Your soil is the foundation of your garden, and the support for everything that grows in it. This means that no matter what you plant, considering your soil is always going to be step one. Thuja Green Giant is often among the first plants bought for the garden, since hedges and screens made from fast-growing plants are the first step in building privacy, protection and a sheltered environment for more demanding plants. Fortunately, Thuja Green Giant is a plant that is very tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions, so most gardens can accommodate it without problems developing. Even so, since this is vital information for all your later plant choices, this early stage is a good moment to check out your soil and collect some basic information.

Find Out Your Soil Type

There are two important aspects to soil that you need to know, and both are easy to find out. The first one is your soil texture. This is how fine or coarse the particles in your soil are, and it is what is meant when we talk about sandy or clay soils. There is a simple way, with no tools required, to find the texture of your soil, and it is one of the first things to do when you start working with your garden. First, scoop up some soil from a few spots in your garden, and mix it together. Then take a couple of teaspoons of that soil, and place it in the palm of your hand. Add a few drops of water, and mix until the soil stick together and feels like Play Doh.

Now make a ball and squeeze it in your hand. When you open your hand, is it still in a tight ball? If not, and it is falling apart, then your soil is Sandy Soil. Now squeeze and push the ball of soil out of your palm over your first finger, into a ribbon. Do this until the ribbon breaks under its own weight. If the ribbon is only an inch long, then you have a Loam Soil. If the ribbon is between one and two inches long, you have a Clay Loam Soil. If the ribbon is longer than two inches, you have a Clay Soil. If the soil also feels gritty, no matter how long the ribbon, then you have a sandier version of these three types of soil, and one that will drain well, but perhaps need more frequent watering. The less gritty it is, the more clay there is in it, and the longer your soil will take to drain.

The next important thing you need to know is the acid balance of your soil. You can easily test this with an inexpensive kit from your local garden center or hardware store. Acid balance is measured on a special scale called the pH scale, and 6.5 is the best number to have for most plants. If you have that, or a lower number, then you can grow acid-loving plants. Soil around the number 7 is called neutral, and above 7 is alkaline.

What Soil Type does Thuja Green Giant Like?

Fortunately, Thuja Green Giant is very adaptable and will grow well in all four main types of soil. In more sandy soils it is best to add lots or organic material when planting, and to water more frequently. Clay soil too benefits from organic material, since it opens up the soil and improves the drainage. If you have a clay soil, then only water when it begins to dry, as this kind of soil drains slowly. If you have the ideal soil – a loam type – then you are lucky, and you will have an easy garden to grow plants in, but even if your soil is sand or clay, Thuja Green Giant will do well if you put a little extra effort into preparing the soil. If you have a very sandy soil, then extra water and fertilizer will be needed to get the maximum growth from your plants.

With the acid balance too, this is a plant that is happy in all types of soil, from acid to alkaline, so it will thrive, no matter what your soil type is. You will not have to try and modify it, although if your soil is very acidic, with a pH below 4.5, adding some garden lime to the soil when preparing the planting area will help release extra nutrients to encourage the maximum growth for your Green Giants. Even in very alkaline soils, over 7.5, this plant will thrive, unlike many other evergreens.

The one thing you should pay attention to is drainage. Does water lie on the soil surface for more than a few hours after heavy rain? If it does, you have poorly-drained soil, and it is a good idea to plant your hedge on a ridge, by mounding up the soil in a row. This will lift the roots out of the wet soil, and keep them a little drier during the important establishment stage of growth.

The information you gather about your soil will really help you make good choices for future garden plants, and help you plan watering and fertilizer applications. Whatever your soil, you can be sure that Thuja Green Giant is such a tough and reliable plant that it will flourish in all but the most adverse conditions. Just a little care will make all the difference.