|
| Can I transplant and heavily prune this guy in the Spring or do I have to chose one or the other?
By the way, we had some heavy snow melt this weekend and the husband and I took a walk to see what everything looked like. My aesculus pavia took a good beating or may I should say "gnawing" from zee rabbits. I was not happy, to say the least, but I still wouldn't harm a "hare" on their heads... |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by paula_in_pa z6 SEPA ChesCo (My Page) on Mon, Feb 9, 09 at 20:33
| Join the crowd, we all hate the sampling of woodies by the critters...try any number of remedies to deflect...Liquid Fence, or homemade concoctions. Try other forums at GW for ideas. Cotinus should be ok with spring prune and move, but limit the pruning to a minimum to encourage new growth. No more than 1/3 pruned away. Make sure it's adequately watered through the summer. |
|
- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Feb 10, 09 at 10:42
| Cotinus coggygria will tolerate a very hard pruning. In fact, it is often coppiced (sometimes called 'stooling') or routinely cut back to a low woody framework each season to maintain a smaller size and to accentuate the foliage effect. This method is actually preferred over other, lighter pruning techniques, which tend to generate long, whippy branches with foliage concentrated only at the tips. Do this just when the plant starts to push new growth. Transplanting can be done at the same time. |
|
| I'm in complete agreement with Paula, but one thing that comes to mind is that, if it needs hard pruning as soon as it's transplanted, is it really being transplanted in the right location? It sounds like it's possibly not the right tree for the site. Harder pruning usually results in longer, more "whippy" branches than lighter pruning. When pruned back hard the tree tries to compensate for it's sudden lack of foliage by regrowing quickly. Light pruning should not result in significant rapid regrowth. As for coppicing/stooling, I guess it's a matter of taste, but I'm one of the many who strongly don't care for the look. It's not as harmful to the tree as what is commonly called topping (because coppiced/stooled trees are maintained), but to me, it's just as ugly. |
|
- Posted by tishfromwis z5 WI (My Page) on Tue, Feb 10, 09 at 16:07
| Thanks everyone. I'm moving it to get full sun, from sun up to sun down, room is not an issue. One large branch died during the winter of 2007-2008 and I cut it off at the base and it is sending up new "whippy" branches there, so it looks lopsided. I thought if I did a hard prune, it would look more uniform. And as I said, I want it to be in full sun. So gardengal, I can move it and prune it this spring. I only questioned it because I know when you transplant, the shrub then concentrates on reestablishing its root system and I didn't know if pruning it at the same time would just be too much for it... |
|
- Posted by paula_in_pa z6 SEPA ChesCo (My Page) on Tue, Feb 10, 09 at 17:01
| That's why I advocated a partial prune, if you're moving it as well. Total pruning is fine if not moved also. Wait til it's established in it's new spot for total prune. It may survive both , but I'm being prudent. |
|
- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Feb 10, 09 at 18:58
| In my zone, I wouldn't hesitate to do both, but just as the plant is beginning to break dormancy - no later. In zone 5 you may want to take a more conservative approach. Re: developing 'whippy' branching structure. Coppicing or stooling is always done just as the plant starts to break dormancy (or slightly earlier). There is no foliage present for the plant to compensate for, therefore this process doesn't encourage leggy, bare growth. It's done to accentuate and enlarge the foliage, which often takes on deeper color as a result. This is a very common pruning practice and especially with cotinus - virtually all the literature on continus speaks to it in some fashion. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder but you are just maintaining the plant in a shrubby form rather than a tree-like form. What's so ugly about that? Or are shrubs just less attractive than trees? Other plants that are frequently coppiced - often to encourage new, more intense stem color, to generate large dramatic foliage or just to keep at a manageable size - include eucalyptus, ninebark, paulownia, catalpa, black locusts, clerodendrums, buddleia, and shrub dogwoods and willows |
Here is a link that might be useful: Whack Em Back!
|
| Wow, I must have had a major brain circuit failure. I know what coppicing is, but for some reason, I was thinking pollarding. Everything you said about coppicing is correct, I just wasn't connecting things correctly. Don't ask me how, looking back it's somewhere between embarrassing and just funny. Just ignore me as I ramble aimlessly. |
|
- Posted by tishfromwis z5 WI (My Page) on Wed, Feb 11, 09 at 11:54
| Thank you Paula and gardengal (& you too Brandon, even though you had a short circuit)! I'll transplant and prune somewhat lightly this spring and coppice in the spring of 2010. I'm always very grateful for the wisdom shared... Tish |
|
- Posted by v1rtu0s1ty Zone 5a, Northern IL (My Page) on Thu, Aug 26, 10 at 18:49
| Any updates on this Tish? I'm thinking of transplanting mine as well. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Shrubs Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.