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ilovemytrees

Light snow flattened the middle of my Forsythia last night.

ilovemytrees
10 years ago

It looks like a squashed spider.

Do I go out and shake the snow off of it? Will it regain its former shape?

Here's the link to the snow photo:

https://twitter.com/Ilovemytrees/status/397004420828758017/photo/1

Below is the link to what the shrub looked like just a few days before. I'm sorry that this photo is sideways. I give up on trying to rotate it straight. Nothing has worked.

https://twitter.com/Ilovemytrees/status/397008706761551872/photo/1

Comments (4)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    is that fencing all for that forsythia??? .. wow ....

    what is your goal with this plant ... a house sized shrub .. that heaps upon itself endlessly ....

    or a small arching delight.. like you previously had???

    if the latter .. then you need to study/google: REJUVENATION PRUNING of flowering shrubs.. or forsythia specifically ....

    its system wherein.. every year.. you remove 1/3 of the plant... renewing it forever ...

    if its the former.. you leave it be ... on some level ... w/o a goal... you are forcing your aesthetic on its natural ability to shape itself ...

    clarify your goal ... and you ought to see the light.. of what you need to do ...

    as an aside.. do you fert this thing.. thats a lot of growth .. in one season ... considering that in your zone.. its frozen solid half the year .....

    if it were me.. i would leave it be thru flowering ... perhaps even harvesting some dormant boughs in january.. and forcing them to bloom indoors ... in a vase ... and if you want more.. rooting them ...

    and then after outdoor flowering.. start the rejuvenation system... or not. depending on your goal ...

    google images.. or some such.. ought to give you a couple million pix of what can be done with this plant ...

    ken

  • ilovemytrees
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It was 2 feet tall when I planted it 6 months ago it. It's now 6 feet tall. I fertilized in March when I planted it with that Miracle Grow QuickStart. I used it when I planted it, and then I used it about 2 weeks later like the bottle said to. The shrubs started growing so fast I didn't think they needed any more fertilizing.

    We just want the shrub to do whatever comes naturally. I don't really want to prune it if I don't have to. I'm enjoying watching it do its thing.

    The Forsythia fluffed back up. It looks almost back to normal...

    The rocks are for the voles, the fence is for the rabbits and neighborhood dogs (no leash law) and will be used until these plants and trees have grown and established a considerable amount. I'm not leaving the fencing up forever.

  • botann
    10 years ago

    "We just want the shrub to do whatever comes naturally. I don't really want to prune it if I don't have to."
    The fertilizer changed the game. It's not 'natural'. Almost always, Forsythia doesn't need fertilizer.
    I like the idea that you want to let it do it's own thing, rather than shear it in to a ball , globe, or cube. Leave it alone and it will sort things out and 'do it's own thing' in time.
    Mike

  • ilovemytrees
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Mike,

    I do understand your point about fertilizers not being natural, what you say is definitely true.

    I just never imagined such a puny fertilizer could produce 4 feet of growth in one season, but then it is in full sun all day long.

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