Not all Thuja varieties produce fruit every year. If more flowers and therefore more seeds form than normal, this can indicate something wrong. You can remove the resulting fruits. However, this is not absolutely necessary.
Is it necessary to remove thuja fruits?
Removing thuja fruits is not absolutely necessary as they do not deprive the tree of life of any strength. However, if the sight is disturbing or needs to be removed for safety reasons, you can cut fruits to reach height and dispose of them in household waste as they are poisonous.
Removing thuja fruits necessary or not?
Basically, it is not a problem for the tree of life if it bears a lot of fruit. They are inconspicuous and not necessarily attractive even to curious little children. Contrary to what you often read, they don't drain that much power from the tree of life, so you can leave them on the tree.
If the sight bothers you very much or you are afraid that your children will tamper with it, you should remove the fruit to reach height. Thuja and especially the fruits are highly poisonous.
However, with a longer hedge it might be quite difficult to remove all the fruit.
Fruit formation occurs more frequently in bad years
While some Thuja varieties like Smaragd almost never produce fruit, Brabant, for example, produces fruit clusters in which seeds ripen almost every year. However, it takes a few years until the tree of life blooms for the first time.
Fruit formation occurs more frequently, especially in very dry or wet years. This problem also occurs when there is a lack of fertilizer. This is probably because the tree of life tries to reproduce through seeds because of the poor conditions.
Increased fruit formation can therefore be an indication that the soil conditions are not optimal. They are:
- too wet
- too humid
- not enough nutrient rich
Dispose of fruit safely after removal
The fruits of the arborvitae hedge can be easily snapped off with your fingers or cut off with scissors. But remember that all parts of the Thuja plant are highly poisonous. Therefore, be sure to wear gloves.
Don't just leave the fruit lying around, put it in the trash. In the compost it can happen that the tree of life seeds itself.
Tip
Brown buds are also more common on the thuja hedge. These are actually not buds, but dried seeds that fall off on their own over time.