odSteve
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How To Plant Green Giant Arborvitae?

Hi,
I am looking to plant a couple evergreen shade trees. My research seemed to indicate the Green Giant Arborvitae was one of the fastest growing, and liked full sun, and was not particular about soils. It sounded like the perfect shade tree. I placed an online order for a couple then began digging the holes in anticipation of their arrival.
But I forgot how bad my soil really is. Every day after work I dig what I can then fill the hole with water. Now, four days later, I'm still not even as deep as the spade part of the shovel.
Do you think these arborvitaes will grow in this? Is there a better fast-growing evergreen tree you can recommend for this pitiful soil? What can I do to help this situation?
Any suggestions will be welcomed, including getting different shade trees.
Thank you.

odSteve
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Rocky Soil:
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HoneyBerry
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I have about 25 Emerald Green arborvitaes. The Green Giant variety is similar but much larger than what I have. I have good soil - riverbed soil, not rocky at all. My arborvitaes are thriving. It is my understanding that arborvitaes will tolerate poor soil conditions. However, compact soil, such as what you have, may be too compact for this tree. Arborvitaes have a shallow root system. So perhaps you could consider digging a good size hole and filling it with good soil so that the roots have a good head start.
I often see dead arborvitaes in my neighborhood, even though the soil is very good. Probably due to neglect, such as not enough water during dry months and years of accumulation of dead needles inside the trees which block the light.
I take good care of my arborvitaes. They need to be watered regularly during the summer months because they have shallow roots. I rake out dead needles on a routine basis and doing this really helps the trees thrive.
This year, I planted 2 Leyland Cypress trees. Like arborvitaes, they are also fast growing.

odSteve
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Thank you for the reply.
I never would have guessed arborvitae's have a shallow root system. For some reason I assumed they had very deep roots because it states in so many places they are drought tolerant and only need to be watered the first year.

What I'm getting are supposed to be between 18 and 24 inches tall in a one quart pot so they will probably be root bound.

Based on the info you gave me, I'm now changing the way I think I will plant them. I'm now planning on bringing in some equipment and dig a 2 ft by 2 ft hole for each tree, and filling it with some good soil and compost. Because they (their drip line) get to be 20 ft in diameter, I was thinking then rototilling a couple times with some compost 10 ft around each planting hole. I have a small pile of wood chips I'll then use as mulch on top.

But this plan might have one major drawback that I see and I need your help to figure out a solution.

As I understand, the roots extend out to the tree's drip line. How deep are the roots that fan out from the central trunk? If less than 12 inches, then rototilling should be ok. But if deeper, I don't know anyone with a rototiller that goes deeper.

Although I'm trying to get a privacy screen, I want it to look somewhat natural. So I plan to eventually get some Emerald Greens to plant a few feet in front of and between the Green Giants. I'm just tired of seeing dead dirt with a few dry fox tails on the other side of my property every time I look out my window. I want to see green trees all summer long and I want to see green trees with snow on them in winter (zone 5).
How do you suggest I prepare the soil beyond the initial planting hole?

Your help is really appreciated. I think your info has already saved them from a quick death. Now I'm trying to get them to grow big and live as long as I'm alive.

Thank you.

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applestar
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I haven’t participated so far because I have no experience with this type of tree (except that my neighbors have them)

But if you have to go to that extreme to change planting ground, I don’t think this is the right tree for the location.

Quick search results do say arborvitae can grow in rocky ground but it prefers MOIST, WELL DRAINED soil.

My neighbor’s arborvitae has died several times — this is probably their third — grows well for a while then dies. I’ve already mentioned our clay subsoil elsewhere.

If your soil holds water, you will only end up with the “bathtub effect”. Also, your tree may decline after the roots reach the native ground.

…to understand the ground you are planting in — WHY is the property beyond “dead dirt with a few dry fox tails”?

odSteve
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Hi,
You're right, the one thing I worry about in all this planning is the bathtub effect. I can keep the ground moist, but well-drained could be more difficult.

Everywhere on the internet people (mostly sellers) say that Green Giant Arborvitae's are the next best thing to sliced bread. I don't know anybody that has one.
The only trees that seem to grow well in my soil is a Blue Spruce (a beautiful tree but very slow growing), Elm trees that grow like weeds everywhere but look like dead trees 8 months of the year, and Black Locust trees that also grow like weeds, self-seeding themselves everywhere and looking like dead trees 6 months of the year.

