Content
The answer to the question, if the thuja turned yellow after winter, what to do, will be unambiguous: urgently revive the plant, having previously identified the cause. It is from what provoked the appearance of yellowness on the tree that the method of its salvation will completely depend. There are many reasons why a green beauty, the favorite of many gardeners and landscape designers, can lose its appearance.
List of natural reasons why thuja turns yellow
The first thing to do if the thuja has turned yellow is to find out the cause of this problem. There may be several of them:
- natural change in the color of the needles associated with a change in temperature;
- the impact of pathological organisms;
- the influence of pests;
- lack of minerals and vitamins;
- improper planting of thuja and caring for it.
Why does thuja turn yellow after planting
If, immediately after planting, the thuja turns yellow and dries, then this may be a temporary difficulty. Sometimes the yellowness is only a consequence of the adaptation of the plant in a new place. If the thuja has taken root, but continues to turn yellow, then you should take a closer look at it and remember whether it was planted correctly.
Is the place chosen correctly
The weakening and even death of thuja can be caused by an incorrect landing. This coniferous representative is very demanding on the place where it will be planted:
- Poor sandy soil, which does not have an automatic irrigation system, can lead to the fact that the root system will suffer from a lack of moisture. Water in such soil evaporates quickly without lingering.
- Clay soils suffer from excess moisture, which negatively affects the condition of the root collar. Stagnation of water leads to the fact that the roots cease to receive oxygen in the required amount, and this does not allow them to develop. In addition, excess moisture can cause rotting of the thuja root system, which eventually begins to turn yellow.
- Deepening of the root necks. In this case, the thuja may begin to turn yellow only a few weeks after planting. At first, the roots are fighting for life, trying to resist diseases, but they have enough strength to resist, at most, for a month.
- The landing site is located in an area where there is a sharp change in illumination with shading. For example, for a month, the plant is in the shade created by this or that plant (bindweed on the wall of the gazebo, tall shrubs or trees), then the plant is removed (the bindweed fades, and it is removed, the bushes or trees are cut down). In this case, a fragile plant can get serious sunburn, which can not only spoil the appearance of the thuja, but also destroy it.
- Planting combined with other plants, or frequent planting of thuja. If the ephedra is cramped, then it will begin to suffer from oxygen deficiency and excess moisture at the same time. Therefore, planting plants close to each other is not recommended, as well as planting thuja together with other vegetation.
Why did thuja turn yellow after winter, summer or autumn
First of all, you need to find out if the problems with yellowing of the ephedra are caused by natural causes. For example, a change in the color of needles can be a feature of the variety before the onset of winter, and it can also be a periodic yellowing of the bottom of the crown (which is natural and you do not need to be afraid). In addition, pets sometimes gnaw on needles.
After that, other factors affecting the growth of the plant are analyzed.
Sunburn
As already mentioned, thuja should not be planted in areas with direct access to sunlight. Ultraviolet light poses a particular danger to the plant in the spring, when the snow has not yet melted, and the sun begins to burn. Fighting off the snow, ultraviolet rays hit the needles, burning them. Therefore, in the first year after wintering, the tree must be protected in the spring, using simple shelters from the first sun.
Irregularities in watering schedule
When the seedlings are just planted in open ground, they must be properly cared for. This also applies to regular watering. In the first month after planting, the thuja is watered every 5 - 7 days (10 - 12 liters of water for each seedling). In addition, it is worth spraying thuja to reduce the likelihood of sunburn. It is important that this procedure is carried out in the early morning or in the evening, after sunset.
Locations characterized by a high level of groundwater occurrence differ from the rest by a high level of humidity. Therefore, the thuja planted there can not be watered even immediately after planting, and it will not turn yellow.
Lack of nutrients
Fertilizers are also an important aspect in thuja cultivation. If it begins to turn yellow, then you should pay special attention to this factor. Thuja is good for both mineral and organic fertilizers.
Organic matter, usually manure, is diluted in water and poured over the soil with this solution, without falling on the trunk of the tree. Each plant needs about 3 liters of solution, which is prepared in the following proportions: 1 part manure to 4 parts water.
