Arborvitae stressed after 1+ years in pot, will they regain vigor?

Question

I bought some Green Giant Arborvitaes in 5 gallon pots on a whim a year or so ago for my landscape. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to put them, so they've stayed in the pot since. They're obviously very hardy as they've survived suboptimal conditions for quite a length of time, but there's some foliage that has died, and they've lost some of their pyramidal shape and their lush green growth.

I've put a few in the ground this week finally.

Will they regain their vigor and natural pyramidal shape as they begin growing in the ground, or should I buy new ones and start over?

Answer 1

They'll be fine after you plant them. I assume that you're in the north (US or Europe), so it's very important that you water the arbs very, very well this autumn - up until the ground freezes. This will help prevent them from experiencing any/much winter-kill. I would also water them well the next summer (at least one inch/2-3cm per week). After a season in the ground you can water them much less. As far as the form and shape goes, you can prune it lightly next spring, especially removing all of the brown leaves. I would not prune it at all this late in the season - the less stress that you can give it now, the better for the plant.