Thuja Green Giant Tree Review | THIRD YEAR GROWTH DATA | Arborvitae Evergreen Fast Privacy Results

[@PTA1989]

I purchased mine at 4 feet tall and in the first yea they are 8-10 feet tall. I made sure mine had new dirt , well drained, and tons of mulch. So far so good!

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome! Yeah, if I could do it over again, I absolutely would’ve started with taller trees!

[@RedKryptonitelEl_]

I bought 1 to 2 footers the first time. Took the whole first year to fully establish, but grew almost 1 foot still. I have ten 4 foot coming today and excited to see the difference!

[@---rg1gb]

wow thats impressive!

[@definitelyevan3974]

I did an experiment on mine with fish emulsion fertilizer during the spring summer growing season. 15 trees, 6” tall spaced 8 feet, all full sun. 2 control trees no fertilizer 13 trees got 1 gallon mixture of fish emulsion. Every tree received the fertilizer in different frequencies. For example, Tree 1 received fertilizer at once a month, 2 twice a month etc and tree 13 received fertilizer every other day. The tree with the most growth year 1-5 was the tree that got fish emulsion fertilizer ever 3 days and it grew almost 5 feet in a growing season year 2

[@definitelyevan3974]

Zone 6a central Illinois, 2 foot wide mulch boarder 2 inch deep from first to last tree. All trees were on drip irrigation, 1 gph emitter placed adjacent to tree, 2 per tree, watering 1 hour every other day. 3 applications of Liquid iron were applied to all 15 trees year 3. This seemed to revitalize any slowed growth. I also experimented in growing thuja green giant seeds

[@definitelyevan3974]

The trees did now share all of the same characteristics of the “green giant” but a majority shared the same growth vigor. 2 of them far exceeded the growth rate of the green giant vegetative cultivar with rapid growth. If I could do it all again I would have planted the entire stand from seed in multiple rows and selected the trees with the best characteristics over time. Felling the undesirable trees as they the impeded growth of the other more desirable trees

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! I just mulched them; 5 ft wide strip 120 feet long. No more mowing around them.. I stuck a “vitamin spike” in the ground at each tree before putting down the mulch. They are supposed to last the whole year. Better than nothing. I also set up an irrigation line. They are maintenance free now, which is very nice.

[@josephgamache3350]

How much fish emulsion was used on the tree that got treated once every 3 days?

[@vickisacks8084]

We had over 100 4 foot Green Giant trees planted in our yard in fall of 2022. My husband maintains them with mulch, weeding, watering and fertilizing. The deer didn't eat them but did damage about 8 of them during deer rutting season when they rubbed their antlers on them and broke lots of branches.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Those deer… They damaged a couple of my trees the first couple years, and the damage is still there. last year I put up the fence from November to April. That has worked. No damage.

[@bjf5027]

Just bought two of these that I've potted until it's time to plant next month. Super excited to see how much growth we'll get out of it

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Good luck! I hope they grow quickly for you!

[@bjf5027]

@@HowtoandReviewsOfficial I hope so too. We get a bunch of sun here in Utah, I just need to make sure the soil is good and that it gets enough water.

[@KhmerH20]

looks like a couple that has slow growth may have multiple leaders. you may want to trim off the extra leaders so the trees can gain height faster. I had to deal with a few recently so hopefully that will help.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Thanks. I looked and 6 of the trees have two leaders. The short tree is one of them. The other trees are doing well. They are about 9 feet tall, and each leader is a significant volume of the tree, so I don’t want to cut anything off of them. I’m going to let them grow and see how it plays out.

[@Ingveyisnthome]

Thank you as I have wanted to plant these trees. The issue of water is you are overwatering !!. Once established you don't need to water at all. Mother nature is just fine for these trees, most trees do not need any extra water after the first full year. Thanks again

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Thanks. I get what you’re saying, but when it doesn’t rain for several weeks in the summer, and the grass literally turns brown and crunchy, I can’t help giving them some water.

[@chuckboyd4349]

They actually do not like to be dry. They don’t want wet feet but arborvitae’s require lots of water.

[@bg370z9]

In my area, they require supplemental watering if it hasn’t rained much. Otherwise, they die. Even after they are “established”.

[@KatieStone-si2ci]

I live in zone 8, planted mine last November, deer got to some of mine too, I will be putting up a fence too

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Hopefully they bounce back for you!

