Thuja and cypress are used in landscape design. They fit perfectly into the exterior of the infield, complement decorative compositions and are planted to create hedges. However, it is not recommended to place these trees on the same territory, as the growing requirements differ. To determine which of these two plants is more suitable for planting on the site, you need to learn how to distinguish them and take care of them.

Concepts: thuja and cypress

Thuja (lat.Thuja) refers to the evergreen conifers of the Cypress family. A dense crown has a regular conical shape. The needles are saturated green, the needles are crossed, have a scaly structure, dense and sharp. The characteristic smell of needles is quite strong and concentrated. The cones are tiny and almost invisible.

Cypress (lat. Cupressus) is a monoecious evergreen tree of the Cypress family. The pyramidal crown grows widely. The needles are dark green. Soft wood is saturated with a lot of resin. The fungicides contained in the cortex repel pests and increase the resistance to diseases. Cypress needles emit a specific oily liquid, which is used to make aromatic oils.

Differences of cypress from thuja

The difference between cypress and thuja is in the botanical structure. The difference lies in the size of the trees, the structure and structure of needles, as well as wood. In addition, the conditions of cultivation and care should be distinguished. When choosing a place to plant, you need to consider that the requirements for lighting and soil for these decorative trees are also different.

Next, you should study in detail the main differences between cypress and thuja:

• botanical;
• territorial;
• cultivation and care.

Did you know? Thuja needles contain a pleasant-smelling essential oil. It consists of tannins, resin, sesquiterpene alcohol, pinin, pylen, etc.

Botanical

Botanical description of thuja:

1. Sizes. Thuja height 70 m, crown circumference up to 6 m.
2. Needles. Crossed needles become harder and denser with age.
3. Wood. The bark is red-brown, strong. Contains a small amount of resin.
4. Life span. Thuja grows and develops up to 200 years.
5. Fruit. Small oval cones have a scaly structure. Thuja flat seeds ripen in the fall in the first year and have two cotyledons.

Thuja cultivation occurs in the open ground. The tree is highly resistant to frost (can withstand temperatures up to -35 ° C) and does not tolerate drought.

Botanical description of cypress:

1. Sizes. Evergreen cypress reaches a height of up to 30 m.
2. Needles. The structure of the leaves varies with age. In young trees, needles have a needle structure. Later, it acquires a scaly shape and fits closer to the shoots. The smell of needles is persistent and specific due to the content of oils in it. Its color does not depend on the season.
3. The wood is loose, contains a large amount of wood tar.
4. Life expectancy reaches 2,000 years.
5. Fruit. Large spherical cones, consisting of wood flakes, mature in the second year. Seeds are located under the scaly plates.

Cypress is grown in open field. The tree is highly resistant to drought.

Requirement for conditions and place of growth

Thuja

The tree grows in open, well-lit areas. In the shadow of the needles, it is thinning and losing attractiveness. Sufficiently moist and fertile soils of any composition are suitable for planting. Growing in soil devoid of nutrients and minerals is fraught with the formation of a large number of cones and wilting branches.

Also, when choosing a place, wetlands should be avoided. In the soil, where moisture stagnates, the roots begin to rot, so it is recommended to introduce additional drainage into the soil (gravel or fragments of bricks).

The decorative tree does not tolerate heat, so in the summer months additional and plentiful watering will be required.

Are not suitable for growing areas blown by the winds. The weathered crown will become dry and prickly. You need to carefully choose a place for planting, as it will be impossible to transplant an adult plant.

Important! The distance between cypress and thuja should be at least 5 m.

Cypress

For the cultivation of cypress, both open sunny spaces and a deep shadow are equally unsuitable. Direct sunlight can cause burns on needles. A shadow forces the plant to stretch upward. The most suitable option for harmonious growth is partial shade.

Stagnation of moisture in the soil is not allowed. To avoid decay of the roots and trunk, the soil will need to be drained using stones laid out in a layer of 20 cm. In this case, the water will drain deeper into the soil.

If a group planting is planned, it should be borne in mind that cypress belongs to large plants and the distance between the trees should be at least 2-3 meters. Too frequent planting will interfere with the development of plants and make it difficult to care.

Cypress trees grow well in subtropical and tropical climates, due to the resistance of these trees to arid conditions. But by the time frosts come, they will have to be prepared on their own: wrapped in warm cloth and mulched.

Growing Features

Before you start planting and further growing thuja, you need to properly prepare the soil. Then you can proceed with the selection of planting material. For planting in the open ground, adult enough (at least 2 years old) seedlings are suitable. It is important to remember that the younger the plant, the less guarantees that it will take root.

When choosing a seedling, you need to pay attention to its shoots: they must be flexible, strong and strong. The needles are green, without signs of yellowing and dryness. Also, the young plant should be healthy and not have traces of the activity of pests (May larva) or signs of disease (fungal infections).

Before planting, you need to water the tree, then remove it from the container along with a lump of earth, which will protect the roots from damage and provide the young plant with all the necessary nutrient components in a new place. If the root system is open - just before planting, you can dip the roots into a container of water to clean them from the ground. Thuja are planted in the spring, in April - May.

Important! It is not recommended to plant thuja in the fall, as there is a risk that the plant does not have time to take root before winter.

