Dark Green Arborvitae is the perfect plant for an evergreen hedge that will give you both privacy and beauty. For an evergreen they are a relatively fast grower, filling in nicely to create the perfect privacy hedge.
Dark Green Arbovitae grow happily in zones 3 through 7. They 36″ to 48″ wide and grow as tall as 20 feet. They love full sun but will tolerate some shade. They also tolerate all kinds of soil. Super easy plant to grow and care for.
Dark Green Arborviate is very easy to propagate. I do my cuttings in late July or August under mist, and they are rooted before winter. Or you can stick them late in the season, say October, in a bed of coarse sand, keep them watered and they will root. It will take longer that way. But they will be nicely rooted in about 12 months.
Questions, comments or mean things to say? Post them below and I will respond.
Can you confirm the scientific name? Are these Thuja occidentalis ‘nigra’ or something else?
Sharon, Dark Green is Nigra.
Mike, you said bagged potting soil is OK though you prefer to create your own. My experience with bagged potting soil from a big box building supply was so bad I warn against using it. Everything I planted in this ‘stuff” withered and died. It finally dawned that this “potting soil” might be killing my plants, Examining this “stuff” revealed an unmistakable smell of human waste. It obviously contained a substantial amount of reclaimed sewage not fully composted. It was so hot it killed my plants outright. There may be good usable bagged potting soil but I’d use it with caution. If you can’t do an analysis on it before use, test it with a sacrificial plant or two before trusting it.
George,
There are commercial potting mixes in bags that are available. Way different than the potting soil sold in stores. You’re right, the stuff in stores is not good for outdoor plants. It stays too wet.
Can you give suggestions on Commercial Potting Soil trustable sources? Thank You!
Fafard is one of the popular brand names. Just google commercial potting mix.
My uncle lives in Michigan. He told me that Detroit sewage is trucked up to Canada and they process it and sell it back in the US as “Compost”…fyi
Many sewage treatment plants process the sludge, mix it with wood chips and sell it as a type of compost. I don’t think most sell it to the public. See this https://www.milorganite.com/blog/milorganite/what-milorganite
I have a Sweet Shrub bush that doesn’t put out any smell – sweet or otherwise. Is there anything I can add to it to make it smell?
Joy,
Not that I am aware of.
Hi,
Are there any hedge type plants that can handle boggy soil? I’m especially interested in those with edible fruit. I’m between 2 hills and my yard floods every time it rains.
Thanks Mike
Deborah,
The only thing that comes to mind is Hakruo Nishiki Willow.
How about Button Bush, a native plant.
If you could set up a drainage system that would drain your yard within 30 minutes or so , it wouldn’t harm most plants. you could do this using a shallow open ditch or a ditch filled with drainage rock that exits to a lower area to form a drain, another option is to plant on small piles of dirt that would get your plant root systems above the water level. Bald cyprus trees can successfully grow in water , but will form above ground knees, when doing so !
We have several of these in our yard that appear to be dying from the ground up. What can we do to save them?
Jim,
Sounds like a lack of sunlight to the bottom half. Possibly too wet, but that usually affects the entire plant.
I had a lovely arborvitae privacy hedge for many years at a rental home. Wanted to duplicate it when I bought my own place, hoping to create a summer (west) wind screen as the arborvitae scent is so lovely. and wind gentle. I was sorry to find out that planting arborvitae is like ringing the dinner bell for the local deer. of which they are MANY. Maybe the elk like it too! .
I started with 8 potted plants about 12 inches tall and exuberantly healthy.; deer killed 2. Of the remaining 5, at 35 years old, 2 are severely stunted but continue to survive, 2 are over 12 feet tall, and 1 is about 8 feet. high. Birds nest inside. Not the configuration I had envisioned, but I don’t mind when the snow gets deep and the young deer come near for an urgent meal. Their appearance is something like a bushy green popsicle. One of the taller ones nearly broke in half when heavily weighed down with ice — I used a bungee cord to successfully repair it . They get gold stars for heartiness in the Pacific NW!
