How To Propagate Thuja Green Giant. 2 Steps Only

It only takes two steps to learn how to propagate thuja green giant. Remember that this is already a fast-growing hybrid cultivar, so you should feel confident in propagating the plant yourself. More so, the best way to start thuja green giants is from cuttings, which means you don’t need meticulous steps compared to starting from seeds. 

If you have a greenhouse, you will find it more comfortable to start the cuttings indoors. You can easily create ideal conditions for root development. In turn, you’ll have a quicker time developing vigorous transplants. 

Propagating Thuja Green Giant From Cuttings

Step #1. Cutting collection and planting

Being a hybrid cultivar of arborvitae plants, you can expect that thuja green giant, or more appropriately, thuja x green giant, propagates best via cuttings. However, you must select the best and healthiest plants as your sources for the cuttings to ensure that they’ll root and the plant itself won’t get stressed after you cut them. A length of 4 to 10 inches should suffice for rooting the thuja green giant, but don’t forget to check it for any signs of disease or damage. 

Using hardwood cuttings will ensure rooting, to begin with, but encourage faster root development by dipping it in rooting hormone before planting. A pot with a moist mix of peat and perlite would be ideal for thuja green giant cuttings, and you can place them in the greenhouse. This way, you can cover the container with plastic to maintain humidity, and you can control the indoor conditions around 65°F for faster root development.

Step #2. Maintenance

Maintaining the thuja green giant is relatively simple, where you need to check the medium if it gets dry regularly. It would also be best to open the plastic cover to ventilate the cuttings occasionally. And since you’re in the greenhouse, take advantage of grow lights at night to help with development. 

You can give the cutting a gentle tug to check for rooting and after some weeks, you can begin feeding them to boost their growth. It is also around this time where you should be mindful of drainage and proper watering practices to avoid fungal problems. More so, you mustn’t transplant too early, or immediately plant outdoors without acclimatizing your plants. 

The best time to plant your thuja green giants that you started indoors is spring or fall to avoid stress. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball’s height but twice its width. The plant should come off quickly from the container, but don’t forget to tease it apart and backfill the hole to firm it into place. 

Is Thuja Green Giant The Same With Arborvitae?

Understandably, one can get confused when gardeners mention thuja green giant and arborvitae interchangeably. In a sense, though the thuja green giant is an arborvitae plant, it’s best to describe it in more detail. This plant is the hybrid cultivar of the Western Redcedar and Japanese arborvitae. 

The result is a large evergreen tree that is low-branching but reaches a height of around 60 feet. The pyramidal thuja green giant is indeed a giant because it can also reach 20 feet in width more than being tall. And even though it is relatively low maintenance, you can expect it to live for as long as 60 years. 

Being a big plant, you want to ensure that you can provide a location that can accommodate the thuja green giant. Remember that you cannot cut it back, and hedging itself will be tricky. Nonetheless, this fast-growing plant is generally pest-free, so it’s an excellent consideration for those who need plants for screening. 

Growing And Caring For Thuja Green Giant

Location

As previously mentioned, the first consideration that you have to keep in mind is the space for these giants. This plant grows at a fast rate that it can reach up to 24 inches or more each year. You also need to give them 5 to 6 feet of space if you’re growing multiple thuja green giants. The good news is once you secured the space, the location requirements themselves are not meticulous. 

Once established, the thuja green giant tolerates various soil conditions, including drought. However, test the site as it won’t grow well in salty soils, and you want somewhere with full sun for optimal health. Overall, if you’re from zones 5 to 8, you shouldn’t have any problems with the thuja green giant. 

Maintenance

Another remarkable thing with the thuja green giant is it is low maintenance, and it grows fast into mature plants that are even less needy to thrive healthily. They don’t have many pests nor diseases, and they are resistant to deer. If you have younger plants, you can trim them into hedges, but pruning itself is unnecessary. 

Conclusion

The hybrid cultivar thuja green giant is known for growing quickly without much effort. And if you’re interested in learning how to propagate thuja green giant, you can use your mature plants and root them from cuttings. Select a healthy hardwood cutting as this type roots the best, and then dip the end in rooting hormone. 

Stick the cutting in a moist medium and cover the container with plastic to keep a humid environment. You can further encourage root development by growing the cuttings in the greenhouse and providing heat and light appropriately. Over time, maintain soil moisture and fertilize to boost your plants.