How to grow oriental tuya at home and why they are so popular

Tui is a group of perennial evergreen conifers and trees of the Kiparisov family. They grow mainly in mixed forests and in areas with a mild, moderate and warm climate. Eastern tui is from East Asia. But over the past 50 years, they have become very popular among domestic florists as houseplants.

Secrets of the East

Tui was always respected among the people of the East. It was believed that this plant is sacred, he was planted near mosques and holy places. Thuya, in Greek, means to "sacrifice". In the old days, at the time of sacrifice, logs of this tree were laid in sacrificial fires. The French considered it a "tree of life." It served as a kind of amulet for the houses and was actively used as a medicinal plant.

Eastern tui - plants-phytoncides. Their needles emit essential oils into the surrounding air, which are harmful to many pathogenic organisms. In wood and needles, many useful compounds have been found, which have a beneficial effect on human health. Plant seeds have been used since ancient times as a means of strengthening and toning up the body. Broths and tinctures of the Chinese treated diseases of the respiratory system, kidneys, liver and bladder. Thuya helped with rheumatism and gout, was a popular hemostatic and expectorant.

East Thuya Aurea Nana

Tui have only six varieties, but the greatest recognition as a plant for apartments and offices has been received by the Tuya East "aurea nana". It is a small and compact shrub with a conical or ovoid crown. Coniferous leaves soft, fan-shaped, tightly pressed to the trunk and rushing upward. The "paws" of the needles have a bright light green color, which on young shoots can have a lemon or golden hue. Eastern tui change their color with the onset of cold weather. Krona acquires carmine-red brown shades.

By autumn, thuja, like many coniferous plants, acquire small cones - seeds. They are only 2-3 centimeters in size, tiny scales are armed with curved hooks to protect them from uninvited guests. Seeds can be green or blue, which changes to brown after the maturity.

Growing Houses

Cuttings and sowing of seeds are the two ways in which thuya reproduces. Growing at home does not require special attention and strength, but it is worth considering that the plant will grow slowly. For a year the bush adds in growth no more than 8-10 centimeters.

You should also take into account certain subtleties. Thuya species number about 60. All of them can differ both in color and shape of their crowns. When propagating by seeds, shoots can differ significantly in shape, color and type of needles from the mother plant. If you want your tuya to have a certain appearance, you should stop on cuttings. This method will yield a plant with maternal data. For the example below, the eastern part is shown - photos of already cuttings planted and planted in the ground.

Seeds

Seeds have high similarity and a "sleeping" germ, so that it begins to develop, it will be necessary to resort to the method of stratification. How it's done?

Seeds need to be harvested from thuja in autumn and put them for wintering in a cold place, imitating natural conditions. With the onset of warming, when you bring them to a warm place, the seeds will feel the approach of "spring" and start sprouting.

There are two methods:

1. Take the flower pot and fill it with a mixture of earth, sand and peat (1: 0.5: 2). After planting the seed to a depth of 1 centimeter and slightly moisten the ground. After you place the pot in a bag, tie it and put it in a cool place (with a temperature of 3-5 ˚C). This could be a basement or a lower shelf of the refrigerator, as convenient. Periodically, you need to untie the pot and check whether everything is in order, the earth should not become moldy or, on the contrary, dry. In 2-3 months the pot is put in a warm place (20-23 ˚С).
2. Seeds wrapped in tissue are kept in a refrigerator in wet sphagnum or sawdust. Months after 2-3 they are planted in a prepared loose ground, and the pots are placed in a warm place. Usually eastern shoots shoots after 1.5-2 months. In doing so, you need to monitor for moderate watering and avoid direct sun rays.

Cuttings

In July-August, the adult plant cuts last year's well-developed side branches with a piece of maternal wood (a heel). Lower needles from them need to be removed, and then installed in water for rooting. To stimulate the process, growth stimulants can be used. After the stem was given a root, it is planted in the prepared land.

Today, eastern tui can often be seen in prestigious office buildings, as well as in residential buildings. The plant does not require special attention to itself, it is resistant to cold and drought. Watering should be moderate, and it should be located on the north or west side of the house, avoiding direct sunlight. These plants are not just beautiful - they completely purify the air, saturating it with healthy flavors.