i will presume you didnt mean a 16 footer plus 1/2

what is your zone???

i planted 50 4 inchers... and gave them no winter protection.. EVER ... of course.. the first few years they were under snow cover ...

when were they planted ....

how did you plant them

will you keep them properly watered until late fall

does your ground freeze

did you mulch them???

here's pix of mine... 9 years later.. from 4 inches..

good luck

ken

{{gwi:326683}}

{{gwi:326682}}

sorry. meant 16 specimens at about 18 inches each. I am in Zone 6-7, about an hour north of NYC. I planted them in June in two staggered rows, mulched them, and I water them deeply twice a week. The first week they browned slightly but since then they look healthy, but have grown minimally (as expected). The winters here can vary but I don't want to take a chance when they are so young.

is wind an extreme variable????

sounds like you did everything right ....

and if they can make it thru my extremely winter-windy hilltop location.. w/o protection ... in z5

i dont know why yours would need protection ..

a little burlap on the wind side wouldnt hurt i suppose... but what did they cost..

are you really prepared to spend 10 bucks.. to protect a $6 plant??? i mean really .. if a couple die.. they can be replaced in spring for less than the cost of protecting ...

up to you.. obviously ...

ken

PS: do NOT let them dry out throughout the winter ... but no standing water ...

god I love those pictures- very inspiring to say the least. I have a few smaller ones that I do burlap some in the winter- but mainly so the deer won't chomp them, I have a somewhat larger one that is near an open field with strong winds- it did get a bit more golden than the others but its still surviving, pretty tough trees.
thetman

damn it...you're right. I might wilt-pruf them but that's it. Thanks and your thujas look great.

I wouldn't mess with them. Including Wilt-Pruf. I know that it seems like a good idea, but I frankly doubt the stuff does any actual good. All Thujas have inherent drought tolerance, far beyond what some peeps believe to be the case. If you're watering yours twice weekly, that means they are getting more care than the ones up at my land ever got.......or ever will, for that matter. They gotta live on their own, so why baby them?

+oM

agree with +om ...

wilt proof is more wasted money ....

ken