In recent years, the evergreen perennial - thuja, has become very popular and in demand in the field of gardening and landscape design. The plant is not capricious in care, easy to grow, has excellent winter hardiness and is able to maintain high decorative properties throughout the year. Today there are many varieties of culture that are great for growth in an apartment. About the features of their cultivation and care - further in the article.

Is it possible to grow thuja at home

Thuja is a perennial evergreen conifer, the natural areas of distribution of which are considered the northern regions of America, as well as Japan. Since the plant is tall, many doubt whether it can be planted at home. Of course, it is quite possible to grow a perennial at home, because today there are many dwarf varieties of culture that are great for apartment cultivation.

Did you know? Thuja wood is highly regarded for its excellent resistance to decay. Expensive musical instruments, furniture and decor items are made from it. There are cases in history when wood that lay in the soil for many years after the death of a tree retained its appearance and was suitable for sawing on boards.

It should be noted that there are no special indoor varieties, however, breeders have managed to develop decorative plants that have miniature forms. When grown outdoors, thujas can grow up to 8–11 m, and for use in an apartment, specimens are selected whose growth does not exceed 1.5 m.

At home, shrubs can grow in pots, various flower pots, containers, or any other containers. The culture is not capricious, it easily adapts to a new place, is not pretentious to the composition of the soil, so its cultivation will not cause great difficulties, even for beginner gardeners

Room Growth Conditions

To thuja in the apartment pleased with a beautiful decorative look, for its good growth and development it is necessary to create comfortable, as close to natural conditions as possible:

1. Lighting. Since the thuja is a representative of the northern latitudes, it prefers moderate lighting and negatively reacts to prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. The optimal place in the apartment are window sills in the northern part.
2. Temperature mode. In the summer, the culture feels good at a temperature of + 20 ... + 30 ° C, while it is recommended that the container with shrubs be taken out to fresh air, for example, to a balcony or garden. In winter, thuja needs to find a suitable place in the apartment. She does not like too dry air, which provokes yellowing of needles and its shedding, therefore the tree is placed in a room with a temperature of no more than + 15 ° С. If there is a closed balcony, it can be moved there, additionally wrapping the pot with dense material.
3. Watering and humidity. Thuja is a moisture-loving plant, but at home it tolerates dry air and soil. In the summer, it is enough to water it once a week, but it is not recommended to allow excessive drying of the top soil layer, which can provoke yellowing of needles. In winter, the number of irrigations is reduced to 1-2 in two weeks. If the temperature indicators in the room are at around 0 ° C, then the humidification is completely stopped until the moment the temperature rises. Culture does not require additional air humidification, but in too hot a period, experts advise spraying it with water from a spray bottle. For irrigation and spraying, you need to use only standing water at room temperature.

Important! Overmoistening too long is detrimental to the root system of the plant. Due to stagnation of moisture, the roots begin to rot and die.

Grade selection

As noted above, to cultivate an evergreen perennial in an apartment, it is necessary to select undersized, dwarf varieties of culture.

Among them, the most successful are:

1. Danica. The representative of Danish breeding is characterized by a slow growth rate, grows to 1 m, which makes it perfectly suitable for planting it in an apartment. The plant has a peeling bark of a reddish hue and soft needles of a saturated bright green color.
2. Teddy. It belongs to the dwarf varieties of Western arborvitae, which are characterized by a spherical shape of the crown and small growth, up to 50 cm.The crown of the plant is prone to overgrowth, therefore, to give it a neat, aesthetically attractive appearance, it needs regular shaping and cutting.
3. Emerald. The thuja of the described variety is distinguished by a squat crown in the form of a pyramid and weak branching, which allows it to be used for cultivation in apartments, offices, balconies. The bush reaches a height of 2 m. It has a beautiful light green needles with a noble glossy finish.
4. Zebrina. It is an evergreen perennial with a low growth rate. By 10 years of life, the plant grows up to 2 m. Zebrina is easily distinguished from other representatives of the cypress family due to the unusual flowering of needles - it has a green color, which is penetrated by small strips of white and yellow flowers.
5. Whipcord. An unusual variety of culture, the main feature of which is considered drooping, absolutely not branching, shoots hanging down. It is characterized by slow growth, and at 10 years of age can grow only up to 30 cm.

