Topping Off and Pruning Arborvitae

Moist soil is best for an arborvitae.

The arborvitae evergreen tree is from the cypress family. Arborvitae can also look like shrubs, depending on how they’re shaped. This type of plant is found in both the United States and Canada, and thrives in cold weather and moist soil. Arborvitae are adaptable, though, and can manage to grow in rocky or wet soil, too. While the scales of the arborvitae are scaly, they’re actually soft to the touch. Healthy arborvitae can grow as tall as 30 feet and as wide as 10 feet. Proper pruning of arborvitae will ensure that it will remain healthy.

Things You'll Need

• Soil
• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Remove branches that are broken, dead or diseased. This is necessary to prevent fungi from attacking the rest of the tree and making the entire plant decay.

2. Remove any branches that jut out. This will make the arborvitae more visually appealing. This process also allows the tree canopy to get air circulated to it, improving its health and reducing the risk for tree disease.

3. Prune the arborvitae to give it a hedge shape. This will help the plant to grow and remain healthy because the lower branches will now be exposed to direct sunlight.

4. Regularly prune the arborvitae to have it grow wide and bushy. Regularly trimming the top of the arborvitae will prevent it from growing too tall. Instead of being tall, thin and cylindrical, a pruned and trimmed arborvitae will grow wide; placing several of them next to each other can even create a natural “wall” or “fence.”

Tips & Warnings

• Arborvitae are often used as privacy screens around homes.

• Pruning isn’t the only way to keep arborvitae healthy. Keep the plant in moist soil that’s well-drained. The best soil will be alkaline-based. Add a bit of aluminum sulfate to create this type of soil.

• If you’re having trouble caring for your arborvitae, visit a local plant nursery to ask a specialist for advice.

• Watch out for one of the several diseases, problems and pests that can attack an arborvitae. Bagworm, spider mites, aphids and tip blights are common problems. Signs of problems include defoliation, hanging bags of silk, gray or brown leaves, wilting leaves, black string spores and twig tips that are brown or black. Arborvitae are also susceptible to mold, mildew and sun scorch. It’s necessary to treat any and all of these problems to preserve the life of the tree.

References

• About Arborvitae: Home Page
• About Arbortvitae: Arborvitae Care
• Nursery Trees: Everything You Need to Know About Emerald Green Arborvitae
• Sav A Tree: Arborvitae