Is there any evergreen tree you might be able to recommend?

Pine trees just seem so fickle - a row can be growing ok for years then suddenly a few will suddenly die for no apparent reason. Living in a rural area, I'd like to have some kind of evergreen trees.

Any suggestions, anyone?

My house was built in 1929 and I think that is when the Blue Spruce was planted in my front yard. I have pictures of my house from the '50's and the Spruce was very large then. The local nursery wants about $150 for a 3 ft Blue Spruce so they are out of the question.

Thank you.

odSteve
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Hi,
I'm not really sure why my soil is so rocky. It's dry because I never watered parts of it. The rocks and gravel are hard on a lawn mower, so I let it be dry and dead.

I think it might have been a stream bed in ancient times, or perhaps the soil was just scrapped smooth off the top leaving just rocks and gravel at the time the house was built. And I'm sure one of the owners in the past had connections to a rock and gravel quarry and they dumped truck loads of gravel on all sides of the house as this gravel is a little different from the rocky hard gravel in other parts of the yard.

Just looking for suggestions on evergreen trees to try planting.

Thank you.

HoneyBerry
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It is my understanding that the emerald green arborvitae roots grow to about 2 feet deep with a spread to the drip line. I don’t know about the green giant. It is a bigger tree, so it might go deeper. The spacing will affect the size that the mature trees will grow to be. I have 2 emerald greens that have plenty of space between them and they are rather large. I have some others that are close together in a row and they are smaller in size. I am watering them during long dry spells because I love them and don’t want to lose them. My neighbor has a row of about 10 arborvitaes and they are doing fine. The neighbors are renting the place, so I am pretty sure that the trees are rain fed only and not being intentionally watered. I have never seen a hose or sprinkler in that yard. It has been really dry lately and those trees seem to be doing just fine. I did some research back in 2010 when there was a drought here. Trees with shallow root systems are less drought tolerant than trees with deeper roots. The trees can suffer long term damage from lack of water if it is for a long stretch of time. The effects may not be immediately obvious and can show up years later.

HoneyBerry
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Bamboo is a possibility. I did some research on bamboo a while ago. The clumping type is a good choice.
Bamboo will eventually flower and die. The age of the parent plant that it is taken from is important to know. Best to obtain bamboo from a trustworthy source.

odSteve
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Bamboo - now that is a really great suggestion. Thank you.
I still have lots more to research on bamboo, but my preliminary searches seem to indicate only the moderate-sized bamboos can grow in zone 5. Unfortunately the giant bamboos only grow in a zone 7 or better.
Bamboo's like Blue Fountain look very promising - they grow to more than 5 ft which is ok for along the fence and can take the cold. But they need constantly moist soil - don't know how moist or how constant. And don't know if they are deer resistant. I hope so otherwise I will be constantly fighting to keep them from sprouting on the outside of the fence.
Anyone have any experience with bamboo they can share?
Thanks.

HoneyBerry
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I do not have direct experience with bamboo. But I was considering it and did quite a bit of research on it. What I learned was very interesting. I ended up narrowing down to just a few varieties and they were all the clumping varieties. I love the big bamboo but would not be able to deal with controlling the spread. It is important to pay close attention to the age of the parent plant of the bamboo. For example, if the parent plant of a plant you are buying is 80 years old with an expected life span of 100 years, then the plant you are buying will only live 20 years.
So you need to be sure to purchase bamboo from a trustworthy source. A nursery close to me sometimes sells bamboo, but they didn’t know this, so many of their bamboo starts flowered and died. They had been taken advantage of by a bamboo supplier who sold them a batch of starts that were taken from a very old plant. I think that China owns all bamboo seeds. This is what I remember.

odSteve
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hi,
I spoke with a couple bamboo nursery specialists and apparently the bamboo's I'm needing are between $50 and $100 apiece, even for a small one-gallon size. That, and the fact I need to do major soil-amending work and they need lots of water, like an arborvitae does, makes what I've seen so far not a good choice for my location.
But I'm still researching and I'm open to any suggestions for anything that grows thick as a privacy hedge, tall, grows quickly, stays green, and can take zone 5 weather.
Please, keep the suggestions coming.
Thank you.

