Good reasons for a radical cut
Even if a radical pruning of the thuja hedge is not such a good idea from a gardening point of view, there are good reasons to do it anyway. Be it because it has become significantly taller and/or wider than permitted (and the neighbors are therefore complaining because the several meter high shrub robs them of the sunlight) or because the plants themselves are suffering from a disease and were only saved by vigorous pruning can become. Fungal infections, for example, occur more frequently and often require heavy trimming deep into the still healthy wood. That is why we are providing you with this article with instructions on how you can still save your Thuja hedge.
tip: If your Thuja hedge has not been in place for more than four or five years, you can try to save it by transplanting. This procedure is recommended if the legal distance to the property line has become too small or if the neighbors complain.
Cut thuja hedge radically: instructions
If, after considering all the reasons, you decide on a radical pruning, you must always take into account the dying of the thujas - the probability that the arborvitae will sprout again from the brown wood is quite low. The tips and methods outlined in the following section increase the chance that your hedge will remain beautiful - and significantly smaller.
timing and frequency
So that the drastic pruning is crowned with success and the hedge quickly drives out again, garden shears and a pruning saw must first be used at the right time. If you prune the trees at the wrong time of year, there is a high probability that there will be no further new growth. In order to wake up the sleeping eyes - which every tree actually has and which are there to compensate for a major loss of mass - you should cut back the Thuja hedge by the end of February right before the spring shoots.
Spring pruning stimulates growth
On the one hand, severe pruning is no longer legally permitted from the beginning of March, since songbirds, which prefer to build their nests in the dense arborvitae, should be protected during the breeding season. On the other hand, in late winter the plants have a large supply of reserve substances that have been created specifically for the new vegetation period. The thujas are therefore prepared for budding from the outset and are stimulated to develop fresh shoots even more than they already are by a new shoot in late winter.
Other favorable pruning dates:
- Mid to late June: Plants take a break from growth, good time for light pruning
- End of August: last pruning before winter
Basically, the rule applies that you can cut much more vigorously in late winter or spring than at later times in the year. Especially with a late pruning in August, you should only take a little away. Because the new shoots must mature in good time before winter, otherwise there is a risk of frost damage.
tip: How often you can prune your tree of life hedge depends on the vigor of the selected varieties. Some - such as the popular variety 'Smaragd' - are less vigorous than others and therefore rarely require corrective pruning.
methods
For the rejuvenation of the thuja hedge you have three methods to choose from, but they are to be evaluated very differently:
- complete cut
- Complete cut, spread over several years
- limitation in height
complete cut
Here you radically cut down the Thuja hedge until you have limited it to the desired dimensions. This radical pruning involves the greatest risks because, as already explained, the probability of new growth is very low. In some cases, however, you have no choice but to take a drastic step like this. With the following tips, you increase the chance that your tree of life hedge will then turn green again:
- The probability of success is greater the younger the trees are
- be sure to cut by the end of February at the latest
- Priority is given to cutting out old branches, sparing younger ones
- cut pyramidal shape: base wider than tip
- fertilize vigorously after cutting
- nitrogen-rich fertilizers are suitable
Complete cut, spread over several years
It is gentler on your Thuja hedge if you cut radically over several years. Do not remove all the green at once, but shorten the green shoots as much as possible. A few centimeters of fresh leaves should remain. It continues as follows:
- Thin out the inside of the hedge
- Remove older and too narrow branches
- as far as possible shortening of the upper third
In this way, the thuja hedge is no longer as dense, but more light gets inside. In this way, fresh green can finally develop from the sleeping eyes. Remove more and more mass each year until you have limited the shrub to the desired height and width. This cut protects the hedge and ensures that it always stays green. The downside, however, is that you need both patience and a good eye. It can take several years for the thujas to be the way you want them to be.
tip: By the way, unsightly, small gaps can be closed if you pull fresh greenery from the sides over the bald spot and fasten it with a string. The young branches then continue to grow there.
limitation in height
If your thuja hedge is just too high, but completely unproblematic in width, leave the green sides as they are - and only cut back the trees radically in height. Here you can also cut into the old wood without worry, because after a few years the upper side shoots will straighten up by themselves and form a new, green crown. In addition, the bare top cannot be seen, at least from the ground, if the hedge still remains higher than eye level after the cut.
tip: Vice versa - first the sides, then the height - it doesn't work for several reasons. On the one hand, a brown side wall remains and on the other hand, according to the principle of apical dominance, the upper green prevents new growth on the sides.
Tree of Life, Thuja
Prune thuja regularly
So that such a radical cut is not necessary in the first place, you should cut back your Thuja regularly from the start. If possible, choose slow-growing varieties such as 'Smaragd' or 'Brabant'. These only need to be trimmed once or twice a year. These are also better suited for hedge plantings, as they reach a maximum height of four meters and, at an average of 120 to 150 centimetres, remain quite narrow in width.
On the other hand, if the thuja hedge is to remain lower from the start, there are various dwarf varieties such as 'Tiny Tim', 'Teddy' or 'Danica' to choose from. However, these varieties are not suitable for a privacy hedge, but are primarily used for decoration.