Variety Brabant belongs to the western species of thuja. This is an evergreen conifer, widely used in ornamental gardening around the world. Brabant is an artificially bred variety characterized by winter hardiness and resistance to the adverse effects of the urban environment.
Thuja Brabant
The ancestor is the western thuja (Thuja occidentali), the plant can under favorable conditions reach a record height of 38 m, but usually does not grow above 20 m. Moreover, the annual growth is extremely small. Variety Drum grows much faster - annual growth is up to 30 cm in height and up to 10 cm in width. In the city limits, the maximum height is up to 4 m.
Thuja Brabant in a group landing
Description and dimensions
Thuja belongs to long-lived conifers. In one place, it can grow up to 150 years. II-VII climatic zones are suitable for her. The tree tolerates frosts painlessly up to -35 ° C. The thuja gains the most decorativeness in a free and sunny place, but feels good in places where part of the day is in the shade.
In mid-spring, the tree blooms. Next, small (up to 1 cm in length) oblong brown cones are tied. Inside are seeds that can be used for propagation. Variety Brabant is one of the hardy, which grows even in severe frosty winters. Demanding soil is also absent, therefore, with equal success it is grown on alumina, chernozem, sandy loam and other soils.
On sale there is a thuja "Golden Brabant". This is a special variety, characterized by a yellow-golden tint of needles. Against the backdrop of a snowy garden, the tree looks truly amazing and festive, pleasing to the eye on New Year's holidays. Throughout the year, the color of the needles remains unchanged - this is its most attractive characteristic.
Thuja "Golden Brabant"
Important! To obtain an aesthetic crown, the sun is necessary, but only during part of the daylight hours. The rest of the time you need shading.
Thuja western Brabant - height and diameter of an adult plant
According to the description of the manufacturers, a tree is capable of stretching up to 20 m in height and up to 4 m in its life. The crown has a pyramidal natural shape, but it can be easily changed with a haircut without much damage to the plant. In a condensed landing, the thuja tends to grow up, and not in breadth.
Thuja Brabant hedge
This variety is ideal for live fencing. Young seedlings give up to half a meter of growth per year. To achieve a high density and fluffy crown, it must be cut twice a season. A truly impenetrable hedge is obtained at a high planting density - 1 seedling per linear meter. At the same interval make a multi-row landing.
Thuja fence Brabant
After 2-3 years, the "living fence" will cease to shine through, creating a very dense shadow. Compared to other varieties, Brabant does not change the color of needles year-round. For this quality, it is highly valued in private summer cottages and in city parks.
Trimming thuja Brabant
To form a crown, use a secateurs. The first pruning is performed immediately after transplanting the seedling in open ground - in March. The second is carried out after six months. So get a dense and magnificent crown. If in summer the shape of individual seedlings becomes too loose with prominent individual branches, then an additional correction is made.
When performing work, follow the recommendations:
- Remove all broken, damaged branches.
- Twigs shorten by no more than a third. At the same time, they strive to give the tree a certain shape - a cube, box, ball, pyramid.
- A cloudy day is chosen for work to prevent burns from injured pruned shoots.
In the end, all seedlings must be watered.
How fast is thuja growing
Most quickly, young seedlings grow in the first 5 years of life. At this time, annual growth reaches half a meter. In the future, growth slows down, the trees grow only 30 cm per year. After 15-20 years, the tree can completely stop, or its growth becomes almost imperceptible.
The root system of the thuja Brabant
For all arborvitae, a typical horizontal arrangement of roots that do not go too deep into the ground is typical. During growing in containers, the root system becomes compact.
Note! During transplantation into open ground, it is not necessary to separate the roots, it is enough to transfer together with the lump into the landing pit. Throughout the year, it is necessary to monitor soil moisture and, if necessary, irrigate.
