How to Prune Your Arborvitaes Like a Pro!

Arborvitaes are beautiful and make wonderful living fences, however they can become untamed and wild in a matter of a couple years resulting in unhealthy, misshapen trees that are falling over and are truly an eye sore. this video will help you prune your arborvitaes to look so pretty your neighbors will all think you are a professional.
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[@matthewsnell6495]

Mine are about 60 years old. 16’ high and a huge wall of privacy, wind and noise barrier. I haven’t trimmed in 20+ years except on the inside to be able to walk to the front door. Love them!!!

[@lorie1247]

Thanks for doing this video. We got hit with a nasty ice storm which made most of the branches to get top heavy. I thought they would just bounce back but no. Now I have a better understanding about how these trees grow. I am heading out to get them back in line. Once again thanks for the great tree lesson 🎄

[@victorrisk6098]

Very helpful video! Now I will prune mine with confidence. Thank you!

[@pierremorin4775]

Nice video I have 50 of them on my property I love them for a fence and simply for decor also every snow fall I shake them to stop the damage and in the spring after the growing season I top them all the same at 6 feet and they look great I know it’s a lots of work but it worth it I keep mine like a flat top it seem to work for me

[@fayebrown914]

Thank you for this information! I have several arborvitaes (Emerald and Forever Goldie), and pine-type trees (little and big). I lost the top of a little pine tree and an Emerald in the heat of the summer, last year, but the bottom of both have a lot of new growth. Now I know that they will get a new top.

[@colleenh2939]

Thank you so much for this. I have golden arborvitae and I have never pruned them. I did not know I had to. I will get on that ASAP.

[@MIgardener]

Well you don't "have" to, but it would certainly be highly recommended.

[@JohannGambolputty22]

I have 10-15 year old 15-25 foot arborvitae that I've never pruned and nothing like you say has ever happened. They look perfect.

[@brianpoe9144]

Today I learned... Thank you! I have some of those trees I put in last year and I'll be sure to take your advice.

[@bettysmith7045]

I just bought a couple of Franky Boy Arburvitaes and LOVE them, they are so cool looking! Highly recommend....

[@obsidiansea]

I like how each one has its own pile of snow - lol!

[@Blues4Winter]

Great vid. have a natural fence of about 15 and they are now about 9 feet and joining together. I'll need to do some maintenance on them as I notice a lot of dead spots inside. Most are in full sun all day fortunately. This was very helpful.

[@backtojellyfishmatters3151]

I have a hedge of 10 thuja occidentalis “emerald” that all have multiple same size leaders and trunks. They are about 7 feet tall and they have splayed from snow and ice. I’ve been wrapping them to keep them safe but it’s a haste. I’ve been inspired to prune them like you did in your video and I don’t regret it. I’ve seen mature trees and they are fugly. Thanks for the info!

[@wendypcs2102]

Same. Thank you for this video. I looked looked this one best ones. I was disappointed there was not much I could find how to care for my new cedars. I always did some cleaning on them for neighbours inside cleaning the needles so real nice to know more about pruning down so can avoid that for my own now. Learning so much more about Cedars, Pines and the Leaders. I knew but not so in depth and the name. I am just naturally know how to care so this so nice. Thanks 🙏

[@ShushLorraine]

Wow, I never knew! I'm so glad we never bought any when we thought about doing it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. :-)

[@pc0086]

I planted panicle hydrangeas as hedges along the side of the property, just need to prune and fertilize, preferred, not required. A lot more beautiful and less to worry

[@user-pl4eu5jc5w]

Good advice. I do this on a case by case basis. However In areas with minimal snow I like the multiple leaders when 3-5 arborvitae are clustered together. Looks like many spires and a nice look

[@al4377]

Love it. Thank you. I think I actually asked for this not too long ago I have 28 of them thanks again

[@PaulamRosa]

Thank you for all the good information! You’re great.

[@valeriehowden471]

Enjoy the pruning.

[@cory5478]

Wow I really did learn a lot! You gave all the background information needed to fully comprehend the whole leader concept. I never would have gone down so low as you did but I understand why now. Thanks a bunch. We are about $500 in to small privacy wall ourselves.

