How long do Thuja Green Giant trees live
John Johnson
Updated on April 14, 2026
Lifespan. On average, Thuja Green Giants live for up to 40 years in ideal growing conditions.
How long does it take for a Thuja Green Giant to become established?
Thuja Green Giant Growth Rate So just how fast will this tree grow? Three feet a year is normal in the early years. Up to five feet a year is possible, under ideal conditions. With growth rates like that, after a few short years you have 15 foot, 20 foot and soon 30 to 40 feet trees.
Will Thuja grow back?
If you shower your arborvitae with TLC after damage, it can recover during the next few growing seasons. Arborvitaes can grow anywhere from 6 to 12” in a year. From here on out, it’s a game of patience–waiting for your tree to fill in again while keeping those deer away!
Do Thuja Green Giants have deep roots?
Thuja Green Giant arborvitae (standishii x plicata) has replaced Leyland cypress as the landscaper’s plant of choice for an evergreen hedge or specimen tree. … Their roots are fairly shallow, but strong enough to prevent the tree from toppling in high winds.Do Thuja trees have deep roots?
Arborvitae trees are not known for having deep roots. Instead, the roots are pretty shallow.
How wide do Green Giants get?
Appearance. The name Thuja Green Giant is aptly named. These trees can grow up to 3 feet per year until maturity in ideal growing conditions. Their ultimate height is 50-60 feet tall and their width can be up to 12-20 feet.
How far apart do you plant Thuja Green Giants?
The Thuja ‘Green Giant’ is a hybrid cross between Thuja plicata and Thuja Standishii Arborvitae. If you want this plant for privacy we recommend spacing the trees 5 feet apart this will insure they grow together while maintaing a healthy habitat for the trees.
Do deer eat Thuja Green Giant trees?
Thuja Green Giant – Because it has genes from the Redcedar, this plant, the best hedging plant you can grow, is also resistant to deer.Why are my green giants turning brown?
If your Thuja ‘Green Giant’ is growing poorly, turning to reddish brown foliage, and seems to be dying, it could be root rot caused by soggy or saturated soil conditions. Let the soil line get a little dry between waterings. Water in the mornings so the soil has time to dry out during the day.
What is the difference between Green Giant and emerald green arborvitae?Green Giants have large, wide bases and grow narrower towards the top, giving them a pyramidal shape that causes them to look like giant Christmas Trees. Emerald Green Thujas have a brighter green glow, which causes them to shine with a bright green hue in the sunlight.
Article first time published onCan you trim a Thuja Green Giant?
When to Trim Thuja Green Giant You can trim your hedge at most times of year, but the best times are late summer to early fall, or late spring, after the new growth has sprouted out and ripened. You may need to trim at both times if your hedge is young and growing vigorously.
How do you revive arborvitae death?
We found that adding new mulch around the base of browning arborvitae will slow down the dying process and might save your tree altogether. Another way to save browning arborvitae is to prune your tree once it begins to show new growth in the springtime.
What is Thuja Green Giant?
Thuja ‘Green Giant’ is a large, needled, evergreen, conifer tree that is a hybrid cultivar of T. plicata and T. … This tree does best in a moist, full-sun location with light afternoon shade. It tolerates a wide range of soils and, in optimal conditions, can grow 3-4 feet per year.
How far do Thuja Green Giant roots spread?
The roots of all trees are designed for drawing nutrient-rich water from the ground. However, the Green Giant’s roots also spread wide supporting the 60-foot tree against winds and snow.
How far do Green Giant roots spread?
Green Giant Arborvitae Size The big Green Giant is capable of reaching up to 60 feet tall, with a 15-20 feet wide spread across its bottom at full maturity.
Can Thuja be transplanted?
Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) covers many landscapes and is considered a highly desirable shrub or tree to use as an accent or break. … As far as transplanting, a young tree is much easier, although a mature tree can still be transplanted to a new location in your landscape with care.
How tall does a Thuja Green Giant grow?
The green giant arborvitae grows to a height of 50–60′ and a spread of 12–20′ at maturity.
How much do Green Giants cost?
HeightPrice (Pick Up At Pryor’s)Price Installed *5.5′-6′$175.00$255.0010′$270.00$425.0012′ -13′$825 .00$1,350 .0015′-16′$1,050.00$1,850.00
Can you plant green giants close together?
Grown as a single plant, Thuja Green Giant will be about 12 feet across in 12 years or so. That means that a screen even at that spacing will eventually form a solid barrier. … This means that for hedges, spacing your plants between 3 and 5 feet apart will give you perfect results in a very short time.
What is the difference between Thuja and arborvitae?
Mature specimens of Thuja standishii x plicata “Green Giant” have an attractive, pyramidal shape. … While different suppliers may refer to this tree as Arborvitae “Green Giant” or Thuja “Green Giant,” they are the same species. This tall, narrow tree makes an excellent privacy screen or specimen planting.
Can Thuja grow in shade?
Arborvitae (Thuja) perform best when planted in a minimum of six hours or more of direct sun per day. However, they can tolerate light shade in areas that only receive four hours of midday sun per day. … Arborvitae lose their dense habit if grown in full shade.
How far should you plant arborvitae from fence?
Planting it about eight to ten feet from any structure is the ideal distance. This ensures the arborvitae can reach maximum width without damaging your house or fence.
How do you know if your Thuja is dying?
- 1 – The Bark Turns Brittle and Brown and Starts Cracking. …
- 2 – Lack of Healthy Leaves. …
- 3 – Excessive Amounts of Deadwood. …
- 4 – Fungus and Pests. …
- 5 – Foot Damage. …
- 6 – Scratch Test.
What kills Green Giant arborvitae?
Mature trees only need supplemental watering when you are experiencing very dry conditions. Watering can be cut back to twice a month during the winter. Both underwatering and overwatering can easily kill a Thuja ‘Green Giant’.
How do you save a dying Thuja plant?
Wrap Your Tree in Burlap One of the best ways to protect your arborvitae trees in the winter is to wrap them in burlap. Burlap is a thick and generally inexpensive fabric that can produce major results during the winter. The burlap will block the sun from hitting the tree during times that it cannot receive water.
Do coffee grounds keep deer away?
Deer have a strong sense of smell, which they use to find accessible food sources. While there is no scientific evidence that coffee grounds will deter deer, the bitter smell of spent coffee grounds may signal to deer that humans are nearby and keep them away from your property.
How do I protect my Green Giant arborvitae from deer?
Try netting, burlap or mesh Installing a physical barrier around your arborvitae tree is the best way to keep deer out. You wrap your tree once, and it’s protected all winter long.
How do I protect my arborvitae in winter?
Give the shrubs more water on warm days during the winter. Arborvitae winter care also includes a thick layer of mulch to protect roots. Use up to 4 inches (10 cm.). In addition to mulch, you may need to wrap evergreens in burlap or other material for winter protection if your winters are particularly severe.
Will deer eat Green Giant arborvitae?
Deer are pests that eat arborvitae, but green giant arborvitae is the only one that I’ve planted that has not been damaged by deer. They will taste it but apparently don’t like the flavor. … The plants listed in that article as most deer-resistant are conoy viburnum, switchgrass and green giant arborvitae.
How much do arborvitae grow each year?
This tree grows at a slow to medium rate, with height increases of anywhere from less than 12″ to 24″ per year.
What happens if you plant Green Giant arborvitae too close together?
Spacing Green Giant Arborvitae Trees At this distance, you will need to trim them periodically to keep them from reaching their mature height of 40-50 feet tall. Otherwise, they will rub against each other and cause branch damage. If you plant them 8+ feet apart, feel free to let them grow unpruned.