Nature Hills Gardening Community

  Hello, I live in CT and have planted 10 emerald green arborvitae for a wind breaker/screen two years ago. But they do not seem to have grown much during this time. I am now thinking that perhaps I had made a mistake and I am now considering purchasing leyland cyprus to put in their place. My soil is clay and so does not posses the greatest drainage in the world. How fast can the arborvitae grow and what can I do to maximize there growth rate and health. A couple of them have become a little thinned out due to last years spring rains, which lead to them  falling over and me having to pull them back up and placed with stakes to keep them stable. Help!

Thanks for the post.  We are glad that you found our community, but we are sorry that it is under these circumstances!  It sounds like you are really having a time with your arborvitaes.  I know that they can be temperamental in different soil types.  The Leyland Cypress on the other hand will grow about anywhere.  That one may be a good choice it you decide to replace.  I have a couple of questions because I want to be on the same page.  With the arborvitae that you currently have, are they still green at all?  I know you said they are thinning out, are they loosing their needles?  Also, what do you mean my falling over?  Are they just tilting, or are they actually coming out of the ground?  Let me know.  I might (or someone else in the community might) be able to offer some advice on the arborvitaes if you are wanting to keep them around.

Thanks,

bryan-nhn

Thanks for the quick reply. Four of my ten arborvitae last spring fell over due to water saturation of the soil. They literally where teetering in a soup of mud when the slightest breeze came by and blew them on their side. Two of these four are thinned out but are mostly green. I had to replace two other arborvitae that had died during the same spring deluge last year. The last six seem to be doing OK, but do not seem to be thriving like I would have hoped they would have. It is now spring again and I am wondering what to do. I had originally planted them in the hopes to have a natural fence. Are arborvitae a good choice for this? The card that came with them stated they can grow up to three feet a year, but again it has been two years from this time since I have planted them and I am lucky if any of them have grown more than a foot. If I were to plant Leyland Cypress I am more than willing to trim yearly to keep them within twenty feet high. How wide, if trimmed, can they be contained? Again if there is a way to keep the Arborvitae around and if you feel they are a good choice for a natural fence then any ideas on how to save them would be greatly appreciated. Fertilizers? Mulch? Prayer?

Hmm... That is interesting.  I am not an expert by any means, and I haven't run across this situation before.  What is getting me is the soup of mud and the breeze being able to knock the trees over.  My first instinct is to say that they are dead, but you said that they were still green.  Didn't you also say that they were growing?  It is possible that they are still alive, but if they are falling over then it would seem that the roots aren't taking in the soil.  Does this area ever dry out or get solid, like in the summer?  Do you have the capability to take a digital picture and submit it?  I worry that switching trees might not remedy the situation.  Please let me know.

Thanks,

There is no question that the arborvitae are still alive. It is only in the spring for two months that  the rains can become intense enough to cause this location to become muddy and causing some of the arbrovitae to become unstable in the ground and susceptible to falls from semi-strong winds.By summer time the grounds are solid but it seems as though the arborvitae that servive the spring rains are in a state of shock and hence have there growth rate suspended for most of the summer. 

It seems to me that you hit it right on the head.  It sounds like the intense rain is causing the stunted growth.  Probably due to a combination of the excess moisture and the fact that the roots are not able to get a real solid hold to support substantial growth above the soil (this generally will take place in the spring, which is when your soil is unstable due to the moisture).  You may want to give the trees one more season.  They might get to the point where they are mature enough to handle the excess moisture and possibly get their roots set.  You could try a different type of tree, but I am afraid that you will probably run into the same thing (especially while the trees are trying to get established).  I'm not sure what else can be done, outside of digging some type of drainage ditch.  Unfortunately, I drainage ditches are a little outside of my area.  I am afraid that I won't be much help if you decide to go down that road.   

I also have more than my share of clay on my property. It offers near zero drainage & nothing for you plants. I had a discussion with the site engineer when my home was built. He said if the clay layer is not terribly deep, i.e. not more than  2-3 feet, then dig you potting holes down till you start to pull out sand or sandy loom type soil. once you break the clay layer, its like pulling the plug out of the bath tub. for larger plants dig the hole twice as wide & replace all clay type material with proper soil for your intended plant. hope this helps.

George

Thanks for the input George!  That might be worth trying.

Bryan