Monika, I feel so fortunate to have discovered your thread this morning.
Please add a little more, as I have several questions as a novice.
Your picture shows holes in the side of your pot with some roots; did you use green plastic tied around the base of the trunk when you brought them inside?
Excess water in the bag does not rot the plant, or should I drain it?
Is it too harsh to cut off a large lower branch to create a tree?
I assume you continue to do this year after year.
I am eager to create an allee next summer, and the time is now!
Many thanks!
Cutback of a alley tree
I have one more alley tree question - if the only cutting you have is not straight, would you go ahead and root it or is it a waste of time??? If it's a waste of time, I will go ahead an root it as a back up, but I don't want to go to all the trouble for a tree, if it's not worth it...actually I have several I'm considering, but some aren't tall enough, some are crooked, etc...
SherryLike, it is a rebar, coated with plastic. I buy them in local garden supply store.
It all depends how crooked the cutting is. If you are unable to straighten it out I would rather root a new one. Trees with straight trunks look always nicer.
Pollygardening, you dont need to drain the plastic bag because dormant brugs dont need much water. You can cut off a lower large branch and root it. The Green top must be covered with a clear pastic hood to supply the green top with adequate moisture.
Sherry -- you could always spray-paint your re-bar with Green Rustoleoum (sp?). I just wear gloves when I handle it, and have found that the natural, rusty/grey color blends with the plants nicely.
I just found this thread and it is a wealth of information. Monika, thank you so much for sharing information with all of us. The pictures are a big help. Do you have any more of your pruning that you could post? Thanks again.
Terrie
Thank you so much, Monika and Gretchen, you surely are nice guys!!! Monika, I knew the answer to the crooked tree question before I asked it, but I have a beautiful, healthy Rosemond that's almost tall enough, but already Yed, and has a curve in her lower trunk, I'll figure out something, sigh, maybe it will straighten. Gretchen, everything is 'hard' for me. I can get the Peters Excel Cal-Mag, just twenty five bucks per bag, but they will charge me forty two bucks for shipping two bags, and I draw the line!!! The rebar is about the same. I cannot locate a suitable height rebar, even if I painted it, which I don't want to do. I have to go outta town for everything, so I'm going to look for the painted rebar Monika uses, I 'think' Lowes might have it, cross your fingers!!!! You girls are sweeties....
Woodspirit, if you are just talking about taking cuttings, they don't have to have that many nodes on them. A couple would be enough or you can go bigger.
Thanks Brugie. As for the Peter's Excel, my local garden center uses it and I got some from the owner. If you know a nursery or garden center owner near-by, perhaps they will share with you........
being a newbie I have constant questions, can anyone answer this one, I purchased three Brugs from a nursery, they are about 2 1/2 ft tall no Y but several nodes with leaves starting, will they bloom without the Y they if they have been cut from another plant?
There was a lengthy discussion about that back in the Spring. If the cutting is from above the "Y" (the flowering region of the plant), it MAY bloom without forming another Y, but I think that's the exception rather than the rule. If they were cuttings taken from below the Y, they will not flower before making a Y. I hope I didn't totally confuse you, Kareoke...
Blooming depends on if your plants were cut from above the Y .
Then it's very possible they will bloom for you.
In your zone , unless you have good indoor growing conditions or a GH., you will probably not get blooms until next spring.
On the other hand if your plants are seedlings or basal cut (below the Y) they need to form thier own Y in order to create a bloom zone.
thanks for the answers, I was hoping to get flowers early next year, guess I will wait and see, I have all my plants in the house, some in miniture greenhouse, some by bright window