Brown shoots, needles that fall off prematurely or thujas that die completely give the gardener cause for concern. What should you do if the thuja needles change color or the tree of life threatens to die completely? How can you save a sick thuja?
How to save a sick thuja?
A sick thuja can be saved by cutting off affected branches, watering regularly, avoiding over-fertilization and choosing a favorable location. However, if large areas dry out or there is severe fungal infestation, rescue is often no longer possible.
What causes you to have to save a thuja?
- drought
- Waterlogging
- too acidic soil
- Location too close to the road
- Diseases
Drought is mainly responsible for the discoloration and drying of the shoots. Water a thuja hedge regularly. The soil must never dry out completely.
Water on frost-free days even in winter, especially if it has been dry for a long time and the winter sun shines very often.
Avoid over-fertilization (€27.00 on Amazon) with mineral fertilizers.
When and how can a thuja be saved?
The question of whether a sick, dry tree of life can still be saved is not that easy to answer. It depends on how severe the disease and the symptoms it causes are.
If only a few branches of the thuja hedge are affected, simply cut them off. Only dispose of them in the compost if they are not affected by diseases or pests.
Ensure that the thuja is well cared for and in a favorable location.
When can the tree of life no longer be saved?
If a large part of the thuja has dried up, there is usually not much that can be done. You can try cutting back the tree of life and then watering and fertilizing it well.
However, the thuja remains bare in the places where you had to cut right into the old wood. It won't sprout there again.
If there is a severe fungal infestation or if the root rot has already penetrated the trunk, the Thuja can often no longer be saved. Before you reforest the hedge with a new plant, you need to replace some of the soil.
Tip
Recently, entire thuja hedges have been dying more frequently. Experts attributed this to the fact that environmental conditions have changed drastically. Too much heat and the resulting dryness are often responsible for Thuja dying.
