Anyone here have experience with arborvitae?

[moose13]

Bought a few emerald green arborvitae trees.
I have read a bit about them, any suggestions on fertilizer?
I am trying to grow a hedge so rapid growth would be nice.
Thanks

 

[5030]

The deer love to eat 'em in the winter.

 

[YesDeere]

My buddy the landscaper got me a bag of some high dollar fert for trees we planted at my dads. I'll be down there fri am. Let you know the name. Used by growers

 

[Code54]

Yep - the deer mowed mine to the ground in days..... Watch out if you have any deer around

 

[moose13]

Deer only in the winter?
I read about them waiting till winter when there is nothing else to eat?
I was planning on fencing and wrapping in burlap come winter time.
Should i fence now, as we are off to vacation for a week?
Would be pissed to come home to no trees.

Thanks for the replies!
Moose13

 

[5030]

Around here, just in the winter. During warm months, the deer have plenty of forage in farm fields and woods. In the winter when forage gets harder to obtain, deer, because they are basically lazy, forage on arborvitae. They love the tender green leaves.

We burlap 'em and chicken wire ours and of course, keep a loaded firearm handy because deer are good to eat, especially before they eat your bushes.....

Last winter, our neighbor had his 'trimmed' to the nubs. The deer are real good at 'sculpturing' a bush. problem is, in the spring, it's a dead bottle brush.

 

[moose13]

I will keep that in mind thanks!

 

[Carl_NH]

Get Plant Skydd (dry or liquid mix - i prefer the mix) and spray them up to about 4-5' high - it works. I use my Stihl Fogger to apply a gallon or so of the stuff on about 1000 hostas and 50 arbovitae every spring and fall.

Stinks for a day or two after but it works.. Its dried pigs blood and some other stuff the deer dont like. Whats interesting the deer gravitate to the non treated hostas at the neighbors and steer clear of our 6 acres now.

 

[5030]

Get Plant Skydd (dry or liquid mix - i prefer the mix) and spray them up to about 4-5' high - it works. I use my Stihl Fogger to apply a gallon or so of the stuff on about 1000 hostas and 50 arbovitae every spring and fall.

Stinks for a day or two after but it works.. Its dried pigs blood and some other stuff the deer dont like. Whats interesting the deer gravitate to the non treated hostas at the neighbors and steer clear of our 6 acres now.

You need to be a good neighbor and alert them to your cure as well......

 

[Carl_NH]

5030,

Indeed I have and they bought some for me to apply last fall but not this spring so the deer got some of their hostas.. its $50 for 5 liters so not cheap but for protection it provides its the most cost effective I have found and only need to do it 2x per year.