Eckhoffw
Masterpiece
Nice. Have you found a trick to combat the die back ?
I’ve been messing around with Ninebark for a few years. Each year the branches I want to keep, die back.
Then I get new growth elsewhere. Often times they sucker out.
5-year Native Tree Challenge - Balbs’ Ninebark
- Thread starter Balbs
- Start date
I’ve been messing around with Ninebark for a few years. Each year the branches I want to keep, die back.
Then I get new growth elsewhere. Often times they sucker out.
Balbs
Shohin
Last year I just let it grow. Some branches died back, some didn’t. Doesn’t seem to be any consistency. Some fine stuff died back, some didn’t. I haven’t had a lot of suckers, maybe one or two. Do you prune in the fall?Nice. Have you found a trick to combat the die back ?
I’ve been messing around with Ninebark for a few years. Each year the branches I want to keep, die back.
Then I get new growth elsewhere. Often times they sucker out.
Eckhoffw
Masterpiece
I try not to prune these too much ever!
. I also seem to scorch them a lot, so I’m trying dappled sun/shade spots this year. Good luck on yours, it’s looking good!
Balbs
Shohin
Thank you! I haven’t had the scorching issues, thanks for the warning!I try not to prune these too much ever!
Good luck on yours, it’s looking good!
Balbs
Shohin
no backbudding on the hard-cut trunk yet.
UnmovedMover
Seedling
Do you anticipate backbudding on the big cut? I have small forest of overgrown Ninebark that I can mess around with but most have long sections without leaves and flowers (most of these are 6-12 feet in height). I think to collect a larger trunk from this group would require an aggressive trunk chop. I'd love any insight on how these react to pruning and potting. What soil mix are you using?
Cheers!
Cheers!
Balbs
Shohin
Unsure how it’ll react to the large cut. I haven’t yet pruned hard, so time will tell. I’m away this week but there were no buds when I left. The roots were a wicked dense matte and to get it in a pot I probably cut off 80% of what was there, but it didn’t seem to skip a beat. In the remaining roots, I got out what I could of the original soil but there’s still plenty left. It was just too dense. Outside of the original mass I used pure pumice and it’s been doing pretty well.
UnmovedMover
Seedling
Right on, I appreciate the info! Pumice alone or a pumice heavy mix seems to be the general consensus for these.
How tall / large was the plant you began with? I'm going to take a look at some potential targets this afternoon - hopefully the land management chores come with the bonus of a big trunk, nice primary branches filled with character, and feeder roots applenty
Let us know if yours has any new growth when you get back!
Balbs
Shohin
It was a few feet tall originally. This trunk was the only one I cut back that didn’t have live branches below the cut.Right on, I appreciate the info! Pumice alone or a pumice heavy mix seems to be the general consensus for these.
How tall / large was the plant you began with? I'm going to take a look at some potential targets this afternoon - hopefully the land management chores come with the bonus of a big trunk, nice primary branches filled with character, and feeder roots applenty
Let us know if yours has any new growth when you get back!
I’ll keep you posted.
Balbs
Shohin
UnmovedMover
Seedling
@Balbs I appreciate the update - even without that budding, the tree seems happy and looks great with the rugged structure against the white flowers. For the other larger limbs/trucks that you cut back, how many living branches were you leaving? Did you remove leaves or do anything to the "back bud allowing" small branches? How much room did you leave between the cut back piece and the branches below? Seems like at least an inch or two might be good to leave?
In the most recent photos it looks like you have some fertilizer on the soil surface, is that correct? What is it? (ie. 10-10-10, 3-3-3, etc). How long did you wait from collecting & re-potting before introducing the fertilizer?
In the most recent photos it looks like you have some fertilizer on the soil surface, is that correct? What is it? (ie. 10-10-10, 3-3-3, etc). How long did you wait from collecting & re-potting before introducing the fertilizer?
UnmovedMover
Seedling
If it offers any validation to your issue - my native growing Ninebark mostly grows in areas that are shaded the majority of the day, mostly under the cover of large old growth Douglas Firs and a variety of Spruces and Pines. Any that grow out in the open, without the shade, are shorter and seem outpaced in all factors of growth. They do survive, and do flower, but intermittent sun through the canopy above makes the ones around me thrive. They might like acidic soil, thinking about that location, but I'm not sure that's the case given other areas they grow without anything pushing the soil PH in that direction and they are often so overgrown and thick, not many needles actually reach the ground. This is around 7,000 ft. in elevation and the slope they are on is largely a southeast aspect.I try not to prune these too much ever!
Good luck on yours, it’s looking good!
A lot of that might change when the Ninebarks are limited to a pot - but perhaps it's helpful! I'm hoping to find a few good samples to really take my time with planning the collection and will update here or in a new thread depending on when it ends up happening.
@Balbs What do you think about collecting times? Not advised in mid-summer growth? Might fall be possible? Letting roots establish before dormancy in winter? Or am I stuck waiting until next spring?
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