Yep, they’re deer candy & I’ll add extremely overused in my neighborhood in CT…
use your own #1 on the plants
.It works great. Never use fox or coyote pee based products. guess what will come around! aggressive male animals. good luck.Alan
I have the same problem with arborvitaes, too. But the deer didn’t touch my pyramidal boxwoods! Now I am planting boxwoods in front of my formerly beautiful arborvitaes to hide their bare “legs”!
can I propagate Green Giants in a grow tent and get an early start on growth?
Phillip,
You probably can, they are pretty easy to root.
Just remember that deer love arborvitae and also, they need good levels of calcium and potash or the lower leaves will die off /dry up.
Good Day Mike,
do you have any advice in propergating Arborvitae for tropical climate, We have a very people that has successfully grow them but none i know have mass production in a nursery. If you have any advice please let me know.
thank you
Horrie,
Propagation techniques don’t change. As long as the plant is rated to grow in your zone you should be able to propagate them as softwood cuttings in mid summer. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
I have Green Giants that were propagated and put in the basement over winter. The stem is strong but the leaves are falling off if touched. Is this alive? How do I tell? I don’t want to plant it outside if it isn’t alive.
Chris,
That doesn’t sound good. They would have been fine outside. This is how you test to see if a plant, or a branch on a plant has died. Just scratch the bark of your plants with your finger nail. If the tissue below the bark is green and firm your plants are fine. If the tissue is brown and mushy that part of the plant is dead.
Mike,
I took some arborvitae clippings back in early Sept. but not sure they are rooted yet. I have them in my tiny greenhouse with other clippings. Can I leave these in the greenhouse over winter or should I bring them in house? Also I;m wondering how I can start rose-of-sharon from seed. My ros is loaded with seeds this year and I’d like to grow a bunch of them. Thanks, Mike.
Jay,
Leave the Arborvitae outside, they’ll be fine. I’d do the rose of sharon as hardwood cuttings. Seeds produce rather generic plants but they do grow easily from seed. Just sow them in flat and leave it outside if that’s what you want. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-winter-time-plant-propagation-can-home/
and this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/09/hardwood-cuttings-winter-of-20152016/
Im in Zone 6 – Can I take thuja green giant cuttings now, stick’em in potting mix and leave outside for my hard buffalo winter??? Am I better off taking cuttings in the summer? In the fall?
Thanks Mike!
Patrick
Patrick,
You can do them now but they will be slow to root. Probably not rooted until at least mid summer. But do some now just to see. But I do mine in late July early August. The wood is a bit softer and the soil temps are much higher and they root much quicker.
Mike,
I’m a new member, thanks for all the great info. Any change to this method if I want to propagate timber hardwood trees, walnuts, wild cherry, oaks, etc?
Jim,
Most trees are grown from seed and not cuttings. Google the type of tree along with “seed germination database” for details on how to do each one.
I just planted 5 emerald green arbs which are about 7 ft tall. One of them at the top is leaning over to one side. It does have 2 leaders. Can it be pruned to have one leader? The other arbs have 3 leaders. Can I correct the tipped over arb somehow?
Yes you can and those extra leaders should be removed if you can do so without ruining the plant.
Mike, I’ve read that some conifers, if cuttings are taken from the lateral branches, the new plant will grow laterally instead of vertically. I’d like to know which plants are subject to this. I’ve read that Pines are not. I thought Arborvitae was one, but not sure.
Sharon,
That’s really not true, but most conifers are grown from seed, not from cuttings.
Sharon, Mike is incorrect, this is true. It is called Topophysis, and it can be a problem with a limited group of conifers. Abies (fir) is one in particular that, if you take a cutting from a lateral branch, the cutting will continue horizontal growth (plagiotropism). If you take a cutting from the top of the tree, where the branches are growing upward, the cutting will continue its upward growth (orthotropism).
