# Arborvitae



## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

I have 40, 5' tall arborvitae that I had planted less than a year ago, the guy who planted them is no where to be found. He did a great job and have no doubt that they were planted correctly.

What I'd like to do is fertilize them, I have drip irrigation out there, but unsure if fertilization is necessary.

Is this something I should tackle or just call one of those tree doctors to oversee there progress through the next few years?


----------



## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

rex said:


> I have 40, 5' tall arborvitae that I had planted less than a year ago, the guy who planted them is no where to be found. He did a great job and have no doubt that they were planted correctly.
> 
> What I'd like to do is fertilize them, I have drip irrigation out there, but unsure if fertilization is necessary.
> 
> Is this something I should tackle or just call one of those tree doctors to oversee there progress through the next few years?



We have about 20 or so in our back yard that started out about 2 ft tall 2 years ago and are now over 6ft tall. Only thing I do is put them fertalizer spikes in the ground at each one in the fall and in the spring and they seem to be doing well.


----------



## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

Sweet, thanks...

Gonna get some of those.


----------



## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

rex said:


> Sweet, thanks...
> 
> Gonna get some of those.


Lowes sell them around here. HD prob do too I would have thought.


----------



## flashheatingand (May 3, 2008)

Well, not one to talk about myself, but I do fancy myself a little bit of a tree / gardener guy. Unfortunately, those things are bullet proof. Not a big fan of those type of trees. Nonetheless, just give them a fair amount of water, and let nature take it's course.

We humans have a tendency to do too much


----------



## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

bury a hooker at the base of each one


----------



## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

flashheatingand said:


> Well, not one to talk about myself, but I do fancy myself a little bit of a tree / gardener guy. Unfortunately, those things are bullet proof. Not a big fan of those type of trees. Nonetheless, just give them a fair amount of water, and let nature take it's course.
> 
> We humans have a tendency to do too much


I was told to not bother using them after a couple of years. The place I bought them said it will help them out when they are planted in new soil. Def won't bother after this year anymore. I didn't even water mine and they seem to be doing well. They also said they don't need hardly any water so lucky for me lol


----------



## rex (Jul 2, 2007)

I'm going to get some spikes tomorrow and go from there. I paid a lot of money to get them planted so I want to get the most out of them. I do not expect extreme growth just a little aide in the growing process would be cool.

The way they were planted, over the years they should form a wall for a wind break.


----------



## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I got 500 of them back in 2005 and they were about a foot high. I planted them in 3 plantings in different locations, all designed as two rows. The rows are 2' apart and each tree in a row is 2 feet apart as well, staggered.

I laid them out with lines and flags. I had about 160 in each planting. I drilled holes with an 8' auger exactly on the flags, with my helper positioning the auger and removing the flag at the same time.

One place I came immediately afterwards and put landscaping fabric on top of them. They were small and short enough that I cut slits with a pair of scissors and unrolled the roll as I went. I believe this is the only way to do it. Then I had a large truckload of wood chips dumped there and I loaded them up about 6" deep.

I put a soaker hose under the chips and ran it off a water tank at the high end of the line.

The other planting was also landscape fabriced and mulched and I had a soaker hose in there also.

The third planting had no fabric or mulch and I couldn't water it much.

The first two plantings did very well and I have trees about 7' tall now and have lost maybe one tree out of 160 in each planting.

The other planting looks not so fine and I lost several trees. Growth is sporadic over 200'.

I didn't fertilize any of them. I only watered them the first year, and not much. It simply isn't necessary with the mulch. You can dig under that stuff in the heat of the summer and it is cool and moist down there.

So I think the key is the mulch.

If I had to buy those trees today, I imagine they would be at least $25 each, and they are so much easier to plant when they are bare root and 1' tall. I think I paid about 70 cents each for them.


----------



## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

theres an old saying with evergreens

''plant them high they won't die,plant them low they won't grow''

thats my oltimer quote for the night:wheelchair:


----------