Thuja Brabant - landing and departure
Seedlings should be bought at reliable outlets and nurseries. The fact is that the thuja reacts extremely slowly to adverse conditions, but it does it without fail. As a result, it may turn out that the spoiled seedling will die after the transplant, although it was damaged in the store. It is difficult for a layman to distinguish a diseased plant visually, but a too cheap price tag should alert.
Thuja seedlings Brabant
High-quality planting material is easy to recognize. The needles are elastic and have a bright color. Brown and yellow tips are a clear sign of the disease. Healthy root tips are white, 1-3 mm in diameter. The soil in the container is moist. It is best to purchase seedlings up to 1 m high, but not lower than 20 cm.
How to Plant Thuja Brabant
The optimal time to plant a thuja seedling on a permanent place in open ground depends on its type:
- with a closed root system - April or October;
- open - March-April.
They dig a planting hole with a depth of 70-75 cm and a diameter of about 1 m. If we are talking about planting a hedge, they dig a trench of the same depth. The bottom is sprinkled with a layer of 10 cm of sand or expanded clay for better drainage. A mound of fertile soil is poured in the center, on top of which the roots of the seedling are straightened. They fill the pit with a pre-prepared soil mixture, trying not to tamp too much, since the roots need an influx of air.
So that when watering the water does not spread to the sides, a roller 20 cm high is built from the ground along the landing trench or around the pit for a single landing.
Important! Seedlings of 2-3 years are transplanted only by transshipment, making sure that the root neck is located flush with the ground level.
Immediately after transplanting, seedlings are abundantly watered, adding 30-50 g nitroammophoski to each tree. Trunk circles are sprinkled with a layer of mulch to protect against drying out the soil and inhibiting weed growth.
Site selection and soil preparation
Penumbra is the ideal lighting for young trees. This can be achieved by planting them along tall buildings that provide shading during part of daylight hours. Young thuja should not be planted next to tall and old trees, because the shading will turn out too strong.
Thuja landing
Ready soil suitable for conifers is poured into the pits, or the soil is mixed on its own. To do this, take 3 parts of turf land, add 1 part of sand and peat. The structure should be loose and light, ideal acidity - pH 4-5.5.
Mandatory plant care
Among the activities needed by young seedlings, the most important are the following:
- Watering. Perform after 3-4 days, at the rate of up to 10 liters of water for each seedling.
- Loosening. It is necessary, but to a depth of not more than 10 cm. A layer of mulch from peat or sawdust will do without loosening.
- Weed removal. Weeds around the arborvitae are important to remove immediately, especially with deep roots.
Note! With successful rooting, the first pruning is carried out in August.
If the seedling looks too loose, then immediately after planting it must be cut, removing damaged branches and setting the direction of growth of the crown.
Typical Diseases and Pests
Determining that a plant is experiencing stress from illness or abuse is fairly easy. For example, yellowing of a tree, especially on one side, may indicate that the urine of domestic animals falls on the roots. Often, the roots infect fungal infections, destroying the symbionts of the conifer. This is evidenced by the bark of a tree that easily falls off when pressed near the trunk.
Tui with stricken needles
Pests such as wireworms and larvae of weevil beetles can cause great damage to thuja. Liming of the soil helps from wireworms, and specialized insecticides from weevils. To heal a diseased tree, they take a solution of Bordeaux fluid and process the needles.
There are other problems:
- Phytophthora. The root system suffers first, and then the fungus spreads to the needles. Thuja quickly fades, the needles become an unpleasant sticky look and gray. The reason is excessive watering or waterlogging of the soil. For treatment, fungicides are treated.
- Fusarium Because of it, the needles become brown. To cope with the disease, the affected shoots are removed, and the tree is treated with Fundazol solution.
- Rust. It usually appears in March. The affected needles darken and fall. Copper-based fungicide treatment helps.
- Tufted aphid. It is easy to notice by the movement on the branches. Heavily affected shoots dry quickly. From aphids treated with "Karbofos".