HoneyBerry
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Arborvitae is a good choice, if you could get it to work.
I love mine.
Perhaps you could have your soil evaluated by a landscape professional.

odSteve
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So far all I've really researched are Arborvitae and Bamboo. For as much soil prep and watering as it takes, I'd prefer arborvitae.
But how long will they survive in shipment? I ordered a few test Green Giant Arborvitae and they were shipped on July 21st. It's now July 28th and FedEx still has not given me an expected delivery date. That's 7 days in the possession of FedEx from Michigan to Northern California. Has anyone else ever ordered plants online? How long does it normally take and what condition are the plants in when they arrive? Is there a preferred shipper for small trees (under 3 ft. tall)?
Thanks.

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applestar
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Trees are best shipped while dormant or near dormant. I only order plants on line from trusted sources that I have ordered things from before and/or have personal experience referral from people I know. Good nursery sources will tell you when they will ship for best survival (shipping and planting), the plant material will be optimally packaged, and they will include detailed planting instructions.

I also only order live, active/non-dormant plants during temperate temperature times of the year — with above freezing and under 80°F throughout the shipping route AND the shipping origin shouldn’t be farther than 2 or 3 days away (or about 2 states away) unless I’m willing to pay for upgraded shipping (or more typically I order when they are offering free or upgraded express shipping)

Over the last year, another factor to take into account is the general COVID surge conditions in the origin and/or interim state as well as the courier.

odSteve
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I'm so excited, they (the Green Giants) arrived today. Nine days in the FedEx truck and they still look good. They are almost 3 ft tall, which probably means they are root bound in the little quart pots. Other than the gigantic Blue Spruce in my front yard, and after seeing them live for the first time, not just pictures, these are the most beautiful evergreen trees I could possibly select for my back yard. I just hope they grow. To help minimize shock, I'm planning to leave them in their quart pots for a few weeks to let them climatize (and make sure they don't die from the transport) before planting them. Do you agree with my plan?
Thanks.

HoneyBerry
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Your plan might work out.
If this was my project, I would want to get the trees out of their potbound state right away. I would carefully move them to larger pots with some good potting soil and then keep the pots close to my back door where they are easy to watch, and pamper them, keeping them adequately watered at least until Fall. Then I would consider transplanting them to the well prepared permanent ground location. More likely, I would leave them in the bigger pots until next Spring. That would give the roots some time to recover and to develop some good roots.
If the trees are seriously pot bound, the roots probably will need to be carefully cut and separated in a particular way, so that the trees survive. It is traumatic for a plant to have it’s roots disturbed. So leaving the plants in the larger pots after disturbing the roots would give them a chance for root development over the Winter, would give the trees a chance to stabilize.
I do not particularly like overwintering potted plants because they need special care if there is a freeze. I have found that to be quite a hassle. But sometimes overwintering is the better choice to make if the roots need time to develop.
This is what I would do. But it isn’t the only way to do things.

odSteve
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Hi,
Just for an update - what I thought was the real color - a bright, light lime green on all the newer growth, was actually just the plant's reaction to being in total darkness for at least 9 days in the FedEx truck.
They are now all dark green except . . .
I put them in dappled sunlight under a tree and I've water them once every day since they arrived. And I am gradually moving them away from the tree as I want to get them used to growing in full sunlight.
Being in their original container before they perked up still took them over a week. They look better now but they have all begun to show dead leaflets (not sure what they are called), as seen in the attached photo.
Are these browning leaflets because of the stress of transportation and they will soon recover, or a disease, or am I watering them wrong?
I know it’s not the result of my transplanting them as they are still in their original pots. Any insight is appreciated. I just have no experience with Arborvitae or any type of woody evergreen.
Thank you.

odSteve
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Green Giant browning leaflets:
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HoneyBerry
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It could be because the roots are pot bound, like you stated earlier.

odSteve
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HoneyBerry wrote:
Sat Aug 07, 2021 5:20 pm
It could be because the roots are pot bound, like you stated earlier.
Yes, that's possible. Today at a yard sale I bought some 5 gallon buckets. After I drill holes in them I intend to transplant the trees in the buckets probably for the winter. If I don't get the soil dug and amended soon, I'll just bury the buckets to help protect the roots from the freezing winter weather. Then next spring pull the buckets up and plant the trees properly as soon as the soil is fixed to my satisfaction. That is if the trees don't die first.
Yesterday we had a very strong wind storm for a half hour or so. We usually get these winds 3 or 4 times a year for a very short duration. But it uprooted three very large trees in the neighborhood. However I noticed the trees (two Spruce and something else) all had very shallow root systems as if their only water came from the lawn sprinklers. I don't want my Green Giants to have shallow roots. That's why I'm so concerned with planting them correctly, and not as my neighbors say - just dig as deep as the pot they're in and the tree roots will spread out from there.