[@dirtbike749]

I planted 20 of the same size last fall and they are not doing good. I plan to plant 20 more this year so I think I'm going to try planting in the spring instead. I may also go with the next size up to have a better chance. The deer have also been hard on them this winter so I may try to either fence them individually or do a net like you did.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome! If I could do it over again, I would start with bigger trees to get a few years ahead.

[@mdrlz]

in europe we plant these 60-70cm apart if you go for a hedge

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Oh, wow! That’s a lot closer. Interesting.

[@mdrlz]

@@HowtoandReviewsOfficial full hedge in 5 years, 2 meters tall (at least)

[@slickchick5811]

some data has them anywhere from 30-60 ft...My six footers have grown 3ft in about a year and a half. Spaced 10 ft apart for maximum size.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome!

[@frankazzuri8984]

I bought some green giants, but I can’t tell if they’re actually green giants. They have a lot of dry bulbs on them, and not all of them have the perfect skinny peak in the middle. Some look to have a 2-3 branch area

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Interesting. Hopefully it works out in your favor and they turn out to be great trees even if they aren’t green giants.

[@frankazzuri8984]

@@HowtoandReviewsOfficial have you seen dry bulbs on green giants before

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

@@frankazzuri8984 No, I personally have not. You could take a picture of it and do a reverse image search in Google to see what it is.

[@familyguy5081]

How much did you pay for these and when did you buy them?

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

I purchased them in the spring of 2021 from fast-growing-trees.com. I purchased the smallest size and they arrived in the mail. Currently, it looks like the normal price for the smallest size is $25 each. I don’t remember what I paid for them. But, if I could do it over again, I would have gotten taller trees to start with.

[@christopherw4527]

I guess these would perform poorly in zone 3b. I appreciate your vlog.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Glad it helped!

[@stevie1748]

I think your Giants would grow a bit faster yet if you did not have the grass so close to the tree. (Steals moisture and nutrients and a pain to mow.) I would have the grass two feet away from the tree base and apply 2 inches of natural pine mulch, (no dye) which will decompose into nice compost. Also put sheets of cardboard under the mulch to stop weed grow. The cardboard will also compost nicely. Looking forward to this years growth. 😃

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Right on! These are excellent points, and I agree with all of them! I did have landscaping fabric with mulch around them the first year, but it quickly eroded and disappeared. I need to spend the time and get that straightened out this year.

[@JuanOrtiz-ku2wz]

My friend wearing shorts and Keen Newport H2 sandals in summer days and wearing pants and shoes in cold days.

[@mrbojangles9841]

PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO TO UPDATE 2024 MEASUREMENTS

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Absolutely! I already started measuring this year!

[@goaheadmakeourdayscooterpe9644]

I think you need to start archery hunting or invite a couple hunters over for the sake of your trees and surrounding woods. The forest never gets a chance to regenerate and you probably have no young trees anywhere.

[@QualeHouse]

Can’t wait to see that years growth!!!

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

I’m going to start measuring this year’s progress soon!

[@stevie1748]

Are your Green Giants Full Natty Brah? Do you use any Chicken manure pellets or fertilizer? It would help if you want that 5 feet in one year. I planted 10 green Giants last spring at 10 feet tall. In the fall they measured 12 feet tall. This was after being transplanted!!! I did not experience any "sleep" They grew 2 feet the first year after being transplanted!!!!! I saw no transplant shock whatsoever! What will they do this year? I expect more than 2 feet, and with a bit more juice (chicken manure pellets) who knows? Mine are planted 4 feet apart. I wonder what the mature height of our green giants will be? Will they max out at 25-30 feet? Will they want more space and strangle each other out in 10-15 years?🤔

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

I don’t do any fertilizer, but I’m not against it! I should, because I want them to grow as fast as possible! When I first planted them, I put a “vitamin spike” at each tree. But since then, I haven’t done anything like that.

[@stevie1748]

@@HowtoandReviewsOfficial I would not expect Top performance (growth) even with the best most fertile well drained soil. To get more aggressive growth I think the Chicken manure pellets work well. Avoid liquid and fresh manure fertilizers for sure, as they can burn plants easily. Just make sure to not apply too much to prevent nitrogen burn. I would suggest going light early spring, then around three or four weeks later add a bit more. (larger trees with developed roots can take more.) Just stay on the lighter side and you will be fine. fertilizer

[@slickchick5811]

Some sites say as tall as 60ft...I've seen some whoppers. I got some 6 footers a year and a half ago and they're already at 9 feet now. Mulched the whole time and I use Bio Advanced One year tree and shrub feed with bug killer. One application per year, comes in a blue jug. Great stuff in granule form and you use a shaker.

