My yard borders on a parking lot. We've decided to put up a living fence of Emerald Green Arborvitae. We're going to be putting in trees over ~70 foot length. We'll be planting 4 foot trees (2 gallon?). I'm trying to plan what to do and have done some investigating. We were going to do this in stages over a number of months or maybe even a year.
Would it be better to start at one end and work to the other in stages or plant every third or fourth one, then plant additional stages between them until its full?
What is the minimum spacing between trees to get a gapless hedge? I've read as little as 2 feet although 3 feet seems more common.
Is there a best way to prepare the ground? We plan on digging up the existing plants and tilling because it hasn't been tilled in almost 20 years. Is there a best recipe of stuff to till in?
Water occasionally and heavily to keep ground damp for first year? Miracle Grow once a year? Ignore it like it's not there otherwise?
Is pruning recommended? We planted two EGArborvitae by our old house 25ish years ago. One was splayed almost flat by a snow storm and was cut down. The other is now 20ish feet tall with three bulbous heads. Looks like a triffid (of Day of the Triffids fame) I've heard that training to a single leader will make the plants more resistant to snow damage and give it a straighter, narrower profile. Is this a good idea? Or even true?
