Thuja can also be grown by yourself. Whether it's worth it is another question, since the tree of life is offered relatively cheaply. If you have a lot of patience and maintain a tree of life hedge in the garden, it is best to propagate the thuja with cuttings.

Thuja can easily be propagated by cuttings

Harvest cuttings for the propagation of thuja

Do not use cut cuttings for propagation, but so-called cracklings. These are torn from the thuja in early summer. A small piece of bark must remain on the cutting.

Be sure to wear gloves when tearing it off. Thuja is poisonous. The escaping plant sap can lead to inflammation of the skin.

Take off more cuttings than you actually need. Not all offshoots will root. The failure rate can be quite high even with the best care.

Prepare cuttings properly

  • Tear off cuttings
  • shorten slightly
  • Use rooting powder
  • plant cuttings
  • keep moist

The appropriate location for cultivation

If you only want to grow a few thujas yourself, pots or a small greenhouse are ideal. For larger quantities, for example for a hedge, place the cuttings directly in the desired location outdoors. Then you don't need to replant the thujas later.

Place the pots or greenhouse in a bright place where the temperature is around 20 degrees. Do not place them directly in the blazing midday sun.

Outdoors, the site should be protected from the wind and not be too exposed to the sun.

How to care for the cuttings

Cover the pots with the cuttings with clear foil or freezer bags. This will protect the soil from drying out. However, ventilate once a day to avoid mold growth.

In a greenhouse, cover the offshoots with the lid and keep the cuttings moist but not too wet. Outdoors, you need to make sure the soil never dries out completely. Protect the young plants from too much sun.

If new shoots appear, roots have formed and the tree of life can be transplanted.

tips

Breeding from seeds is of course also possible. However, this method is more complex and it also takes longer until you get sufficiently large specimens. There is also the possibility that another variety of thuja will emerge.

Category:

Trees