Digging a boxwood

[jedge76]

So there's a hedge of boxwoods that we're going to be getting rid of at work (golf course-GM has a brainstorm and plants get moved/replaced). These plants are all 6-7 years old, maybe 12 inches in height and one in particular caught my eye for the surface roots are really cool. What types of things can I do to ensure a better survival rate for this (sub)urban yamadori considering it is winter and not the best time to transplant? Granted, I live in a temperate area, but it's still cold. Actually, really cold for this area right now. Any suggestions on this collection or ideas on how much of a chance a tough boxwood has of surviving this? It's a really promising tree IMO.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Neli]

I was told ones by Oyakata that with proper after care you can dig a tree any time and he added after that: Dont tell that to inexperienced people or if their tree drys they will say that I dont know what I am talking about.
I dig trees every month of the year, but then we dont have extreme colds here.
I always plant my trees in sieved washed river sand only, Out a plastic over them to provide humidity, seal all cuts after applying sulfur on the roots, water /soak them in vitamin B, and in your case you might need to provide some heat I suspect. I also remove almost all leaves.

 

[jk_lewis]

Just have the hole already dug for it to go into (or, if you must, the grow box all prepared and ready.

 

[bonsaibp]

It would be best if you can wait a week for this cold spell to end but if not , not a big deal. Dig them and just don't let dry out or freeze- should be pretty much no problem.
I would not put them back into the ground though. Have training pots-5 gal. nursery cans etc. and soil ready before digging.

 

[Paradox]

Do not, I repeat DO NOT remove all I the leaves from a boxwood. They are not deciduous and will not respond to total leaf removal the same way. Leaf removal will probably kill them.

 

[bonsaibp]

Do not, I repeat DO NOT remove all I the leaves from a boxwood. They are not deciduous and will not respond to total leaf removal the same way. Leaf removal will probably kill them.

I think you may rethink that after watching this video. I've seen some of his boxwoods- awesome trees.
[video=youtube;ruO__jC3hwE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruO__jC3hwE[/video]

 

[Wee]

Thank you very much for that video...I watched the first part today at lunch.

Brian

 

[Smoke]

Do not, I repeat DO NOT remove all I the leaves from a boxwood. They are not deciduous and will not respond to total leaf removal the same way. Leaf removal will probably kill them.

Have you had a bad experience with boxwoods that would lead you to believe this? I have never heard of this and have seen many people take off all the branches down to a stump such as this video. I think it was Dario that also said he never gets his boxwoods to back bud. I wonder whats up with that. The whole purpose of using boxwoods as hedge material is precisly for their attributes of being able to be taken back to very few branches and trained to other shapes.

 

[benw3790]

Ive done it a few times also, with good results but never tried it in the winter on yamadori.. Idk if it would be a good idea to cut it down to a complete stump with absolutely NO leaves on it all what so ever, right at collection, and in the winter time. Maybe thats what he meant? But it should be fine any other time.. Maybe fine in cold weather to, idk. But even all the ones Ive cut back really hard in the spring, Ive always kept at least a couple leaves. But azalea an boxwoods are really good candidates for this method. I don't think I would feel comfortable chopping any evergreen species completely to a stump in the winter time. I'm a newbie tho so what do I know!?

 

[jedge76]

Thanks everybody for the input. I don't think it will be too big of a deal to transplant a boxwood in this climate, granted I don't dig it out during the morning frost. The reason these plants are only a foot or so in height is similar to what Smoke is talking about...we prune them as a low hedge with each box planted about 2 feet apart from one another in a winding row of sorts. They can be shaped and cut back very easily and are one of the most common landscape plants in this area for that reason.

I also know that we have landscaped at my golf course with boxwoods in winter time without too much trouble, but was thinking maybe nursery pot to ground is potentially less traumatic than ground to nursery pot, which I will be doing. So I figured I'd try to get some advice just in case. They're tough trees. I'll try to post pics when I get one or two of them home this weekend (supposed to be a bit of a warm up!).

Thanks again!

 

[jedge76]

I think you may rethink that after watching this video. I've seen some of his boxwoods- awesome trees.
[video=youtube;ruO__jC3hwE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruO__jC3hwE[/video]

I watched the whole thing--seems like they back bud just fine!

