Amelanchier trunk chop?

GailC

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My Amelanchier is in need of a serious trunk chop but I can't find any info on how well they tolerate this? Anyone have experience? The buds are just starting to extend so I need to chop now if I'm going to. I would be removing all new growth with the chop I have planned. Bad idea or go with it? I can get pics later if needed.

I'm also going to move it into a grow out box but I don't plan on doing any root work, just move it for more room.
 

GailC

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Thanks for the link. I'll get it chopped today:)
 

cbroad

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Yeah they should be pretty vigorous, at least in the landscape. I also say chop it now!

Don't know how much you know about these but they can be susceptible to cedar-apple rust, so you might want to get it on a good fungicide schedule.
 

GailC

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It's been chopped and I forgot that I put it in a larger pot last year so that's one less thing to do.

Can I use the same fungicide on it that I use on a trident for black spot?
I've seen apple rust before but so far it's not on any of my stuff.
 

cbroad

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Not sure which one you use for your trident, but anyone that's good for apple trees should work. Turns out what affects serviceberry isn't cedar apple rust but closely related (cedar-hawthorn rust).

Got this off of Missouri Botanical Garden's website:

"Cedar-apple rust (Gymnosporangium juniperivirginianae), cedar-hawthorn rust (G. globosum), and cedar-quince rust (G. clavipes) are closely related rust diseases that require two hosts to complete their life cycle. All three rusts can infect most varieties of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) as well as many other junipers and an alternate host. Of these alternate hosts, cedar-apple rust is primarily a disease of apples and crabapples. Cedar-hawthorn rust, in addition to affecting apples and crabapples, sometimes infects pears, quince, and serviceberry. Cedar-quince rust has the broadest host range and can infect many genera in the rose family. In addition to those plants already mentioned, mountain-ash, flowering quince, cotoneaster, chokeberry, and photinia are also hosts for this disease."


"Use preventive fungicides labeled for use on apples. Fungicide sprays are aimed at protecting developing foliage from infection during the time the galls on the junipers are orange and gelatinous. This usually lasts for several weeks and fungicide applications are not necessary once the galls become dry and inactive. Pesticides registered for use include captan, chlorothalonil (Daconil), copper, mancozeb, maneb, sulfur, thiophanate methyl (Cleary 3336), thiram, triadimefon, and ziram."

Hope this helps, don't know if you've eaten the berries before but they are delicious as long as they don't get the nasty fungus spikes on them...
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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http://arborartscollective.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/amelanchier-also-known-as-service-berry.html?m=1

Page on them from the arborarts guys. Says chop now, results should be good. :)

Ah, you found my blog post on Amelanchier, I'm still learning. Only thing I'll add is they are even better for bonsai than I made them sound. Really nice and disease free in my area. I guess we should keep an eye out for the various cedar rusts, but that is about it.

Do plan your cuts, chops, so that you can hide the scars, the bark really is as smooth as a beech tree, and quite attractive. Plan on making the smooth bark a feature.

Fruit is also called Saskatoons, besides being called Service berries. The Michigan Ag Extension service had a lecture this winter promoting Saskatoons as a good alternative crop for blueberry farmers dissatisfied with low berry prices. They also discussed Haskap - the fruit of an edible Honeysuckle, the verdict is the Haskap are not ready for commercial agriculture, the fruit is too soft, would not survive the handling required to pick, transport and sell at a farmer's market. Saskatoons rated fairly high in resistance to bruising when being picked and transported. So my group is thinking about whether we will add Service berries, Saskatoons, to the blueberry farm. Maybe. Not this year.
 

GailC

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I tried to place the cuts so they won't be too visible. Hopefully it does good and back buds well.
It's a commercial variety with pink flowers. I've never let it fruit though, maybe next year.

I've only eaten wild service berries. Not my favorite but they grow everywhere here, I really should try making some jam.
Might look for a good wild tree to dig this spring.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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I tried to place the cuts so they won't be too visible. Hopefully it does good and back buds well.
It's a commercial variety with pink flowers. I've never let it fruit though, maybe next year.

I've only eaten wild service berries. Not my favorite but they grow everywhere here, I really should try making some jam.
Might look for a good wild tree to dig this spring.

Amelanchier is great for forest plantings too. Like a beech forest, gray trunks, but with flowers.

Domesticated cultivars have berries several times larger than wild ones. Wild berries can be quite dry.
 

GailC

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I'm tempted to buy a domestic for the landscape. I don't have room for big trees but a bush would be ok.

The wild ones are kinda dry and the seed are huge. They taste ok though.

A forest might be a option. I've been wanting to try one but was undecided on a species. Using a native would make things easier in the winter.
 

GailC

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Curious about your amelanchier got a poc somewere?

It died. Shortly after the chop, we got a cold snap then a really wet spring. I didn't notice it was staying wet and all the roots rotted off.
 
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