Planting your new Thuja Green Giant:

1. Since our trees are container-grown, they can be planted any time of year. Spring and fall are optimum, as cooler days allow roots to develop with less threat of drying out. Ensure that the trees are planted in well-drained soil in a site that receives at least four hours of direct sunlight per day. Thujas will not tolerate soils that remain wet for extended periods. Digging a hole and filling it with water, then observing the time it takes to drain is a good way to test the permeability of your soil prior to committing to planting. Dig a hole roughly 12 inches in diameter and 12 inches deep – fill it and let it drain completely, then fill again. It should drain at a rate of a minimum 1 inch per hour.
2. Avoid planting near roads where salt spray is a concern, or near a sidewalk or driveway where salt runoff or exposure to salty snow could come in contact with the foliage or root zone.
3. Green Giants are named as such for a reason – they get big! Ensure that you plant no closer than 5 feet from another Green Giant, and 7 or 8 feet from other plants or man-made boundaries such as fences or buildings. As well, be aware of what’s overhead, as they can grow more than 30 feet tall.
4. Dig a hole at least twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Laying a stick across the hole can be an easy way to check that the top of the rootball is even or slightly higher than the surrounding soil. If you need to add more soil to the bottom, be sure it is well-tamped to prevent the tree from settling too low.
5. Carefully remove the tree from its container, being careful to disturb the root ball as little as possible. If your tree is in a Root Pouch, it is best to use a knife or scissors to cut the pouch in a few places in order to peel it slowly from the roots, which often cling somewhat to the fibres in the pouch. Although our Root Pouch fibre bags are designed to prevent girdling or encircling roots, you can still gently “rough up” the outside of the root ball in order to free external roots from the surface.
6. Add about two-thirds of the original soil back into the hole and tamp firmly to eliminate air pockets. You can also water at this time in order to settle the soil in place. Once the water has drained, add the remaining soil and tamp in place. You may also add some compost or a triple mix at this time depending on the quality of your original soil. Do not add additional soil or mulch on top of the rootball as this may starve surface roots of oxygen. Creating a raised ring of soil around the tree will help to retain future waterings or rainfall.
7. Water the tree again, then add mulch to the ring of soil on the perimeter in order to retain moisture and inhibit weed competition.

Caring for your new Thuja Green Giant:

Watering:

1. For the first two weeks, water on any days without significant rainfall. Use a hose or watering can directed at the top of the root ball to ensure the moisture is getting to the root zone rather than mostly on the foliage. Be generous! If your soil is well-drained you won’t be in danger of adding too much water – about 20 seconds with a hose or two watering cans is a rough rule of thumb at this stage. If your soil drains very slowly you can reduce the amount of water and the frequency of application. A moisture meter can prove helpful in taking some of the guesswork out of this process.
2. As the weeks go by you may water less frequently, particularly if the weather is cool and damp. Again, err on the side of more rather than less. Watering too little is often the cause of plant death as the roots work to establish themselves in their new environment.
3. When the tree is established (generally after about six months of active growth) be sure to water during times of drought. Moisture stress may not be obvious until the foliage begins to brown, so it’s best to be proactive.
4. Be sure to thoroughly soak your new trees before the ground freezes in the fall. This may not seem intuitive as the weather is generally cool, but conifers are particularly susceptible to drying out over the winter – even ones that are well-established – if there is insufficient moisture in the soil.

Fertilizing:

1. Other than perhaps adding a little bone meal or compost to the hole, there is no need to fertilize at the time of planting. Conifers are generally not heavy feeders, but can benefit from the application of a balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, or one with more nitrogen, such as 16-8-8. This is best done in the spring when the plant is actively seeking to add new growth. A slow-release or organic fertilizer is best, applied at the product’s recommended rate in order to avoid “burning” the root system.
2. Avoid fertilizing in early fall, as it may spur new growth that can be more vulnerable to low temperatures.

Pruning:

1. If you’ve left enough room for your Green Giant to develop naturally (see Item #3, Planting), it shouldn’t require any pruning to grow into its natural pyramidal shape. However, any dead branches should be pruned out, and any that appear to be developing into a second leader trimmed back so they won’t be easily bent by heavy snow.
2. If you desire a denser hedge that conforms to a certain size, begin shearing early in its development. Prune lightly, removing a maximum of 1/3 of a branch in any one shearing. Early spring, before active growth begins, is the best time for pruning, although light shearing can be done throughout the early summer months. Avoid shearing in the late summer and fall, as it may spur new growth that can be more vulnerable to low temperatures.
3. Green Giants can be topped but you may have some bare patches remaining until the side growth can fill in. Although side shoots may eventually curl up to replace a cut leader, the leader itself will not grow back.