The dwarf variety of the western thuja Tiny Tim is a beautiful evergreen shrub used in landscaping gardens and parks. Rounded low crown, small annual growth, unpretentiousness favorably distinguish the breed from demanding large-sized ones.
Description of the western thuja Tiny Tim
The plant belongs to the species Thuja Occidentalis. The variety was first introduced to the general public in 1935. The modest size and undemanding nature of the soil allows the bush to be planted everywhere where there is enough light and there is a 100 × 100 cm platform.
Thuja Occidentalis Tiny Tim
Note! Thuya Tyney Tim is often found on the Internet. This refers to the same variety, it is simply written with an error. The description of Thuy Tyney Tim is identical to that presented in this article.
Description and dimensions
Buyers are attracted to this ornamental shrub by its neat lush crown, which has the shape of an almost regular ball. As the thuja grows, it will stretch to 1 m in height, and in width will not exceed 1.5 m. The shoot is short with numerous lateral processes. The bark is reddish in color, and the old taupe is peeling. The leaf has the appearance of a flake of dark green in the summer and acquiring a bronze hue after the onset of frost.
How fast the thuja Tiny Tim grows
An adult plant 10 years old reaches a height of only 30 cm, and a width of no more than 40 cm. This variety has good resistance to drought, and also well perceives a humid atmosphere in areas with a large amount of summer rainfall. Compactness and dense crown are important characteristics that allow the conifer to tolerate winter cold to −37-39 ° С.
Tini Tim seedlings
In nurseries seedlings from two years are usually presented. The older the planting material, the better and higher the chances of an excellent survival rate. A full-grown crown with numerous lignified shoots at Tini Tim begins to form only at the age of 10, and until that time it looks more like a lush green annual.
Landing and care
The landing site is chosen in the light, but nearby you certainly need shelter from strong winds. Soil is required nutritious and very loose. Therefore, only the mixture that was prepared in advance especially for the arborvitae is poured into the dug landing hole after that.
The root system of Teeny Tim needs air access, likes frequent watering. In heavy, damp and overly compacted soil, the roots will develop with difficulty. With waterlogging, typical problems such as bacterial rot, as well as various fungal diseases, appear. Overdried soil can give the same effect.
How to Plant Tiny Timi Tim
This variety can be used in a single planting, as well as for continuous dense borders. Depending on this, they make single landing pits or trenches. The size depends on the age of the seedlings, but always make a small margin to fill the root space with high-quality soil. Peat and sand are mixed with soil (2 parts) (1 part each). Under each thaw, 50 g of a complex mineral fertilizer intended for conifers are introduced.
An example of the use of Tui Timi tim in landscape design
If a lowland section is selected for landing, where there is a high probability of accumulation of melt or rain water, then a 10-20-cm layer of drainage from fine pebbles, expanded clay, broken brick or coarse sand is poured onto the bottom of the landing pits and trenches.
Important! The root neck after planting and watering should be flush with the surface of the soil. If you deepen it, it is possible to rot the trunk and lower branches, the growth of thuja slows down, the risk of death of the bush is great.
To avoid distortion of the bush, a pole is stuck to the bottom of the pits before planting, to which the thaw is neatly tied near the ground. After backfilling, pits must be abundantly irrigated to see how much the soil will settle, and if necessary, to add more.
Watering mode
During the heat, the soil under the conifer should not dry out completely, this can lead to overheating of the roots. For irrigation use warm, settled water. Moreover, they pour not only under the root, but also on the needles, using the shower head on the watering can.
With a lack of moisture, the crown dims. Needles need regular moisturizing. Signs of her good condition are a slight sheen and firmness. About 10 liters of water are poured under the bush per week, but in very hot weather more may be required.
Top dressing
If during planting a sufficient amount of mineral fertilizer was introduced, then in the next 2-3 years no additional feeding of thuja will be required. Further, each spring in the spring, 50-60 g of mineral fertilizer for conifers are introduced into the basal space. In a group planting, the consumption will be 100 g per 1 m². If you follow these recommendations, the crown will look magnificent and without signs of wilting. Once a season, you can add organic matter: compost or rotted manure.
Features of summer care
The most important thing in the summer heat is to monitor the soil moisture. It should be regularly moistened, but not swamped. Young bushes are watered, depending on the weather, up to three times a week. Adult plants (over 10 years old) no longer need such frequent watering, enough 2-3 times a month. The day after watering, the soil around the trunk is loosened, but no more than 10 cm in depth, so as not to damage the roots.
In order not to water too often, the soil is sprinkled with mulch. Small wood chips and peat are suitable. The layer in the end should be quite thick, at least 5 cm.
Important! Formative pruning of the crown is performed as necessary, but not more than a third of the length of the shoot.
Winter preparations
Adult bushes easily tolerate even the most severe frosts, but for young seedlings it is worth organizing shelter by winter. This will save young twigs from breakage, preserving all the decorativeness of the crown. Cover thawed with burlap or other breathable material. Remove the shelter only after complete melting of the snow to prevent sunburn on the needles. This is best done on a cloudy and calm day.
Breeding
In a simple seed way, thuja is propagated to fully preserve its characteristics. Seeds are extracted from dried cones, which must open independently. They should be planted in open ground at the place of future growth at the moment when frosty weather has set and snow has fallen.
Bumps Teeny Tim
In the spring, fertilizers are applied over the planting and watered as necessary. If the spring is very late, then after the snow melts, the bed is covered with a film. In such conditions, seedlings will appear sooner. As soon as the shoots hatch, the shelter is removed in order to timely remove weeds and irrigate.
No need to dive. You can remove excess plants no earlier than after 3 years. The fact is that this variety of western thuja grows very slowly in the early years. Young plants are threatened by drought, strong winds, pests and other adverse factors. To increase the chances of getting beautiful and strong bushes, leave all the shoots.
Important! If sowing was carried out indoors, then the seedlings should be left on the windowsill until the age of 5, transferring to the winter in a bright but cold room (from 0 ° C to 4 ° C).
Propagation by cuttings
To obtain planting material, choose a healthy beautiful plant with a symmetrical crown. A side branch is cut off from it with a sharp tool, trying to cut it with a piece of wood. The optimal time for cuttings is March, when the bush is preparing for sap flow.
Cuttings are placed in a glass with clean water. There also add a drug that stimulates root formation. After 10 hours, the prepared planting material is placed in containers with soil.
Thuja cuttings
To provide the desired moisture content to the cuttings, they are covered with a glass or film cap. They remove it only after the appearance of young shoots on the cuttings.
Why Thuja Tini Tim turns yellow
The thuja acquires an extremely unsightly appearance when its needles lose a healthy green color with a slight waxy coating. Yellowness is a symptom of serious problems. Given how slowly the crown grows, yellowing, even with all the measures taken, will persist for a long time.
Deformation of the cones, the appearance of yellow needles on the top of the head is a sign of drying out of the roots. It is important to enhance hydration, be sure to accompany it by loosening the soil.
Too much mineral fertilizer in the soil can cause root burns. If this happens, the crown turns yellow, and then quickly dries. Sometimes the same symptoms appear when a coniferous aphid is affected. Insects first damage the lowest shoots. You need to deal with the problem quickly, processing branches of malathion.
Western thuja is a slowly growing conifer, which for many years gives the garden or flowerbed an elegant look. In landscape design, it is used almost everywhere, except for areas of the Far North. The variety is unpretentious in care, so even a novice gardener can grow a bush.