Mike,
I have these evergreen bushes in front of my home. I like them for privacy but they are a little too tall for my wife’s taste. Can I cut these back pretty hard without killing them?
Wyatt,
More than likely you can, but I can’t promise you that.
So is the Dark Green Arborvitae the best choice of Arborvitae to try propagating?
Steve,
Dark green, green giant and emerald green are all pretty easy to root. I do mine in July or August under https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/mikes-plant-propagation-kit/
Mike I trans planted a kumquade orange tree in late feb, early march, and here we are and it looks pretty sad. I did put a rooting hormone, and fertilizer.
All you can do is wait, sometimes fertilizer does more harm than good.
Are these fast growing arborvitae. How long will it take for the 18” to grow to about 5 to 6 feet high.
They are, probably about 3 years.
Mike,
I’ve been propagating these for about a year. I have 6 inch saplings in pots but I seem to be losing some. I think at times the pots were to wet over the winter. Now in the spring in Georgia I’m having a difficult time gauging how much to water. Is there a general amount of watering needed to sustain these trees in pots. Once a day? Once every other day? I really can’t tell. These are in 1 gallon pots.
Mike,
1. your potting soil must drain really well for just about all plants. All of my plants are in the same potting soil.
2. If your soil drains well it is difficult to over water but you should check the soil to see how wet it is before you water. The soil should be cool and moist, not soaking wet.
Okay, let me see if I can make the important points.
My most recent video on potting soil, this one is about pine fines or pine bark mulch; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2018/03/potting-soil-can-use-make-potting-soil/
Just in! This mix is actually pretty good, https://www.amleo.com/berger-bark-growing-mix-3-cu-ft/p/BM7/. If nothing else gives you an idea of what a good mix should be.
1. First of all, it is confusing because there are so many options that make for a good mix. A lot of it has to do with what is available to you in your area.
2. Pea gravel. I used to add pea gravel to my well rotted hardwood bark mulch but I’ve learned that adding pine bark is really a better option. In small quantities pine bark is often sold by the bag and called soil conditioner in the box stores.
3. Rotted hardwood bark mulch is still a good option, I used it for years with great success. It only failed me when I tried to really stock up (50 yards worth) then it rotted too much and didn’t drain well. That’s when I started mixing in large amounts of pine bark.
4. Growers actually use pine bark fresh because even as it ages it really doesn’t change a lot.
5. So right now my ideal mix is very heavy in pine bark and to that I add either commercial compost or well rotted hardwood bark mulch.
6. But what I really do is buy a load (90 yards) of pine bark then I start working that into the potting mix that we are current using. I think it’s important for me to stay ahead of the wave by adding more pine bark before I am out of soil. Right now I have a large pile of pine bark that’s been sitting here since ???? early summer I think. And there is a part of my potting soil pile that is far too aged and compacted so on my to do list is to blend these two piles together before spring.
7. Yes, I now have a front end loader that makes this easy. But at this place, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2016/03/mikes-first-backyard-nursery/, I used a shovel, a wheelbarrow and a rototiller. I usually kept about 10 yards on hand and always replenished my pile before it ran out using the old to mix with the new.
8. But back then I never turned the entire pile. That would have been crazy. I’m too lazy to turn compost! Or as I like to think of it, I value my time more than that.
9. Instead when I added fresh material, bark mulch, commercial compost or pea gravel to my pile, I simply put it on top. I’d use a two by twelve as a ramp to get the wheelbarrow up on top of the pile. I built the pile like a “Dagwood Sandwich”, you might have to Google that. Layers of materials. Then when I needed soil I would simply rototill one corner and get an awesome mix that I’d shovel on to the bench by hand.
10. And that’s where the legless potting bench came in. I’d rest one end on the pile so it would be nice and close for shoveling, then the other end on blocks or a saw horse. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/01/homemade-mobile-potting-bench-it-has-removable-wheels/
11. So yeah, today I do things very differently, but I started exactly where all of you are today.
No matter what you use, it doesn’t have to be my mix, just pick a potting soil that somebody else here is using with great success. Bagged soil? Sure if that’s what you want to do. I have no idea how much it costs to fill a one gallon with a bagged mix but I am curious about that if anybody wants to share than number with us.
Here are some tips on getting good potting soil;
Looking online for mulch is probably not the best place to look because many of the dealers who sell mulch really have little to no web presence at all. I’m sure there has to be some hardwood bark available in New Jersey.
I’d pick up the phone and start calling around. Garden Centers, landscapers and excavators will know who sells bulk hardwood bark mulch. These dealers are often hidden away on some side street.
I’d take a full day and visit as many garden centers and nurseries in your area that you can. Browse, ask some casual questions.
1. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk mulch.
2. Do you know of anybody in the area that sells bulk potting soil.
3. What do most growers around here use as a potting mix.
Bulk potting soil is available, usually around $55 a yard, but worth it. But it’s not readily available in all areas and in most cases you need to send a truck to get it.
But it won’t cost anything to ask these questions. You’ll either get really good, answers, might get the brush off, or you might find somebody who loves to talk about growing plants and will bury you in valuable information.
Good info here about potting soil, https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/12/mike-mcgroartys-secret-bed-building-and-potting-soil-recipe/
and here;
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/how-to-make-your-own-awesome-potting-soil/
Thanks Mike, that’s great information. It’s good to know I’m likely not over watering as I use a mix of soil conditioner as described above. It may be that some of these just have not been viable cuttings. I have a second bed loaded with hardwood cuttings I stuck in November. And plan to do more this summer. I love this business! 2 years in I now have my most systems figured out as well as what and how to do cuttings and have succeeded in selling a number of my grasses, irises etc. I feel like I’m on the verge of great success with the shrub and tree cuttings business it just takes a little while to learn all this. Thanks for all the support along the way. Great Stuff!
Thanks Mike, good luck!
Mike I love you and your program.
If you want a privacy hedge, non running bamboo will give you a 10 foot hedge in under three years.
NON RUNNING, clumping bamboo. Everyone screams when I mention bamboo because everyone thinks of running bamboo, invasive and destructive. there are many clumping bamboos that are beautiful and don’t run away
Karen,
My goal is to plant a bamboo garden at my nursery.
Can you also do this type of propagation with Eastern Red Cedar? They look similar to Arborvitae.
I have a lot of cedar on my property and would like to propagate them so I could have a privacy hedge on one particular fence line.
I bought your course several years ago and have propagated many different kinds of plants since then.
Thanks for all the information you put out.
Thanks,
alan
Alan,
Yes, that should work on Cedars.
And the nice thing about the arbor vitae is that it attracts the deer to your landscape and they will eat other plants also.
You may not like deer with these trees. The buck will rub those and break them with their antlers. We had to build a fence around ours to protect them. They will misshape and even ruin them.
The doe will come too but generally don’t eat them. They do browse the plants around and nibble a lot of tips of new plants and shrubs.
Kansas love and hate relationship with deer.
Will you sell me 20-30 of these? I have a neighbor with about 50 junked cars in his yard and our windrow is aging. We need to start adding new trees to the outside edge of our property.
Mamie,
At this time these are for pick up only.
What will 10 of them cost? Mary [email protected]
They are $6.97 picked up in Perry, Ohio.
how big of a cutting do you use? soft wood or ?
Mary,
Only about 4″, see this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2012/07/emerald-green-arborvitae/
Will they grow good in AR
Beverly, I’m sure they will.
I’d like to plant enough Arborvitae to provide complete privacy along 200 feet of my property line. What is the smallest plants I can buy and how much should I expect to pay?
Kenneth,
I sell these 15″ to 18″ plants for $6.97 each picked up in Perry, Ohio.
Are Dark Green Arborvitae attacked by bagworms?
Mine have not been.
What about bag worms?
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the tips.
How old will the Arborvitae get on average?
Thanks,
Todd
Many, many years.
Hi Mike, I live in Erie, how can I get to your place from I90?
Use google maps and get off at the Madison, Ohio exit. 4850 North Ridge Road.
Can you recommend a privacy hedge that is deer proof? We have deer issues and they eat arbs down to the stem.
Green Giant Arborvitae is more deer resistant. Or possibly fine line rhamus but you’ll have to check on that.
Looks great, BUT do the deer ruin their looks ???
Howdy Mike, Bud & Cathy Welch here, Will you have any small Dark Green Arborviate for sale soon ? Just asking ?
Cathy,
Great to hear from you! I have some right now but they do sell fast so don’t wait too long.
I tried 3 Arborvitae to block my neighbor’s junky back yard. We have lots of deer in our neighborhood and they ate the middle out of all 3.
Can they be trimmed at the top to 6′ (fence & hedge limit here), and can they be trimmed on both sides (inside & outside property line) to maintain a fixed width?
Bruce, I’d say yes they could.
Ian presently looking for the proper Arbovitae to plant along my fence how r techny Arbovitaes looking for fast growth
Michael,
Techney is a great plant, a bit slower growing than other arbs.
I have a apricot tree that I’ve been nurturing for 10 years. She’s approximately 15-20 feet tall. She used to carry fruit but no more. What is the best fertilizer?
Tree spikes????
Dear Mike,
Arborvitae looks very nice in a residential area, I agree. We have several acres in a rural area we want to block. What do you think about Russian Olive or any other suggestion for a rocky soil? Thank you. Jack from central PA.
Jack,
Russian Olive is considered invasive in some states I think. I’m not a big fan.
Russian olive is not a good option, I’ve planted it as a conservation tree sold by state of NJ to farmers years ago. Knowing what I know now I almost can’t believe it!. It’s very difficult to eradicate, I’ve been at it for 25 years. Go for some junipers or red cedar.
I like your objectivity, Mike. It is with that I ask the following question: how do you access their resistance to strong winter winds, mainly coastal?
Meribeth,
Against strong winds Arborvitae might not be the best answer. They are shallow rooted for an evergreen. Taxus Hicksi would be far better.
I am jealous!! We bought 5 Emerald arborvitae, put them in full sun on well drained soil, we have slot of sand in our soil, they got 20 min of water 3 times a week and 4 died the first year!
DeAnna, they should have loved that soil. Maybe not enough water at first.
Hi Mike,
I bought Emerald Green Arbovitae but the deer demolished them. Is this variety more deer resistant?
I am over run with deer 6-8 of them every night
Fran,
Green Giant is more deer resistant.
Hi Mike I really enjoy your emails with so much info. love the donkeys when you post pictures of them also, they are so cute.
The Dark Green Arborviate will they grow in a area that holds lot of water a bit when the winter thaw happens?
Thank you so much for your time
Nancy,
Standing water is never good with most plants. It depends on how long it stands. More than a day or two and I’d be very concerned. I’d raise the bed.
In Shenandoah County, Virginia, bagworms devour them. Any suggestions on how to organically deter them? It’s hard to find them all to cut them off. Thanks…
Belinda, I don’t know.
I will definitely try to propagate the aborvitae late summer. Hey, I have a leather leaf viburnum that I would like to propagate. Can you give me some advise?
Thanks,
David
David,
See this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/01/easy-summertime-plant-propagation-techniques-can-home/
What about the deer? Don’t they f
I don’t them delicious.? They ate mine.
Thanks for this great information!!
Hi Mike,
Just saw these and am interested in your arbs. Can you give me a price please.
Margaret,
$6.97 picked up in Perry, Ohio. Not shipping at this time.
How tall are they. Looking for about 30 Thanks
Margaret, about 18″ tall. $6.97