LifestyleSpring care for Thujas: Trimming and feeding guide for a thriving garden

Spring care for Thujas: Trimming and feeding guide for a thriving garden

How to take care of thuja?
How to take care of thuja?
Images source: © Adobe Stock

6 February 2024 15:03, updated: 7 March 2024 09:09

As spring approaches swiftly, it's no surprise that we find ourselves peering into the garden more regularly, where everything will soon awaken anew. It's not only grass and flowers that require attention, but also shrubs and small trees around the house. Wondering how to take care of thujas post-winter? The most crucial task is the first trim.

Thujas - the initial trim after winter

Thujas are amongst the most favoured conifers in the UK. They adorn many gardens, forming impressive hedges. Often, they're also planted individually in decorative lines.

Not only are they easy to care for, but they're also simply beautiful. As the first warm days arrive, we need to dedicate a bit more time to them. The most important task is the first trim following winter, which shapes them correctly and stimulates growth.

Typically, this task should be undertaken around the end of March and beginning of April. This is when our conifers start to bud anew.

We generally trim them down to half their length. Concurrently, we remove dry, broken branches, which not only speed up growth but also improve their overall appearance.

However, that's not the end of our interaction with the pruning shears. Thujas should be pruned a further two times. Once in June and then at the end of August.

Providing post-winter care to thujas

During spring, we ought to ensure our conifers receive the right nutrients through fertilisers. Thankfully, you needn't necessarily purchase any. You can simply utilise what's usually discarded into our bins.

For a homely fertiliser for thujas, coffee grounds prove useful, providing our plants with essential nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus required for growth.

Mix 2 tablespoons with approximately 2.27 litres of water. Then, water the conifers every few days with the resultant mixture and voila. It's simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly.