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jayhawkfan56

Anyone grow katsura from seed?

jayhawkfan56
9 years ago

The growth on these things is incredible (even in my hot kansas sun). Sowed seed 3/1, now is almost 3 feet tall at 31". What would be a expected height at the end of season 1?

Comments (7)

  • hairmetal4ever
    9 years ago

    Wow - that's impressive!

  • Huggorm
    9 years ago

    I think you exceeded the expected first seasons hight already

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    I have grown a few Cercidiphyllum japonica, 'Magnificum'.
    They grow fast when young and slow down at around 30 ft.
    I sold 600 of them twenty five years ago to a wholesaler for $4.00 a piece. I had so many I was lucky to get rid of them at any price. They were 6 ft. tall their second year.
    Mike

  • jayhawkfan56
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Mike,
    Did you prune off the suckers? I think it looks nice but not sure if it's taking up a lot of the water supply for the main trunk.

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    9 years ago

    I have grown a bunch (no where near what Mike's grown, though). Mine have never grown that much (height plus all the side shoots) during their first year. I do prune off the lower branches to encourage a more "tree form" early (mostly for immediate aesthetics). I would be very impressed by that much growth this early.

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    Yes, I prune off the suckers. I made raised beds and then broadcast the stratified seed in the early spring on the beds and then raked them in. The Katsuras came up like lawn seed!
    I thinned a grove of them and the stumps sprouted like mad even though I cut them off as short as possible. The trunks make fine firewood. I'll get some pictures when it gets light outside. It's almost 4am now.
    Mike...an insomniac

  • mikebotann
    9 years ago

    Wet out there this morning. We got a normal month's amount of rain in one day Tuesday
    This grove is about the size of a city lot. I originally planted them out to sell on about 4 ft centers. An employee hacked them in half at about 6 ft. and completely ruined them. I left them alone and they grew a lot larger. They were planted too close to a row of Thuja plicata and as they got larger, started to lean. Then an ice storm leaned them over more. I finally got in there with a chainsaw and thinned them. Every stump sprouted new growth. I made the problem worse!
    So I cut all those sprouts off and when they sprouted, I hit em' with a broad leaf weed killer. This is what's left. All the trees are Katsuras.
    Mike
    {{gwi:383954}}

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