[@baburejaz]

Excellent advice and guidance

[@alishasmith3802]

Thank you wish we had started pruning earlier!

[@wonderwhat4]

I noticed a lot of questions asked that don't get answered on these videos. For me I just called an arborvitae grower and got answers. Thanks for the video. I sometimes wonder how plants are doing that were posted long ago. But it takes time and effort to reply to lots of comments and questions.

[@LoveableEccentricity]

cool! I just got these and Im eager to keep them up.

[@suburbanfarmer2024]

My question is two fold. What do we do when they get too big to prune? And also what’s your spacing in trees for the live fence?

[@jamesfinch6766]

Thanks for the info. Well worth the time. Not enough out there about trimming arbrovities.

[@user-pg4jz7ft3l]

Do they have to be a certain size before pruning? I planted 2 last year and are still smallish, but have several leaders on each.

[@StephMcGuinnHeartBuzz]

Great video. I learned a lot. Thank you so much!

[@GM-5515]

I have a line of Giant Arborvitaes and they are at about 9' now and i would like for them to stop growing high, can I trim each their tips before they grow taller and they have large trunks that won't look nice after cutting?

[@Nick-xu7gq]

I have a row of 16" arborvitae that are losing their leader from what appears to be overwatering. Do you have any recommendation on what to do? I'm shocked they've been overwatered because it's very dry here with days reaching well over 100.

[@gloriaschurman9474]

I just planted 32 emerald green this 1st week of June in Michigan- they are about 5 feet tall they do need to be pruned but since I've just planted them should we wait until next spring?

[@deanwinchester6654]

Good looking fence, hopefully your city plants some trees by the road that would be really cool.

[@erniethecat5621]

Thanks for the video! My dad is blind and he tried pruning it to look like stairs but my Mom hates it and I think it looks ok so maybe this will help him.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

Well explained!

[@izzythomas848]

7:30 in and he still hasn't shown how to prune the goddamn tree...

[@huckfinnmedia7266]

Should have read this comment before wasting 8 minutes of my life.

[@LosBerkos]

@@huckfinnmedia7266 Yes, such a waste of oxygen, this guy.

[@ericcoe1760]

Millennials love to hear themselves talking.

[@russellsmowingandtrimming1973]

Izzy Thomas 😂😂

[@mrman7453]

flap his gums too much go get a tissue blow your nose and get to the point

[@50hellkat2]

What. great video. Thank you

[@niniyen1362]

Thanks for this informative video. I have 5 Emerald Arborvitaes, like you I use them as a fence because fence is not allowed to go pass the front of the house. They are about 10 years old and getting too tall, do you know how to cut the height down? thank you.

[@kathbiddle-dutton7069]

Hi...trying to figure out pruning a larger cypress like 6ft that has been left to it’s own device for years and yes there are branches that are very large/heavy ..pulling down from their own weight. How would I cut those branches to get control..it’s encroaching on sidewalk now. , suggestions please ... thanks 😊

[@animalmouse]

Maybe prune the video too. 😂🗣✂️

[@brokenbutterfly3178]

Lol. Thank God somebody posted on when the actual video starts. Otherwise I would have been really really pissed.

[@realproperty1012]

😭

[@al4377]

All vid was needed. SOME of us wanted all the info

[@metoo3918]

@@brokenbutterfly3178 I wish I had found that comment. For the first 4-5 minutes, I was like wtf!

[@magacop5180]

@@al4377 Not him. He needed to hurry to get back to PronHub.

[@farnaz120]

Thanks for this video. How may I prune the tree if i want to control the height of it? My tree is growling to tall and blocking the sun.

[@timiawe]

AWESOME I learned a lot thx

[@aprilslahor6721]

Helpful information

[@cyw9341]

Hi, good video. Learned a lot. How many branches do you have to cut on one tree?

[@ivonekowalczyk5823]

Thanks for the nice video. Good information I can use with my trees!

[@joeshunka2147]

I just wire the leaders to the main stem. No pruning. No bald spot. When it gets too big, I offer it free on Craig's List as a Christmas tree or for someone that wants a bigger tree cheap. As you know, you just can whack it off to make it shorter.

[@LosBerkos]

Please clarify the whacking off part.

[@CJ_412_]

@@LosBerkos lol

[@negativentry]

Hi My Green Giant Thuja span out of control and wasn't trimmed for at least 30 years. Now it hovers 10 meters above top of my roof. I have climbed 2/3 of the way and the leader at 20 meters above ground is 30 cm in diameter. Is it safe to cut the leader at 2/3 of the height ?

[@marym4186]

Is there a way to increase the vertical growth more than horizontal growth? so if I want the tree to grow taller more, not wider

[@hdtripper1]

Can I trim the bottoms up from n bottom some to expose ground underneath to expose ground yellow jackets.

[@DigwellGreenfingers]

I had to watch to see what an Arborvitae is! Now I know (not being a tree grower). Many homeowners here in the UK plant conifers and regret their decision a few years later when they are too big and out of control (not to mention sucking the moisture from the house foundations!) Steve

[@Robert-ug5hx]

We have 44 trees a few are y'd can we clip one of the leaders off ? Or should we wait until next spring and just let the roots get stronger for now

[@ksero1000]

Would this apply to Taylor Juniper also? I would actually like them to be more dense like in the stock photos. My Taylors seem sparse and whispy. Maybe bc they're still young. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@hollyssimplelife1634]

How could you have prevented the damage to that leader. I have the same problem with lots of dead tops or just brown. We have hot summers here.

[@GardenWithJenny]

Hi! I’m curious as to whether or not you wrapped your arborvitae with burlap to protect them from wind burn during the winter? I can’t tell if this is evening sun setting or morning sun rising.... keep an eye out for windburn if these are on the West. It will show a similar look to that leader that died on you... mites also display similar symptoms. Just curious! Thanks for posting!

[@sarahp7712]

I never knew to prune them! I even looked it up and online the sites I found said one could cut the dead stuff off but that’s it. We have 5 large arbs that are 12-15 ft high that create a wall per say. We are in MN with large snow falls but have never had them too top heavy. The salt from the roads did stunt the growth of the one closest to the road though. This is good to know for the future. Thanks!

[@raffaeleberlingieri2006]

My arbs look great. The bottom has some bare area's? Any tips to fill in the area?

[@rareview362]

We have these at my parents. They haven't maintained them in the ten years that they've been planted. From the bottom to about 70% up it looks like the Skelton of the yours on top. What do I do? Will it ever grow in or do I need to cut it and plant the good part on top into the soil?

[@ojardineirooficial5001]

Very Good

[@jacoehlers3493]

give us an update on the progress of how big your living fence has grown ;)

[@jef4music]

We have ten foot tall arborvitaes that were topped off and are now browning in the cores. Is this normal, or can we save them by pruning once they have been topped like this?

[@1Cruzer4u]

Excellent communication skill. Explaining background story (the why & what) helps viewer trust creator is not a NutJob. Lol I learned a lot and now understand the reasons I need to follow instructions. Magnificently informative video easy to follow. Continued Success.. Cruzer In CT

[@cohara21]

Can you grow a green giant with emerald green arborvitae? I have some gaps I could use width of green giant

[@sunshine-db2zm]

So after that cut how do they grow? Do they get side shoots?

[@iamseely1338]

I hope you regrow the pieces you cut off. I’m learning how to grow cuttings.

[@philipbonafede7320]

I have been experimenting with my Arborvitaes for 21 years and they are probably 40 years old. If you feed them and prune them the way you want for your yard then they will grow exactly the way you direct them. I found goat manure is awesome for jump starting growth in trees and shrubs!!!

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

@Raphael Rezende The tree/bush will naturally shoot up a new leader... it's the form these trees naturally take.

[@praisingirl]

What month do you prune them?

[@camicri4263]

I didn't know they need pruning! Thanks 👍

[@upzang]

Camelia Cristofaro they don’t !!! He is actually damaging these trees. He is so clueless.

[@SR98889]

@@upzang what supporting information from a reputable source do you have? Just wondering because I want to plant these, and I want to know how to care for them properly.

[@davidflorance7868]

How far apart did u plant them? Thanks

[@emilyabonazzola5284]

Nice explanation! Thanks for the sweet vid :)

[@galetimpone1712]

thank you very helpful...now to go outside and attempt to pure properly...lol fingers crossed.