HoneyBerry
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Arborvitaes naturally have shallow roots.
None of my arborvitaes came down in the big wind storm that we had here not too long ago. The very old 50’ cedar trees with shallow roots that are across the street from me didn’t come down. My plum tree did come down. So it is hard to tell. I didn’t expect my plum tree to come down.

HoneyBerry
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Probably what I would do is keep the plants in the dappled sunlight for now. They are fine with partial shade or full sinlight. Since they seem stressed, the partial shade probably would be better, temporarily while they are still in those pots.
This is just what I would do in this case.
Fall is just around the corner. That will be a good time to plant the trees in the ground or transfer them into bigger pots.
Good luck with burying the pots. When I planned to do things that way, Winter snuck up on me and I ran out of time. Ended up bringing the pots indoors when there was a freeze.

odSteve
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Well everybody has a bad day once in awhile.
I went to the local nursery (the only one within 2 hours drive each way) and bought some potting soil etc and 4 large used black pots - the kind nurseries sell plants in. That way I would not need to drill holes in buckets and they have built-in hand holds making them easier to carry once filled.

I was told to wait by the register while he got the pots. But I wandered toward the back looking at the different plants for sale. Then I heard the owner telling someone, "I had to separate the pots for him as he is too f---in stupid to ever figure out how to do it himself." I did not want to make the long drive just to get a few pots so I just kept my mouth shut and pretended I did not hear his comment. But why would he make such a comment after all the money I've spent there? Perhaps he was having a bad day, or ? But it sure makes me want to take my business elsewhere in the future. Perhaps that's why in the past he has made recommendations I've found to be wrong because he thinks I'm too stupid to know the difference. I've bought these used pots many times from other nurseries and any idiot knows how to separate them when they've been stacked up and stick together. Rant over.

The plants I bought seemed to be recovered from the 9-day transport stress and showed signs of new growth. When I took them out of their little quart pot the plants were definitely root-bound with roots going up and down and round and round the pots. I had to cut and break a lot of the roots to get them untangled so I hope that does not shock the plants beyond recovery. So rather than the little one-quart pots, they are now in 17 gallon pots with lots of good soil mixed with potting soil, compost and other good things. I'm sure they will need to stay in these pots until next spring.
If interested, I'll keep you posted on the progress of these plants over the next year or two. As far as I know, I'm the only one with Green Giant Arborvitae in this city.

HoneyBerry
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17 gallons sounds so big - am having a hard time picturing such big pots
perhaps there is a typo? or perhaps 17 trees in 1 gallon pots? I thought there were going to be 2 trees, so am just a little confused, no big deal
as far as the comment goes, that is definately his problem
I like to use that type of situation as practice for not letting things get to me
definately easier said than done!
sometimes I imagine that the offending person is just a adult sized child throwing a tantrum - adults throwing tantrums seems funny to me
you worked so hard on your trees! I hope that they thrive

odSteve
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Hi,
I was told these are 17 gallon containers. They look to me to be a bit more than double a 5 gallon bucket, but I doubt they are three times the volume of a bucket. Regardless they are bigger than what the plants came in. You can see the little pots they came in in front of the big ones. A big difference.
The plants are in shock again. But it's easier to control the moisture in these big pots. With the little pots if I skipped a day in watering them, they would feel so dry. Using the finger test for soil dampness, I've only watered them twice since transferring them to these larger pots.
Thank you, I hope they thrive too. And I hope they survive the winter freezing in these pots. I know I won't have time to plant them in the ground this year.
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odSteve
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That's not snow on the plants, its just how my camera captured the sun on part of the plants. The plants are actually in full shade from about 2 pm onward. I took the picture about 2 pm just as the plants were transitioning from sun to shade.

