Which soil/compost needed for growing Thuja Smaragd Emerald in planters?

I am planning to buy 4 Thuja Smaragd Emerald root ball trees to grow in planters on my patio as a privacy screen. What type of soil or compost do I need to use in the planters? I am a novice gardener and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Jerry

 

Conifers want acidic soil, so I'd be looking at ericaceous compost myself. (That means "compost suitable for heathers", which are "erica" in Latin. Heather grows in acidic peaty soil, so that type of compost got named after what the gardeners were trying to grow.) That said, they're likely to be OK with most composts.

What they won't like is drying out too much. And what they also won't like too much is hard water, because that's alkaline. If you can store rainwater and use that on potted plants, they'll generally be happier.

 

Thanks for your reply.

I am also thinking that maybe bamboo would be a better choice. I would prefer Thuja's but any advice would be greatly appreciated.


I have 2 planters with external measurements of 100cm width x 50cm depth x 39cm height. I was planning to plant 2 Thuja emerald root ball 160/180cm in each. Are these big enough for 2 Thuja's or would it be best to plant bamboo in them? I want to make a privacy screen on my patio to restrict the view of my neighbours new extension window. I am not worried if they do not grow much in height but need them to grow outwards a little only as the top of the fence from the top of the planter is about 150cm.


If bamboo is the best option which type is the best for a patio planter? Thanks.

 

Cypress roots generally go down more than they go out, so the pot might limit growth. They also don't grow as fast as you might want for a screen.

Bamboo will certainly do the job well, and it'll give you your screen more quickly. It's also damn near impossible to kill. I like green stemmed bamboo myself, but there are other options like black or yellow stems. Just do check the final height, because if they say 10 metres, they really aren't joking!