[@byhislove]

I moved into a house with large unkept arborvitaes, is there a way to fix them...someone already cut them wrong, and the storm caused several branches to fall over as you said. I want to fix them, help them look better, and be happier. Can you show some larger ones? thanks

[@robbywarren997]

I have just planted 5 4ft trees. What age should I start pruning? I would love to see yours as this video is 5 years ago. Thanks

[@adriennem3168]

What kind of Arborvitaes are they? Emerald greens or Green Giants?

[@melovemusic69]

I'm in Indiana when is the last date to prune emerald green arborvitae in the spring.

[@danielpaynestaff3085]

hey...I've got one of these that's about 9 feet tall----is it possible to take the top foot or so off? the issue is it's blocking a security camera

[@pierremorin4775]

To my opinion you can I do it every year mine are all the same at 6 feet and they grow a little bit more and they look very healthy so far after 10 years

[@fredrock1082]

What about a Dwarf ARBORVITAE don't know much about them it's called a dwarf I would assume it would be growing very little and not to it would have reached a certain height and that maxes out I assume tried to find info on it anyways you can trim it as your video shows I assume you could trim the top as well to control the height as well as the with if need be trimming? I look forward to replies and advice about this could it be used for in the garden the rear of the garden.

[@user-tx5dm5jy1d]

Beautiful. Remember, ALL fences need maintenance.

[@shoredriveproductions5086]

Thank-you for the lesson. I have 33 of them that are now 15 feet tall. Any hope for me?

[@maryt1978]

How are your arborvitae’s doing now!? Did u have to remove any? They’re close together for a tree that’s going to get real wide

[@AshleyLancaster312]

Can you do a video on what plants deter deer, rabbits, etc. I’m trying to get my father into the hobby of gardening and he’d love to grow his own food but lives next to a wooded area. Also, I was looking through your grow guides... do you have any information on growing pumpkins? My kids always pick up the “Halloween” seeds(jack o lantern type pumpkins) at the store asking to grow them but I’ve never had luck with them.

[@ajn-je6ts]

Well... first day of spring is tomorrow... tomorrow night there is another nor’easter (forth nor’easter this month) and we’re getting 8 inches of snow. That is spring in Massachusetts for you

[@erniethecat5621]

Tony's Gardening I'm in Minnesota and we have -30 degree weather into March and 100+ degrees in summer so plants just hate us. More snow is coming for us too.

[@brianpoe9144]

I wish this was just normal Spring weather in the Northern hemisphere, but it's not. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2LWqGingdWoibc

[@patrickcannon1332]

Tony's Gardening Same here I’m in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and cough same type of weather

[@karenmazzant1071]

Tony's Gardening I

[@johne7123]

Is there an update on this living fence?

[@CoastalGardening]

How about a video on propagating them from the cuttings ? Have a great day =)

[@suburbanplantation1770]

I’ve got a bunch of questions! I have a fence of green giant arborvitae and every winter some get brown tips to them that don’t recover in summer. Someone told me it’s called flagging from the cold wind. Any ideas? Also because they are not pines one would not want to use miracid fertilizer,is that true. Your friend Marc from west falls ny

[@MIgardener]

It is exactly from the cold wind. The burn can be prevented by taking burlap and wrapping them. Some are hardier than others.

[@0703la]

Thanks for the information! When I purchased my property there were 12 of these trees on it with three 20 footers completely dead and three 10 footers severely damaged. All of them were placed poorly. I had all of those removed. The rest were dug up and relocated. (and) a 20 footer disappeared 😐Unfortunately the people who worked for the construction company were not landscapers and replanted the trees cheek to jowl. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be a problem but I was too ill at the time to fuss about it . The only saving grace is that that part of the property doesn't get a lot of sun. I didn't know I could prune them and maybe thin them a bit. It doesn't look as though they have ever been pruned. Thanks for edumacating me!

[@IvantusTV2024]

Greetings from Russia! Thank you for the video! 👍👍👍😁

[@shelleyspence9818]

Great video! Mine are so skinny! How do you bush them out?

