Growth rate - how to encourage arborvitae to grow?

[HoneyBerry]

I want my arborvitaes to grow faster. They are healthy. I am just wishing they were taller. I wonder if there is anything I can do to make them grow faster.

[rainbowgardener]

Not very much. They grow how they are programmed to grow. If you could feed it tons of Nitrogen in an attempt to make it grow faster, you would be making it very much more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

There's an interesting piece of research online carried out in June 2005 at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and published in the Horticultural Research Institute Journal; one of the subjects in the trial was Thuja Emerald Green. Under control conditions, they were planted with various amendments (bio gels, mycorrhizal fungi and various other products) with a control which had nothing added other than 3 inches of pine mulch at first planting, and a year later. Most were finger weeded in the immediate area during the two year trial period where necessary.

The results show that the Thuja planted with nothing but the addition of a 3 inch layer of pine mulch on top of the soil did better than all the others - the mulch was applied at planting time, and then again a year later. The conclusion from the trial was that this worked best because the mulch retained moisture and kept down weed competition to the plants

So plant it in well drained soil, mulch, but don't let the mulch touch the tree trunk, keep a 3" or so ring around the trunk clear, keep the plant moist but not soggy (especially while it is getting established), give it a slow release tree fertilizer once a year in the spring, keep it weeded while it is young. Monitor closely so that if it starts developing any problems, browning needles or whatever, you catch it right away. Good basic care is all you can do.

[HoneyBerry]

Thanks. IThey have a bed of mulch, which consists of dead needles from when I cleaned out the dead needles last year on my full grown arborvitaes. I watered them regularly during the drought last summer. They are all doing sell. I love my arborvitaes. They are such nice trees. Thanks for the info.