 

[Paradox]

Have you had a bad experience with boxwoods that would lead you to believe this? I have never heard of this and have seen many people take off all the branches down to a stump such as this video. I think it was Dario that also said he never gets his boxwoods to back bud. I wonder whats up with that. The whole purpose of using boxwoods as hedge material is precisly for their attributes of being able to be taken back to very few branches and trained to other shapes.

I have had a couple where branches that have all the leaves removed dont do so well. I havent found alot of info on boxwood (besides here). Even the Bonsai4Me species guide doesnt describe pruning and the other source (cant find it right now, cant remember whether it was a book or internet) said to make sure there were some leaves left on branches you were trying to get ramification on or they would die. This is the first example of a boxwood being taken completely down to a stump that Ive seen.

Ill have to try it now.

 

[jedge76]

I have had a couple where branches that have all the leaves removed dont do so well. This is the first example of a boxwood being taken completely down to a stump that Ive seen. Ill have to try it now.

I get your initial point, though...probably not the best idea to hard prune or defoliate at this point in the season. Thanks for chiming in Para!

 

[bonsaibp]

I think that it may be leaving some stuff on other branches that cause some bare branches to die back. I've had no backbudding when I cut some branches to stubs but left green on others. I've also had new buds pop all over when all green was cut.
In any case I wouldn't be overly concerned with digging them, they are tough.

 

[Smoke]

I think that it may be leaving some stuff on other branches that cause some bare branches to die back. I've had no backbudding when I cut some branches to stubs but left green on others. I've also had new buds pop all over when all green was cut.
In any case I wouldn't be overly concerned with digging them, they are tough.

What he said.

 

[Poink88]

Have you had a bad experience with boxwoods that would lead you to believe this? I have never heard of this and have seen many people take off all the branches down to a stump such as this video. I think it was Dario that also said he never gets his boxwoods to back bud. I wonder whats up with that. The whole purpose of using boxwoods as hedge material is precisly for their attributes of being able to be taken back to very few branches and trained to other shapes.

It is indeed me. I have lots of boxwood and NONE ever back bud when chopped w/o any greens (unless there are latent buds to begin with). Bonsai4me have an article about it and most of my local club mates experienced the same. Maybe it is regional since I've seen many hedge here that died once chopped that hard as well.

To the OP, just sharing my experience...do as you would to your tree.

 

[michaelj]

I'm in Southern California and I've collected many dozens of boxwoods from hedges, in all seasons, with success. Just try to get a few inches of rootball and don't let the roots sit out too long before you get it into your growing pot and you should be fine. I've never pruned away all of the foliage, but I've pruned down to a single leaf many times. I've pruned back to no foliage on major branches many times, and more than 95% start budding quickly. However, I would not start the heavy pruning at this time of year. Going into winter, I would leave some foliage on every branch that I wanted to keep. In March or April, you do almost whatever you want.

 

[Tona]

I am also in Southern California and have had pretty much the same experience as Michael. I have dug up quite a few boxwoods and either left foliage on all the branches I wanted or completely taken the foliage off. Both methods have worked for me. Only one boxwood I have dug was left with foliage on some branches/trunks (multi-trunk tree) and none on others. The bare branches never recovered. I am not sure if this was anomaly or the norm.
Tona

 

[gaffer]

Transplanting box from pot to pot at the end of December .

Just have the hole already dug for it to go into (or, if you must, the grow box all prepared and ready.

Yes we in the Pacific Northwest transplant boxwood just after Christmas . That is the norm. Be careful of frost for a month or so and the slowly harden off. From garden plot to plot it should be no problem, especially in NC.
Good luck
Gaffer

 

[Poink88]

I am also in Southern California and have had pretty much the same experience as Michael. I have dug up quite a few boxwoods and either left foliage on all the branches I wanted or completely taken the foliage off. Both methods have worked for me. Only one boxwood I have dug was left with foliage on some branches/trunks (multi-trunk tree) and none on others. The bare branches never recovered. I am not sure if this was anomaly or the norm.
Tona

I wish it works that way for us here, really do.

I love working with boxwood and for me, the only negative is the lack of back budding when no leaves are left. I have close to 2 dozen mature boxwood...would have more if not for the back budding issue.