Autumn is not just a beautiful time of year. For owners of dachas and household plots, it marks the preparation of the garden for wintering. A magnificent representative of conifers - thuja - also needs the attention of the owner. But whether it is necessary to shelter thui for the winter - that's what often excites gardeners.
Do we need to cover for the winter?
In general, in many areas an ornamental plant is not harbored at all. And this, on the one hand, is understandable. The fact is that the coniferous tree has a good level of frost resistance. But at the same time, there are situations in which there is no doubt about whether it is necessary to insulate thuju for the winter, should not be:
- First, it concerns seedlings and one-year-old young shrubs. Being after the transplantation weakened, thuja can badly suffer frosts. Dangerous and burns, arising from bright sunlight in winter. By the way, there are frequent situations when winters happen to be snowless in regions with severe frosts. And then, the roots of thuya, even adults, which are in the frozen soil, may perish.
- Secondly, the shelter will protect the crown from deformation of the crown in strong winds or from large snowdrifts.
- Thirdly, with the advent of the first sun rays, young shoots begin to grow in the thuja without shelter. At the same time, the root system is often at rest, as the soil is not yet warmed up. As a result, the needles and trunk lose moisture, and the saturation of it from the soil with roots does not yet occur. Such dissonance often leads to dehydration, a change in the color of the needles, then to its drying out and possible death.
How and when to shelter thui for the winter?
If you decide to protect the conifer beauty, we recommend that you take into account several nuances. The fact is, the shelter requires different parts of the bush, both branches and the root system:
- First, weeds or other vegetation are removed from the plant.
- The tree trunk is covered with an additional layer of soil or mulch (straw, sawdust).
- After this, the thuya is neatly covered with a layer of burlap or dense mesh fabric.
If we talk about the month in which to shelter thui for the winter, then there are several options:
- Sprinkle the layer of mulch better to spend in September-October before the onset of frost.
- Shelter top of the tree can be carried out at the same time or with a sharp deterioration in the weather. If the winter was snowy and did not have low temperature values, do not forget to cover it in the early spring from the sun's rays. This is necessary to prevent the growth of shoots and excessive evaporation of moisture.