Mineral fertilizers are used 3 times per season (from early spring to late summer). You can use any suitable preparations, for example, Bioud, Epin, Idol-universal, etc. If the thuja has already begun to turn yellow, then an urgent introduction of fertilizers can save the tree.
Pests and diseases
Thuja often turn yellow due to the influence of various pests and diseases on them. The most common are:
- Aphid. This microscopic insect is extremely dangerous for thuja. It sucks out the juices from the plant, which is why it begins to turn yellow and crumble.
- Fungal diseases which infect the leaves and twigs of thuja, as a result, the latter begin to turn yellow and die off.
How to treat thuja from yellowing
Having found out the reason why the thuja turns yellow, you can decide what needs to be done in a particular case.
- If brown mold forms, the plant must be treated with Cartocide or Bordeaux mixture. Processing is carried out twice with an interval of 15 to 20 days.
- Kartotsid, or Commander, as well as Fundazol solution, which is used immediately after planting the seedling, and then repeated throughout the life of the plant, at least twice per season, will help to rid the thuja from fungal diseases.
- It is possible to save the plant from the influence of aphids with the help of Actellik or the preparation Rogor-S.
The reason for the yellowing of thuja is pets
Many gardeners carefully follow the rules for planting thuja, take a responsible approach to growing the plant, regularly water and fertilize it, but the thuja still turns yellow inside the crown and around the edges. In this case, the cause may be the negative influence of animals. The fact is that this representative of conifers has an extremely negative attitude towards the feces of dogs and cats. Banal animal tags can be a serious problem. As a rule, the tree does not turn yellow at first and does not show any signs of the disease, but when the roots and trunk of the thuja cease to cope, the symptoms of the problem also appear on the needles.
It is possible to save a tree from animal encroachment only by erecting root fences. To prevent the thuja from turning yellow inside, it is necessary to protect them with a net. You can take both a metal and a rope version, which encloses a section with a diameter of 0.5 meters.
Experienced gardeners use a different barrier that acts as a protection against animal marks, planting thorny undersized plants around the thuja bush, even cacti.
Prevention measures
In order not to think about why the thuja turned yellow after winter, it is best to avoid such a problem. Simple preventive measures will help with this.
- The planted seedling must be shaded until it gets stronger. Otherwise, it will start to turn yellow.
- In order for the thuja not to turn yellow, the soil around the bush must be mulched. You can use peat, sawdust, compost, pine needles. This will protect the root system from the effects of cold weather in winter and from rapid evaporation of moisture.
- To prevent the thuja from turning yellow, regular and sufficient watering should also be carried out. Each young tree should receive at least 10 liters of water every week. If the weather is hot and there is no precipitation, then the amount of water doubles, or watering is carried out every 3 days.
- Bathing the thuja will also help protect the tree from yellowing. A morning or evening shower has a good effect on the condition of the needles and allows you to protect it from sunburn, preventing the thuja from turning yellow.
- To prevent the thuja from turning yellow, it is worth thinking about making additional dressings. Fertilizers need to be introduced regularly, in the correct proportions. Do not forget that thuja can turn yellow from excess fertilizer, so this procedure should be carried out strictly according to the instructions.
- If thuja turn yellow in the fall, and this situation happens every year, then this may indicate that the plant does not have enough time for timely "ripening". In this case, the prevention of yellowing of the crop will consist in the timely application of fertilizers, which will stimulate the growth of the plant from spring to mid-summer.
- If the thuja turns yellow exclusively in the spring, then prevention will consist in arranging a winter shelter. Most likely, the plant just freezes. To protect it, you just need to mulch the soil around the trunk with a 5 cm layer of sawdust.
Conclusion
To answer the question why the thuja turned yellow after winter, what to do and how to protect the plant from such a problem, it is important to analyze the factors affecting the development of culture, and to follow the rules of agricultural technology. Thuja is not one of the most demanding plants, even a beginner in gardening can provide minimal care basics.