Landing pattern:

1. The size of the landing pit should be 40 cm wide and 30 cm in depth larger than the root system along with the lump.
2. At the bottom of the pit lay out drainage of stones or gravels with a layer of at least 20 cm.
3. Fertilize (wood ash, humus and compost 1: 1: 1)
4. At the bottom of the pit, lower the seedling along with an earthen lump. If the root system is open, you need to make a small hill at the bottom of the hole, setting a tree on it, evenly distribute the roots.
5. Sprinkle with a substrate, pre-fertilized peat, humus and sand (in equal parts). In this case, the root neck should be located at ground level. Tamp lightly.
6. Pour 1-2 buckets of water.

To preserve moisture in the soil, you can cover the ground with a layer of mulch from sawdust and husks of sunflower seeds. However, it should not be in contact with the trunk, or lower shoots. Otherwise, the base of the tree may rot.

After landing care includes the following manipulations:

• watering. In the spring, it is enough to moisturize once every 7 days, using up to 10 liters of water per plant. In the rainy period spraying should be stopped. In summer, water should be watered more often and more - 15–20 liters of water per tree 2-3 times a week. An adult plant is irrigated less often, but the amount of water is increased by 1.5-2 times. It is also useful to spray the crown from time to time. After such a “soul”, the needles get rid of dust, the color takes on a more saturated shade, and the coniferous aroma intensifies;
• fertilizers. The first 1-1.5 years there is no need to feed thuja. But after this period, feeding will be required every spring. Fertilize an adult tree in March with potassium and phosphorus in the form of a mixture (50 g per 1 m²) with an interval of 15 days. Ready-made preparations, for example, Fertiku, can be used as mineral top dressing. In summer it is recommended to add this solution to water for irrigation;
• pruning and weeding. Spring pruning ensures the preservation of the decorative appearance and stimulates the growth of tree shoots, and weeding eliminates weeds and helps improve moisture absorption.

Preparation for planting cypress involves creating a suitable substrate. The soil mixture is prepared from the earth and coniferous humus in equal parts. Landing is carried out in the spring, in April - May. The seedling is placed in a planting hole with a lump to protect the roots from damage.

The depth of the hole should freely accommodate the root system. Usually they dig it out with a depth of 80 cm and a width of 100 cm. At the bottom, lay out a drainage of stones with a layer of 20-30 cm. Next, place a seedling in a hole and sprinkle with a prepared substrate. The root neck should be close to the surface of the earth (approximately 30 cm), otherwise the plant will die.

After lightly tamping the soil and establish wooden supports.

The landing site must be watered with two buckets of water and covered with a layer of mulch. Any materials of organic origin are suitable for this: chips, pieces of bark, leaves and husks from under sunflower seeds.

Subsequent care involves watering, pruning and fertilizing. Cypresses are extremely hygrophiloustherefore it is recommended to moisten the earth constantly. In spring and autumn, watering is carried out once a week in an amount of 10 liters per tree. In summer, the frequency of humidification increases to 3-4 times a week, while the volume of water doubles. Sprinkling once a week is not superfluous. In winter, watering is not required.

Did you know? In ancient Rome and ancient Greece, cypress was associated with sadness and death due to its dark foliage and gloomy appearance. Therefore, the branches of this tree were laid in the graves of the dead, and as a sign of mourning, they decorated houses with them.

Unlike thuja, cypress needs to be fed from the first weeks after planting. Fertilize it with mullein and superphosphate at the rate of 1: 1 twice a month with a frequency of two weeks. In late spring and summer, it is recommended to spray with liquid preparations containing mineral additives. In the fourth year of plant life, top dressing should be reduced as much as possible and fertilizers should be applied only in spring and late autumn.

Cypress is resistant to heat, but does not tolerate frost. This is another difference from thuja. To protect the plant from the cold, in the middle of autumn it is thoroughly and abundantly watered (this process is called “moisture recharge”). Then they are mulched (a layer of chips, dry leaves) and wrapped in a light but warm cloth, such as burlap, and left to winter.

Pruning is carried out one year after planting. At the end of the growing season, it is necessary to cut off about 30% of overgrown shoots. Branches devoid of needles are also subject to pruning. If the shoots are not cut, they simply dry. In spring, cypresses are sheared to create and maintain a decorative cone-shaped shape, as well as for sanitary purposes to remove dry shoots.

What is better thuja or cypress

It is impossible to clearly determine which of these conifers is better for decorating a hedge or decorating the exterior of the site. The choice will depend on personal preferences and climatic conditions. As you know, thuja grows better in cool climates, and cypress in temperate and arid.

Do not neglect the natural needs of trees and plant them under inappropriate conditions. Otherwise, you will have to provide the appropriate conditions yourself. Thuja look great in combination with flowering plants, and cypress trees are best planted in groups along alleys and paths, or individually.

To plant these plants together is not advisable, since it is impossible to create the necessary conditions for two trees with different needs. You need to choose the plant that will appeal to you and will not require additional efforts in the care and cultivation.

To distinguish thuja from cypress is quite simple, just compare their cones, as well as the location and color of the needles. The cultivation of these two trees is the same, with the only difference being that cypress needs to be fed immediately after planting, and thuja needs two years later. Planting them together is not recommended, given the different requirements for climatic conditions and lighting in the place where they will grow.