Mature size & growth rate

How big does Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Bobozam') get?

Also called Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae, Globe Arborvitae.

More about mr bowling ball arborvitae

About Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae

Thuja occidentalis 'Bobozam' · also called Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae, Globe Arborvitae · flowering

A dwarf, naturally ball-shaped evergreen with fine, feathery, sage-green to blue-green threadlike foliage that gives a soft texture unlike typical arborvitae. It keeps a neat sphere without shearing and stays small, suiting borders, foundations, and containers. It thrives in full sun to part shade with moist, well-drained soil and is exceptionally low-maintenance and cold-hardy.

Mature size: About 0.6-0.9 m tall and wide; a small, slow dwarf globe.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to about 0.6-0.9 m tall and wide, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (a small, slow dwarf globe.). Indoors and in a pot, expect about 0.6-0.9 m tall and wide. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — a small, slow dwarf globe. — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Growth rate and years to mature

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae is a moderate grower. Realistically, expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Its feeding profile backs this up: light feeder. one application of balanced slow-release or evergreen fertiliser in early spring is enough. excess nitrogen loosens the tidy globe and forces soft growth; skip late-season feeding.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the mr bowling ball arborvitae repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast mr bowling ball arborvitae grows.

How to keep mr bowling ball arborvitae smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For mr bowling ball arborvitae specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

The decisive tool is the secateurs: mr bowling ball arborvitae can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape.
Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size.
Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height.
Expect to top or hard-prune it every year or two — left alone it heads for the ceiling.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Pick the new height. Decide how tall you want mr bowling ball arborvitae and find a leaf node or branch point just below that.
Top the main stem. Cut the main growing tip cleanly just above that node in spring; this permanently caps the height and forces side branches.
Keep the pot snug. Avoid jumping to a much bigger pot — a slightly restricted rootball keeps the whole plant smaller.
Maintain the shape. Prune back the tallest new leaders each spring to hold it at the height you chose.

How to grow mr bowling ball arborvitae bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for mr bowling ball arborvitae the accelerators are:

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators.
Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back.
Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The mr bowling ball arborvitae light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When mr bowling ball arborvitae outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for mr bowling ball arborvitae:

The top leaves pressing against or bent by the ceiling — the classic "this is now too tall indoors" sign.
It has to be moved away from a light source it has literally outgrown.
Roots filling the largest pot you can reasonably keep indoors — at that point it is top-or-prune or move it outside (if hardy).

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the mr bowling ball arborvitae repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the mr bowling ball arborvitae propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae size — frequently asked questions

How big does mr bowling ball arborvitae get?

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae reaches about 0.6-0.9 m tall and wide when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (a small, slow dwarf globe.). It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Is mr bowling ball arborvitae slow or fast growing?

Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae is a moderate grower. Expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Mr Bowling Ball Arborvitae is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to about 0.6-0.9 m tall and wide, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (a small, slow dwarf globe.).

How long does mr bowling ball arborvitae take to reach full size?

Roughly three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep mr bowling ball arborvitae smaller?

The decisive tool is the secateurs: mr bowling ball arborvitae can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape. Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size. Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height. Expect to top or hard-prune it every year or two — left alone it heads for the ceiling.

How can I make mr bowling ball arborvitae grow bigger or faster?

It already wants the bright light it needs; warmth, a yearly pot-up and spring-summer feed are the accelerators. Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back. Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.