Note! The treatment of the affected parts with a solution of copper sulfate helps against rot. If there is a suspicion of wood damage by pests, then an Actellika injection is injected into the bark according to the instructions.
Thuja Brabant - needles turn yellow
Not only pests and diseases can harm a young tree. Sometimes the reason for the loss of an attractive appearance is the lack of trace elements. At the same time, adding fertilizer is very careful. Excess will dry out the tips of the shoots.
If the needles acquire a red-violet hue, this indicates a lack of phosphorus. Nitrofoska, ammophos or other phosphorus-containing composition is added.
Yellowing of needles indicates a lack of iron, and its pale appearance indicates a nitrogen deficiency. Top dressing is carried out during watering, following the recommendations of the fertilizer manufacturer.
Winter preparations
Before wintering, seedlings are covered with burlap, spruce branches, non-woven material, and kraft paper. The crown is completely covered and fixed with twine. With adult plants, you no longer need to make so much effort, they safely winter without shelters.
Tui sheltered for the winter
To prevent damage to the roots allows mulching. Needles, peat, shredded shoots of coniferous and deciduous trees are excellent for these purposes. In the spring, it is recommended to rake and burn the old mulch, and instead pour a layer of sawdust or needles.
Crown formation
Thuja trimming is of great importance for the plant itself. If you do not do it, the crown becomes loose, untidy. Yellowed or damaged branches that are not removed in time can become a source of damage to the whole tree by disease or pests.
It is recommended to carry out the first pruning when the average daily temperature rises to +10 ° С. Instead of a cut-off to a third of the shoot, a violent new growth of the lateral processes is formed, quickly filling in the holes in the crown. If the crown of the tree is bent in winter due to strong winds or heavy snow, then it is simply cut off to correct the situation, giving the crown a rectangular shape.
If there are only a few thuja on the site, then they are molded with an ordinary secateurs or garden shears. Power tools may be required to form the correct geometry of a long hedge.
Thuja Smaragd and Brabant - differences
Note! The competitor in popularity for the Brabant variety is Smaragd.
Both will cost about the same amount when buying - the difference is insignificant, but it is worth giving preference to one or another variety, based on their key differences. Which is better - thuja Smaragd or Brabant - it is necessary to decide based on the conditions on a particular site.
The table will help to compare:
| Brabant | Emerald | |
| Annual growth | Up to 50 cm | Up to 20 cm |
| Pruning | 2 times per year | Once a year |
| Photophilous | Photophilous | Shade tolerant |
| Frost resistance | Up to -35 ° C | Up to -40 ° С |
| Density of planting for hedges | 1m | 80 cm |
| Life span | Up to 150 years | Up to 110-130 years |
Features of growing thuja Brabant: planting, care, use in landscaping
In park and garden plantings, thuja is usually combined with other conifers, preferring species and color contrasts. Good neighbors for Brabant are cypress, spruce, larch, juniper open and spherical types, microbiota.
Thuja group landing
If we are talking about creating hedges, then they are of two types:
- Free-growing. There are gaps between the trees, and their crown is cut in the form of regular geometric shapes, the same or different.
- Sheared. Planting is carried out with maximum density, so that after 2-3 years to get a dense wall with a height of about 1.5 m. Haircuts are trimmed type, without highlighting each individual plant. Due to the interweaving of branches, neighboring trees literally turn into an impassable wall. It is noteworthy that over the years the trunks are not exposed, which is especially appreciated in landscape design.
Considering that watering and periodic top dressing, as well as cutting, are the main measures for hedge care, the only obstacle to wider distribution is the high price of varietal seedlings. On average, 1 tree up to 1 m high will cost 1.5 thousand rubles.
Thuja Brabant is a beautiful coniferous tree planted in a single and group planting. Its unpretentiousness and high resilience, long life span and good susceptibility to shaping pruning made it very popular in all regions. Every year, a hedge or a single tapeworm will look even better.
