Plant Care for Emerald Green Arborvitae
- 1). Water your Emerald Green arborvitae regularly and deeply for the best growth performance and an evenly green hue. Soak the root zone once per week in the spring, summer and fall. You want to keep the soil evenly moist at all times. Warm climates with little rain will require more irrigation than cool, rainy climates. In freezing climes water deeply several times during the fall before the ground freezes to help the roots prepare for and survive winter.
- 2). Fertilize arborvitae sparingly, once per year, if needed in mid-spring as new growth is beginning to appear. Use a slow-release complete fertilizer made of either organic or synthetic compounds. Look for a product with a guaranteed analysis of 12-4-8 or a similar ratio, applying according to the label dosing directions evenly over the entire root zone and watering in well until the soil is saturated.
- 3). Protect your Emerald Green from winter drought, weeds, and freeze and thaw cycles by heavily mulching around the base of your arborvitae with 3 to 4 inches of coarse, organic mulch such as bark, peat, pine needles or very coarse compost. Never use plastic or stone mulch, as these impede airflow and can suffocate the plant roots by holding in too much heat or cold.
- 4). Wrap or provide wind breaks for arborvitae plants younger than four years that are growing in windy or freezing climates. Use several layers of burlap fabric and wooden stakes to create a protective area around the plant.
- 5). Prune very sparingly and only to removed diseased, broken or dead foliage and branches, or to shape the plant by pruning the terminal tips of the branches. Arborvitae cannot regenerate old wood or large branches and generally recovers from pruning very slowly. Any ill-considered or misplaced pruning cut may mar the plant permanently, so be judicious and remove only the tissue that must go. Use loppers or a pruning saw for branches, and shears for shaping branch tips and formal hedging.