Planting in a pot

The success of the planting of the arborvitae and its further full-fledged development will largely depend on the choice of a suitable variety and healthy fresh seedling. In addition, special attention should be paid to the proper preparation of the soil mixture and the selection of a comfortable capacity - a pot or container.

Video: Teddy Thuja pot transplant, home care

Pot and soil preparation

The further growth of the plant and its development will depend on how correctly selected containers for growing thuja. For dwarf varieties, the best option is pots, the volume of which is 20-30 l. To grow undersized specimens, you need larger containers - from 150 to 200 liters. In any case, choosing a pot, you should be guided by this rule: its volume should be three times the size of the root system of the seedling.

Important! The container must be equipped with drainage holes required to remove excess water.

As for the packaging material, it is preferable to plant a perennial in a container of wood that retains heat well when placing the crop on a balcony or street. If the container is not planned to be taken out to fresh air, clay pots are allowed.

Thuja is a culture that does not raise high demands on the composition of the soil mixture. Nevertheless, in the conditions of apartment growth it is better to provide it with nutritious, light, air- and moisture-permeable soil.

Land intended specifically for conifers can be bought in specialized markets, or you can make it yourself using:

• for young specimens: sheet and coniferous soil, river sand, mixed in a ratio of 4: 2: 1;
• for adult plants: peat, turf soil and sand mixed in proportions of 1: 1: 0.5.

In order for the culture to fully develop, the soil mixture should be selected taking into account the age of the bush

Selection of planting material

As noted above To grow thuja in the apartment, you need to select dwarf or undersized varieties, otherwise you can get a huge full tree. In addition, the plant must be well adapted to the climatic conditions of the region in which the planting is planned.

Experts advise to purchase planting material only in special stores or nurseriesengaged in professional breeding of plants. You should choose a seedling with a closed root system or with a container. The seedling should have fresh, healthy needles, without dry areas, damage or signs of disease.

Step-by-step instruction

The technology of planting a thuja at home is not particularly difficult, but requires compliance with several important rules:

• pour a layer of drainage on the bottom of a previously prepared pot using expanded clay, pebbles or tree bark;
• line a layer of fertile soil on top of the drainage tier;
• carefully place the seedling in the container with an earthen lump;
• fill the plant with soil so that the neck of the root remains on the surface by 2–4 cm;
• Tamp the soil around the seedling lightly with your hands, pour plenty of settled water on it.

After planting, the pot with shrubs should be kept in a warm, bright room, but protected from direct sunlight

Care Features

Caring for an evergreen perennial in an apartment is quite simple. The main care is based on the basic agricultural activities: watering, loosening the soil, shaping the crown and pruning.

Did you know? In ancient times, the natives of America used infusions of leaves and bark of thuja for the treatment of headaches, migraines and prevent the development of scurvy. In eastern medicine, similar remedies were used for nervous disorders.

Watering and sprinkling

As noted above, thuja prefers moderate hydration, which enough to spend 1-2 times a week. For irrigation, water protected in a warm room is used. The plant categorically does not tolerate excessive moisture, but responds well to sprinkling, which is carried out in the hot season in the morning and evening.

At home, the culture needs regular feeding. The plant is fertilized twice a month by means of mineral complexes specially designed for conifers. In spring, it is better to use drugs with a high nitrogen content, which activates the growth of green mass. For summer top dressing, it is advisable to choose potash-phosphorus agents that strengthen the immune system. In winter and autumn there is no need to feed thuja.

Cultivation of the earth

After each irrigation, experts recommend loosening the soil. A similar procedure allows you to enrich the earth with oxygen and nutrients, thereby activating the growth and full development of the roots.

Pruning

Trimming home arborvitae is divided into two types: sanitary and decorative. The first is spent every spring, removing dry, broken, too weak, diseased shoots. Decorative pruning is not often carried out, as necessary, that is, as the branches of the plant grow. Tuyu can be formed in the form of a ball, pyramid or cone, based on the varietal form of culture. However, it is not recommended to radically change the initial appearance of the crown - for example, from a spherical to make conical.

Thuja in the apartment is not only a fashionable and original decoration of the home interior, but also a wonderful natural cleaner. The plant has the ability to secrete unique substances - volatile, which purify indoor air, make it fresh and pleasant. Ease of care, ease of cultivation, excellent aesthetic qualities make this plant one of the most popular for indoor cultivation.