[@---rg1gb]

Man I am loving these videos since I have planted 46 green giants on my property. This info is great. We need a 4th year video! :)

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome! The 4th year video is in progress! It will be posted at the end of the year.

[@toodledoemeu8]

I bought my green giant 6 yr ago (about 5-6’ tall), and now they are about 15-20’ tall but they seems stopped growing taller or at least very slow. I am hoping they could grow another 7-10’ because my second floor windows only have sparsely tip outside instead of full hedge. Anyone has similar experience? Or should I do something?

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

When I spoke to the company that I purchased them from, I was told the height would be dependent on how close together they are planted. I believe they said about 20 feet tall at 5 foot spacing (which is how I spaced them). I think they said they can grow 30 to 40 feet tall if spaced farther apart.

[@ashleyvandezande384]

Thank you for sharing! We planted ours in the spring of last year 2022, so it’s been fun to see what we get to look forward to.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome! So you’re a little behind me. I plan on continuing to make an update video every year!

[@remohor]

They don't do well in Texas and yet Lowes are selling them.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Good to know! I would have assumed the opposite. Mine are growing great in the summer and not at all in the winter. Seems like they would grow faster in Texas with more warmer months. The green giant is rated for zones 5 to 9. Texas is 7 to 9.

[@justjessica85]

It doesn't grow 3-5 feet a year until it's a few years old.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

They’re getting there! I’ve had some great growth month this year. Looking forward to tallying it all up in December!

[@lokest]

Keep the videos coming

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

For sure. I’m already measuring for this year!

[@MadHatter11371]

I see a house with thujas planted 5 feet apart or even less and they are 40 feet tall. Maybe fertilizer is what did it I don’t know

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

It’s going to get wild.

[@stevie1748]

IKR, I have been noticing Spruce Trees and White Pine around my area (South Western Ontario) planted 4 feet apart that still get 40 feet or so. Often they do not have needles on their lower branches though. Green Giants appear to keep foliage right to the bottom, provided the bottom has access to sun.

[@slickchick5811]

@@stevie1748 dieback at the bottom. they'll continue to get ratty and open down low.

[@GUIDE_Nico]

I'm in USDA Zone 10. Anyone else in Zone 10 in SoCal wanting to get these trees?

[@stevekasarda]

I have 300 of these that I planted from plugs into gallon pots in mid march of this year (2024} and am just starting to shift them up to both 2 gallon and 3 gallon pots for retail next year. Can anyone say what size pots their 4 foot trees came in? I would guess either 3 or 5 gallon pots. I've been growing and selling Leyland Cypress over the last 20 years and thought I'd try the Green Giants as the plugs were less than a dollar each from a grower on the East Coast.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Nice, I hope your sales go well!

[@beckr123]

Do you remember the east coast seller you bought from?

[@stevekasarda]

@@beckr123 Schefer Nursery Winchester Tn. Molly was my contact there. Very nice folks

[@roguepetunia]

Thank you. This is great to see!

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@missymae888]

Great video. We planted 20 thuja green giants in our property and we bought have at around 2 feet tall in 2020 and they are now 5-7 feet tall. We plan to apply fertilizer in a week from now, this will be the first time we fertilized our green giants since planting them. Did you apply any fertilizer at all since planting?

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

That is awesome! I have used fertilizer stakes that you drive into the ground with a hammer. The instructions say to use them twice per year. I’ve only used them one a year in the spring.

[@tcaver]

I went to every Home Depot during their clearance times and bought 4-6ft tall green giants. They’re 10 ft tall in 3 yrs. Now I’m moving them as new neighbors are a menace and I don’t want to see them or their dirty yard. I love green giants.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome! If I could do it over again, I definitely would’ve started with taller trees! Your trees are tall. It will be difficult to move them without destroying the root system. Good luck!

[@GUIDE_Nico]

This was on my property when we bought it. But it was already tan brown ( dead?) Could it be water and fertilized back to life?

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Water should bring it back to life. Mine always look brown in the winter. And in the spring, they will start to look brown if I don’t water them for a couple days. Watering them every other day keeps them green for me.

[@southernman3406]

I planted 9 green giants a year and half ago and they have averaged growth of 4 ft. They really do have amazing growth!

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

That’s awesome! Mine are making big gains this summer. It’s been a great year for growth so far.

[@sociopathmercenary]

Any idea how these hold up to high wind areas? I'd hate these to end up like some kind of Tim Burton hedge line 😂

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Mine have been unprotected and the wind really knocks them around sometimes. They have survived just fine, but I did run a wind barrier fence next to them this spring.

[@jeffreymason6927]

I'm at the same level, maybe a few months ahead. This past year I also added a drip line and mulch...saw about 4 ft growth on all of them.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Awesome!

[@refugeinc.159]

I thought deer generally stayed away from them? I planted 20 of them in Sept of '22, and I haven't seen any deer messing with them yet. Knock on wood.

[@wolfgang7553]

I concur, I thought deer didn't like them???

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

That’s the way they’re advertised. Deer resistant. The deer don’t touch mine during the summer, but are happy to destroy them in the winter when there’s no other green vegetation available. I’m glad to hear they’re not bothering yours! Very nice!

[@MsCmsh]

Thank you so much for sharing your detailed findings in the growth of your green giant babies!! You must be a math whiz, my most favorite subject!! I happen to have recently planted a dozen of 3’ or so green giants. The deers have already chewed on some of my trees 🌲🌲🌲!! I hurried and added some wire cage of 4’ x 4 1/2’ diameter over them!! I wonder how long will I have to leave them on? I kinda like the look of your deer fence better than my wire cage. But, it’s already done and I hope that will save them while they’re growing up!! 🙄🙏🙏

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

Nice! If I could do it over again, I would have started with larger trees instead of the 1’ tall trees. The deer fence that I’m using is a net and barely lasted for one winter. I planned to do something more rigid this year, like your fence, but the net is inexpensive so I used it again. It was $30 for 200 feet, and it’s 7 feet tall. A better fence would have been hundreds of dollars for 200 feet, and only about 4 feet tall. I have found that I need to use a fence from November through April. We may need to fence them forever. I’ve seen fully grown trees with the bottom 4 feet bare from deer during the winter.

[@stevie1748]

@@HowtoandReviewsOfficial I think it is best to start with at least 3-4 feet trees. That is the sweet spot! At 3-4 feet they are still easy to handle and plant, and also they have enough of a root ball to power that 3-4 foot tree into a 10 foot tree and beyond very quickly.

[@rizocars6115]

5ft apart is kinda criminal as these can get 15ft wide so they will just shocke each other eventually.

[@HowtoandReviewsOfficial]

It was recommended by the nursery. I’m interested so see how it plays out. I’m ok with some overlap. I want a solid tree wall.

[@rizocars6115]

@@HowtoandReviewsOfficial sadly most nurseries are resellers and not real nurseries, so they have no clue, plus they just want to sell you more trees. if i were you i would dig out every other plant and give them a better change, 10ft apart still too close long term, but it will give you that solid wall you want. they will have no proper air flow causing disease and many other issues. think of 50ft tall 15 ft wide, thats how much they grow. I planted mine 15 ft apart, will take longer to will in, but long term 10+ years they will be much much happier.

[@PTA1989]

Mine are 5 feet apart and happy. To each there own. Trees will go up like they do in the wild.

[@sst6601]

lmao. Even 5ft apart is WAY too much. You will be waiting forever for a solid wall let alone if you leave even at a wider distance. Plus for a solid wall it needs pruning every year. An ideal distance between trees is abot 2.5-3ft

[@stevie1748]

@@rizocars6115 I have been studying this for a while. Driving around neighborhoods, down highways, back roads and walks in the forest. I have noticed many trees (spruce, pine and giant greens ) planted in the 4-5 foot spacing range, 40 feet tall and they seem to be doing quite well. Spruce and Pine often will not have needles on the lower branches though. I keep hearing some people say the trees will strangle each other or compete and go down hill, but my own research indicates they can still be healthy planted 4-5 feet apart. I stopped listening to people and started looking around and doing my own research and making my own observations. Ideally if I had 10-15 years I would go 8-10 feet apart. However I do not want to look at the bright blue Pickle ball court my neighbor installed for even one more day. So 4 feet spacing it is.