[@MIgardener]

just let the leaders grow out before pruning them and they will form more which will cause them to bush out.

[@eWarriorDLC]

Maybe bring us along with you when you prune this year.

[@ccdogpark]

The biggest mistake I see people make with Arborvitaes is to just let it grow indefinitely without ever pruning them. Then one day they decide they are wayyy too large and decide to prune 10 feet off. At that point the branches are so thick they are hard to prune without a chainsaw. If you let them grow to 20+ feet, they become much more vulnerable to a windstorm because longer branches act as a lever to break the leaders at their base. Our neighbor lost his entire 20'+ tree because it was in an area of his back yard that began getting water runoff from recently cemented neighboring yards and the combination of rain & wind brought the entire tree down by the roots. At a time when our weather is becoming more violent, it is increasingly important to prune trees and tall bushes like arborvitae. (We are getting a lot more windstorms in the ten years since we moved here, and they are also more violent.) I like keeping our arborvitae at about 8-10 feet tall. Anything larger than that is hard for many homeowners to maintain. We prune them every 2-3 years, to bring them back down to about 8'. WRZ Delaware County, PA metro-Philadelphia

[@cory5478]

Bill Zardus very helpful! Much appreciated.

[@mikepz2188]

I just planted 6footer"s I'm starting to see brown patches does that mean thier dieing or just in shock???please help.

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

They probably need water... Arborvitae require a lot of water as they have shallow roots.

[@srinivasaswarna1356]

Can you do another video on how you are doing with your arbors

[@rtgardner90]

How close can these be planted to a foundation?

[@monichippewa2232]

How do you grow what you cut off ? I don't want to waste anything.

[@carolleet5230]

Good info...thanks! How did the corner lot house across from you get permission to put in a wood fence? lol

[@ThePerfectCurry]

My house came with these looking like big balls of pom poms. Can I still save them ? If I reshape them what time is the best. Will they recover drastic pruning to reshape. I love them so I would hate them to die back if I cut them

[@Stan_Merrill]

What are your opinions of monoculture, Luke? My horticulture professors urged us to push for mixed hedges/tree lines.

[@MIgardener]

I think monoculture is not really the solution.

[@RetrocadePodcast]

Are those green giants or emerald greens?

[@ru2388]

Is it OK to prune the dead parts?

[@CLe-cr4zp]

Did you prune in the winter ?

[@tibbs4000]

what happens when you get it to the right height and you don't want it to grow higher, can you prune in such a way to stop it from growing?

[@leynaabbey]

Love this. Pruning helps you keep ahead of mites, and fungal infections in arborvitae too 😉 First time I pruned mine, I goofed. Took 2 years to get the preferred shape back!

[@johnstonj92]

Im glad u decided to use the white cedar arborvitae ...especially if you decide to gow apple pear or quince ...white cedar is cedar rust resistant and you dont want those nasty spores to grow on youre living fence...if you are to later plant any cyprus or cedar later on may i suggest j.chinense it is also rust resistant. As far as having a allelopathic affect i am not entirely sure i know my white cedar doesnt let anything grow where there is leaf litter.

[@SH-jy6lc]

Hello! I planted Brandon Cedars next to my apples. Are they rust resistant?

[@johnstonj92]

@SH-jy6lc I've seen alot Brandon's playing rust. You might want to go with a peter cedar...I've never seen one peter play rust ever.

[@SH-jy6lc]

@@johnstonj92 Oh no... I have Thujas planted all around my town though. They are not tall, maybe 7 feet. There are also crab apples in the area. But ive never seen any rust on any of them. Maybe its not as common in cold climates? I live in zone 3 Alberta

[@johnstonj92]

@SH-jy6lc sorry that last comment was a joke. Whitw cedar are not true cedars. Western cedars get rust on them and so do junipers.

[@SH-jy6lc]

@@johnstonj92 Im telling you that Ive never seen anything like rust on any of the trees in my town ever. Thats why i think its not that common maybe. I saw that rust orange medusas on junipers only on TV. My neighbours have junipers and cedars thujas. Crabapples. No rust

[@mikec3820]

ever bonsai arborvaties MIgardener? scored a 4 footer for 5$ off the sale rake