Occasionally it may become necessary to transplant a tree of life. The current location may not be favorable or the thuja is getting in the way of redesigning the garden. What do you need to consider if you want to transplant thuja?
How can I successfully transplant a thuja?
To successfully transplant a thuja, choose a sunny, wind-protected location, dig a planting hole twice the size, improve the soil with compost and plant the thuja carefully. Water regularly and protect the tree in winter if necessary.
Can thuja be transplanted?
When transplanting Thujen, the move is more successful as long as the trees are still young.
Older arborvitae have a pronounced root system that you can hardly get out of the ground without damage. You should also keep in mind that a fully grown thuja is very heavy and can hardly be moved without technical equipment.
For older thuja hedges, you should think about creating a new hedge and removing the old arborvitae from the garden.
The best season for transplanting thuja
If you cannot avoid replanting a thuja, spring and early fall are best. At another time of year, moving is even more difficult and there is a risk that the tree of life will not grow again.
After transplanting in spring, you need to water the thuja very often. If the tree of life is transplanted in early autumn, it needs winter protection as the roots sometimes have not yet regenerated sufficiently. In dry winters you need to ensure that the soil does not dry out.
Prepare your move well
A few days before transplanting, water the soil thoroughly. This will make it easier to dig up the thuja later.
Do not injure roots when digging out
Dig off the soil around the tree of life and carefully lift out the root ball with the digging fork.
If the thuja has to be transported to a more distant location, wrap the root ball in burlap so that it does not dry out. Make sure there is enough soil attached to the roots.
The new location for the Tree of Life
Choose the new location for the Thuja very carefully. Replanting puts too much stress on the tree. Removing a thuja hedge also involves a lot of work and costs.
How to transplant thuja
- Dig a planting hole twice the size of the root ball
- Improve planting soil with compost (€12.00 on Amazon), horn shavings or manure
- Use thuja carefully
- Fill planting hole
- Shake the tree of life a little
- Come to Earth
- water well
- spread mulch if necessary
Care after moving
After moving the thuja, you need to water it frequently. Occasional spraying of the leaves, especially in very dry times, has also proven useful. But do not spray directly in the midday sun.
Discoloration of the needles after transferring is normal. After about six months, the tree of life should get used to its new place and regain its old foliage color.
Tip
Thuja needs a location that is as sunny as possible. It should be somewhat sheltered from the wind and not directly exposed to the midday sun.