HoneyBerry
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if possible, place them temporarily indoors when there is a freeze
there might be other ways to protect the roots from freezing but I have little experience that way
one winter I put some tarps around my potted plants on the porch and it seemed to help, the pots were up against the wall of the house so probably some of the heat from the wall filled the tarp ‘cave’
I left my lilac start in pots over the winter once and they survived
they had been in the pots for a couple of years so they were more likely to survive

odSteve
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Update: The plants still look the same as the picture above, but perhaps not as perky. They haven't died any but I have not seen any new growth at all. It might be because although the temps are in the mid 80's to 90's during the day, they are in the low 30's at night. This time of year we have large daily temperature swings. Hopefully the plants are now putting all their energy into repairing and growth of their roots. I monitor the dampness of the pots daily. The pots are so big I've only had to water them 3 times so far.

odSteve
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hi, just another update - the Green Giant arborvitae seemed to have recovered from their transplant shock and were looking very healthy for awhile although they had very little new growth. Hopefully they were putting their energies into root repairs and growth.
But now that we have had a couple weeks of temps in the low 30's and 20's *F at night, the plants just don't look very healthy. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. What worries me is the winter is only beginning and they seem to already be turning a little bit brown and have lost their green glossiness. And we still have 5 more months of winter ahead. The plants are too big to bring into the house and I think they would do better with the sunlight they get outside. They're supposed to withstand colder temperatures than this. Can anyone share their experiences with this plant living through cold winters?

odSteve
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Just another update - awhile ago I moved the Green Giants against a sunny side wall of my house. Hopefully that might help protect them a little bit from the freezing nights. The plants have not grown any but still look alive and strong, except they are turning a brown/bronze color. From what I read that is natural for them to do in the winter. I just hope my winter is not too long or cold for these little trees.
A couple weeks ago I had someone with a backhoe dig some large holes to plant these in come spring. I also saw the layers of my soil. The top 6 to 8 inches is white with what looks to me like a combination of gravel and cement dust. Below that very pronounced layer is what appears to be normal soil. I think the Arborvitae will grow ok if they survive this first winter and if they can grow the majority of their roots below the white gravel layer when transplanted this spring from their containers.

odSteve
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Just another quick update . . . daytime temps average in the low 40's*F and night time temps in the low 20's. So the ground is still frozen with random patches of snow, but my little trees are still alive in their containers - but they're a brown/bronze in color. If they can survive two more months of this cold weather, I think they will make it. And if they do, I will be buying a lot more arborvitae and try some landscaping with different types.

rachelbeth
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Green Giant arborvitae are an excellent choice for a living privacy fence or windbreak. They are fast-growing, low-maintenance, and evergreen.

To plant a green giant arborvitae, choose a location that gets full sun to partial shade and has well-drained soil. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and just deep enough so the top of the root ball is level with the ground. Gently remove the tree from the container and place it in the hole. Backfill with soil, tamping it down lightly as you go. Water deeply.

odSteve
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Thank you for your response. My little Green Giants aren't so green at the moment. They were beginning to turn from bronze / brown to green as our daytime temps were in the high 70's*F and night time was just above freezing. So I was getting ready to plant them. But suddenly the weather changed and we have the beginning of two more weeks of freezing temps with wind, snow and ice. Daytime temps are in the 40's* and night time temps are freezing in the low teens. My Green Giants have turned a dark bronze / brown color again. They don't look too good again. A neighbor commented he thought they were dead. But they did start to turn green until the current round of cold weather.
If they survive another couple weeks of freezing, I will plant them where I intended. They will be in full sun with lots of room to grow large and cast an afternoon shadow where I wanted it. But I'm no longer going to to use them for my privacy screen. My whole point is I wanted fast growing trees that would stay green all winter. These Green Giants met all my requirements except they don't stay green in our long winters.
Does anyone have any suggestions for other inexpensive arborvitae or evergreens that grow fast and stay green in the winter? I have about 150 ft of fence-line I'd like to plant so I can't afford $50 trees.
Thank you.

odSteve
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I'll do a progress write-up on my green giants a little later with some pictures. They're not dead but over-all very disappointed. Regardless I'm looking for some possible recommendations for fast-growing trees that will make a suitable privacy screen and especially will stay green all winter. Only recommendation I've found so far is the Hetz Wintergreen Arborvitae. Has anybody had any experience with this tree? Any recommendations from anyone for any type of Cypress, Juniper, Fir, Arborvitae, Pine, etc or any evergreen type tree for zone 5? Thank you.

