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| For the first 2 years this Sky Pencil Holly was nice and upright, with all the branches packed together tightly. But this year a few of the branches have gone completely limp (see pics).
They're so far gone I think I have no choice but to cut them off. But I'm wondering about the rest of the plant. A lot of the branches aren't so straight anymore, and I don't want the whole thing to start drooping. If I do nothing, that's probably where it'll end up. Is there anything I should do? If I was going to stake it, would I tie them all up in a bundle with string, or something else? And is that something I can do now, or is it best to wait until the fall? |
Here is a link that might be useful: Sky Pencil Holly
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by dan_staley 5b/S 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 1, 10 at 10:19
| Hard to tell from here with those pix but looks like planted too deeply. The plant is registering its displeasure. Dan |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 1, 10 at 13:06
| or the mulch is just piled up regardless.. it looks like snow load damage to me ... and isnt the pencil supposed to be real thin... that is not a pencil .. see link mis-labeled stock is the bane of the homeowner ... no matter what you do.. you may never make it look like the plants at the link ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
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- Posted by dave_in_nova VA zone 7a (My Page) on Wed, Jun 2, 10 at 8:48
| I'd put a green metal stake behind the plant and use a green wire-tie and tie up all the stems about 2/3rds of the way up the plant. Hopefully that will keep it 'erect' until the stems get thicker and can hold up to future snow loads -- and with the snow we had last winter, it might be best to keep the stake in. Otherwise, the plant looks healthy to me. |
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| Wobbly ones often seen here, even when comparatively small and still in nursery pots. |
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- Posted by peter17319 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 2, 10 at 16:53
| It used to look just like those pictures, skinny and straight. I'm pretty sure it's snow damage. As far as I can tell the plant is otherwise generally healthy. If I decide to stake it and tie the stems up, is there any chance it'll go back to normal by the end of the current growing season? And since it's such a slow grower, I don't really have to worry about damage from the ties, right? |
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- Posted by peter17319 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 3, 10 at 8:51
| Correcting my last post. I wasn't referring to the pictures from my initial post. I meant that the plant used to look like the images from Ken's post. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 3, 10 at 9:14
| who knows if torturing them [tying them up] will correct the current look ... give it a try ... what will help.. is tying them up in november, before the snows ... to create a form that will withstand the snow .... when the whole plant acts as one trunk ... it will shed the snow.. rather than falling on wispy branches that will hold heavy snow .... ken |
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