You can go wrong when fertilizing Thuja. The tree of life reacts just as badly to too much fertilizer as it does to too few nutrients. Fertilizing with Epsom salts, which is often recommended, is only necessary if the hedge suffers from a very specific deficiency.

If the thuja turns yellow, this can be due to a lack of magnesium

Fertilize thuja with Epsom salt if there is a magnesium deficiency

If the thuja shows yellow tips, you should think of a magnesium deficiency in the soil. But first examine the hedge for pests and fungal diseases. Also check that the thuja is kept moist enough but not too wet.

If all other causes have been ruled out, you should take a soil sample and have it examined in a laboratory. If there is a lack of magnesium, fertilizing with Epsom salt will help.

Regular fertilizing with Epsom salts, as is often advised, does not make sense. You should only use this mineral fertilizer if there is actually a deficiency.

Adhere to the exact dosage

First you need to choose a suitable product. Epsom salt can be administered in liquid or solid form.

Dosing instructions must be followed carefully to prevent over-fertilization and subsequent acidification of the soil.

For light soils, up to 4 grams of Epsom salts are given per 100 grams of soil. For heavier soils, a dosage of up to 6 grams is sufficient. You can only give up to 9 grams for very heavy clay soils.

When to fertilize with Epsom salt?

Fertilization with Epsom salt is carried out immediately after the infestation has occurred and after confirmation by the laboratory.

  • Do not fertilize in sunshine
  • Administer Epsom salts after a rain shower
  • or water the soil beforehand
  • sprinkle very dry thuja with water

You must pay attention to this!

When spraying, wet the top and bottom of the leaves, but not too close to the stem. The needles should never get soaking wet.

Solid Epsom salt is spread around the tree of life. If possible, the salt should not be given directly to the trunk.

tips

Fungal diseases do not occur that often in the tree of life. However, there has been an increase in recent years. Entire arborvitae hedges can often no longer be saved.

Category: