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Terri -- USDA Zone 7
Guest
 Mar-24-02, 03:15 PM (EST)
 
"Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
 
   Hello, im thinking of getting some thuja green giant trees from the Botany shop. has anyone had any experience with these - they are suppose to be fast growing and very dense.

thanks

Terri


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Diane Franklin -- USDA Zone 5
Member since Feb-3-02
629 posts		 Mar-24-02, 03:16 PM (EST)
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1. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #0
 
   Hi Terri, I couldn't find out much about Thuja 'Green Giant' trees but I have some observations:

Thuja is the name for the Arborvitae family. There are many Arborvitaes and most are good plants (trees); arborvitaes are some of my favorite trees.

The cost isn't overly expensive so you don't stand to loose much other than several dollars and your time in planting them. I enjoy experimenting with plants of all types whether flowers, trees, bushes or veggies. I have discovered many 'favorites' by experimenting.

If you order them check out 'Diane's Tip of the Week' for this past week. I would highly recommend you use this method for getting them started because they are shipped to you small and probably bare rooted.

Happy Gardening, Diane


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sue swanson -- USDA Zone 5
Guest
 Aug-15-05, 05:02 PM (EST)
 
2. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #0
 
   I have planted some in the Spring 2005. I've also ordered from The Botany Shop. I was very pleased with the shipment, which was 18 3"ft green giants. Since my area has and still is experiencing extreme drought, I've had to use a drip hose and mulch to keep them alive. Now it has rained and gotten humid the plants have developed some sort of white stuff, like mildew on some of it's fronds. I'm hoping that this doesn't destroy them. Otherwise, they have been growing great and looking good. I've only lost one so far which is probably due to stress from the drought and it had gotten blown over by strong winds in the Spring.


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Scott -- USDA Zone 7
Guest
 Aug-27-05, 01:45 PM (EST)
 
3. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #0
 
   I am thinking about planting some of these trees as well. I have heard good things about them being a very hearty tree and a great wind/privacy screen.


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Pip -- USDA Zone 8
Guest
 Sep-03-05, 11:09 PM (EST)
 
4. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #3
 
   We bought 40 Thuja Green Giant arborvitae last year from the Botany Store www.botanystore.com and they have grown 4 feet already. The deer don;t touch them either. Great hedge!


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Lou R
Guest
 Mar-03-06, 12:06 PM (EST)
 
6. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #4
 
   Well I guess your deer are a little more picky than the variety we have in New Jersey. They eat these things down to the ground. They love eating any Arborvitae's all winter long. I have to cover these things in nylon mesh all winter. Don't buy them if you are in deer country.


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Jeff -- USDA Zone 5
Guest
 Sep-25-05, 10:26 PM (EST)
 
5. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #0
 
   I bought 12 Green Giants in the summer of 2002 from the Botany Store. They were a mix of 3' and 4' plants, which are now well over 7' tall. I live in SW Missouri, and my soil is very heavy clay and rock. You won't get the 3' per year growth here, but they do well and maintain their color. I'm very pleased with them, and just bought 20 more of the smaller ones. They like water, and will thrive if you apply a bit of Osmocote in late winter. I'm just a bit lazy...


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Don Viz -- USDA Zone 9
Guest
 Mar-08-06, 07:23 PM (EST)
 
7. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #5
 
   Those of you that have planted the GG, can you comment on your planting techniques. I have a lot of clay and wondered what the best method would be to prepare the soil to ensure their survival.

Thanks for any input,
Don

Eureka, CA 95501


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jim61 -- USDA Zone 6
Member since Mar-11-08
2 posts		 Mar-12-08, 02:06 PM (EST)
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13. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #7
 
   When I planted my Green Giants I cleared a path in my yard 5 ft wide of all grass and weeds. I dug extra large holes so has to give the roots a place to grow. Roots have a tough time getting through compacted soil or clay. I have dark soil for a few inches, then deeper is soft wet clay. I sprayed the roots with a spray-bottle of water to make sure they were moist. I carefully placed the trees in the hole as directed and backfilled with the same dirt/soft wet clay. I made sure the roots didn't have any air pockets. After planting I throughly watered the ground to settle in the soil/clay to further remove any air pockets. Air pockets around the roots will cause them to dry out. I then placed 2-3 inches of mulch over the entire 5ft wide area. Keeping the mulch 3-5 inches away from the trunk of the trees. I thoughly watered once a week if needed as it rained alot. Never let your soil dry out as it will cost you in tree growth. I did NOT FERTILIZE at all for the first year. I did though use soil syrup, it's a liquid compost. Compost helps loosen clay compacted soils.
Keep weeds and grass 2-3 ft away from your trees for the first few years. Studies have shown that grass can dramatically slow growth rate of trees or even kill them if to close. I have 9 trees and watered them by hand. This season i'm using a soaker hose as I will be planting 5 more trees. If planting alot of trees a drip-line or soaker hose should yield best results. As of April 24, 2008 my trees will be in the ground 1 year. My growth rates are below in my other posting. I will post again later and report growth. But, remember, soil, climate, and other factors can have impact on growth. That's why you will see many different growth rates mentioned. Temps below 45 degrees will slow or even stop growth as will extreme temps in the 90's. Also how much sun they get per day impacts growth rate. The more sun they get, the faster they should grow.


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Kyle -- USDA Zone MO
Guest
 May-12-06, 09:11 PM (EST)
 
8. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #0
 
   I bought 10 of these from the Botney SHop in Joplin, MO. I planted them per directions...May they RIP. I only had 4 that survived. I planted them in Columbia, MO Whatever zone that is?


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Don Viz -- USDA Zone 9
Guest
 Jul-24-06, 12:35 PM (EST)
 
9. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #8
 
   I ordered and received 50 8-14" GG from "Hollow Creek Tree Farm" back in April. So far, knock on wood, all of them are alive and well!! They all have new growth and most are at least 2" taller in just a few months.

I dug a 8" deep hole and back filled with a good top soil mixing in about 1 table spoon of a slow release fertilizer.


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Donna Dennis -- USDA Zone 5
Guest
 Aug-18-06, 10:31 AM (EST)
 
10. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #9
 
   I ordered 35 18-24" TGJ from the Botany Shop. We planted them mid June, 2006. To date, 2 months later, the trunk has grown substantially and they no longer need the support of a stake. They have grown in height approx. 4-6". So far so good. They all seem to be thriving. They are in direct sun ALL day and I try to water them on a daily basis. I used osmocote fertilizer when they first went in the ground. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


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vizmark -- USDA Zone 9
Charter Member
1 posts		 Dec-20-06, 05:45 PM (EST)
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11. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #10
 
   Anyone else have any feed back to provide on how much their Green Giants have grown. All 50 of mine are still growing strong. The amount of sun light they receive during the day has a impact on their growth. I have some that are shaded most of the day due to the the tall redwood trees. They have grown, but only a few inches so far. The others that receive 60% of direct sun light have grown 4-6". I had two left over that I put into pots in case I had some die.
Those two receive full sun and are 8" taller and bushier. I think I might have to move them to a bigger pots before too long.

Prior to trying GG I ordered Canadian Hemlocks from Burgess (sp?). They were described as a fast growing evergreen. They were shipped in a bare root form. Out of 60-19 survived. They sent out out 41 new ones. Out of 41, I might still have 2 that have survived. They didn't look good when they arrived. Those that have survived, only one is doing really well. The others aren't much more then a stick with a few green needles. This is after a year. I think living out on the west coast, they spend too much time in shipment. So the sucess rate that I have found is very low. The GG have out grown the Hemlocks 10 times over. I don't think I will waste my time seeking replacements for the Hemlocks. (Burgess will replace within one year). This spring will be two years and I have one strong tree out of 60.


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jim61 -- USDA Zone 6
Member since Mar-11-08
2 posts		 Mar-11-08, 12:05 PM (EST)
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12. "RE: Anyone ever planted the Thuja 'Green Giant' trees"
In response to message #11
 
   Planted 9 Thuja Green Giants April 24, 2007. All were about 12 inches tall. Zone 6/ PA
I didn't notice any growth May, June. Started seeing alittle growth in July. Aug, Sept, Oct they grew well. Then, winter set in and growth slowed down/stopped as temps below 45 degrees slow/stop growth rate. Roots under-ground still grow during colder months. It is now March 11, 2008. I measured my Green Giants and growth rate was different for each tree.

1st tree grew from 12 inches to 19 inches.
2nd tree grew from 12 inches to 25 inches.
3rd tree grew from 12 inches to 22 inches.
4th tree grew from 12 inches to 19 inches.
5th tree from 12" to 20 inches.
6th tree from 12" to 26 inches.
7th tree from 12" to 23 inches.
8th tree from 12" to 29 inches.
9th tree from 12" to 20 inches.

Keep grass and weeds 2-3 ft in all directions away from Thuja Green Giants. Slows growth if grass/weeds are to close. Never let Thuja Green Giants dry out. Slows growth if not watered regular. Plant in direct sun-light. The more sun they get, the faster they grow. If planting many trees, use a drip-line or soaker hose for best results.


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