odSteve
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Progress report on my Green Giants: I have seen dozens of pictures and they all looked green and big and beautiful and green. And I've read dozens of write-ups on the Green Giant Arborvitae. They all basically said the same thing - and it seemed like they were the perfect evergreen for along my property line. I got a couple to test before buying a lot of them. Fortunately I did. It's been mentioned their tips turn bronze or brown in the winter time but that they will thrive in a zone 5 environment. To me that means they should do ok in temps as low as -20*F.
I had a mild winter this year and it never got below the mid teens *F this winter. But not just the tips, but the entire plants turn a deep bronze or brown color in freezing weather. I never saw any pics of these plants showing their winter color. So I'm posting my pics here. I wanted something that stays green-looking in the winter. And that is definitely not Green Giants. The picture below was taken about 8 weeks ago. We had a week of warm temps (high 70's *F in the day and low 40's at night) and I thought the winter was over. So did the Green Giants. They began turning green. I took a picture of them and planned on planting them the next day. Then winter hit again. The plants turned a darker brown. Now, May 30th we still have a few freezing nights in the forecast. With days in the 70's and nights in the high 20's the plants don't seem to be recovering to well with this wide fluctuation in temps. They don't look any better now than they did in this picture 8 weeks ago.
Last year was a very mild winter - never saw a night-time freezing temp beyond the first week of April. This year night time freezing temps continue into June. Days are warm so I just planted the little trees. We'll see how they do in the next year or two. In my climate I doubt they will ever grow the 3 feet a year as advertised. And be aware not just the tips but the entire plant turns brown in a cold environment, also never mentioned in their write-ups or advertising.

odSteve
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This picture was taken after a week of warm temperatures of high 70's *F in the day and low 40's in the night. The plants began to turn green. They quickly lost their green color when freezing temps returned. And they have been very slow to turn green again. Sorry, I can't find the delete duplicate picture button and they don't show in my edit post.
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odSteve
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hi, just another observation - when I planted them from their big pots to the ground a couple weeks ago, they did show new root growth. They spent about 1 year, mostly winter, in their big pots. One plant had its roots almost completely encircling the container, and the other plants had their roots to the sides of their pots but had not begun circling around. So apparently it is true they do put all their energies first into root development. In the picture from the August posts above, when they were nice and green you can see the pots I put them in were more than twice as big as the pots they came in. However, none of the plants grew their roots more than half way down their big pots. So apparently their roots do grow outward more so than downward.

Also somehow a few big earthworms made their way into each pot.

That's all the real-life observations I have so far on these Arborvitae. I wish I could have read a complete write-up on these trees like I put in this forum. Seems like all I ever read is these are the biggest, fastest growing (3-foot a year), always green, easiest to grow evergreen trees there are. And they thrive in a zone 5, and some write-ups say a zone 4, so they should do well for anyone. This, so far, has not been my experience. But time will tell . . .

odSteve
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Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 12:35 am

hi, I have another question I would like to get feedback on from people with arborvitae experience . . . I have read that mulch such as wood chips etc should not be put up to the trunk as it will cause possible plant rot and die as the mulch decomposes or possible smothering of the roots. Then I've also read the following: "maintain a 3-4″ layer of organic mulch around evergreens. . ." That seems thicker than what would normally be present under a plant. What is your opinion on this - mulch up to the trunk, up to the dripline or somewhere between and how thick? Or perhaps only in the winter to protect roots from freezing cold? Your opinions, please. Thanks.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

In general, mulch should not be touching the trunk. Part of the reason is that mulch can hold moisture and keep the bark of the tree damp when it should be dry.

Also natural mulch such as wood chip detritus can harbor fungal spores and insects that could readily migrate to the tree. Maintain a gap of 2~3 inches around the trunk — fill in with sharp gravel if you like, which can be helpful if voles and other rodents nesting among the roots is a concern (more of an issue with fruit trees)

I don’t know about the thicker mulch — I think it’s more money than I want to spend. Thicker winter mulch if needed was not a good plant choice for the garden. (Yes sometimes you do end up getting the one or two special trees/plants….)

I tend to cover the area with cardboard then completely hide with wood chip mulch for the decorative effect.

If your area gets good snow cover, extra winter mulch is not necessary.
Regardless, pay more attention to making sure the trees (and shrubs) get sufficient water in late fall before the ground freezes.



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