CAROL LINK: Stay above root systems if planting shrubs under trees
Published: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 1:44 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 at 1:46 p.m.
Q: My aunt says a shrub should not be planted under a tree because the tree takes all the nutrition from the soil and causes the shrub to starve. Last year, before she told me that, I planted two azaleas under a tree in my yard. They have not grown at all and they look pretty bad. Is my aunt right?
A: An azalea or any shrub will grow quite well under a tree if the shrub is planted in a raised bed above the tree’s root system. That way, the shrub does not have to compete with the tree for nourishment. Oscar and I planted several azaleas in a planting bed along our driveway under trees, but we brought in topsoil and built a mound above the soil surface. We loosened the roots of every azalea and scooped out enough soil from the mound to set each shrub in place.
After pushing the soil back in around the root system, we tamped down the soil, added a layer of mulch to prevent the soil from washing away and then soaked the plant’s root ball until water overflowed the planting hole. Our azaleas are growing and doing well. Of course, we water them on a regular basis.
Q: Is it possible to propagate a cutting from a weeping willow tree?
A: A friend recently asked me the same question. I told him to try layering one of the small weeping branches to see if a root system would develop. He did and he tells me a root system has formed. To layer the weeping willow, follow these directions:
With the limb still attached to the tree, select a thin weeping branch and rough up a small 1-inch section of the branch, near the tip.
Place the roughed-up section on a cultivated area of ground, or place the roughed-up tip on top of a container of soil situated beneath the tree.
Place a brick or rock on top to hold the small branch in place until a root system forms.
In a couple of months, check the limb by tugging lightly to see if a root system has formed. (A root system has formed if the stem resists being removed from the soil.)
If a root system has formed, go up the branch and snip at least a 2-foot section of the rooted limb from the tree.
Prepare a 1-gallon container of rich nourishing soil. Scoop out a hole in the soil. Place the rooted section in the soil, standing the 2-foot stem up in the container. Push the soil back around the new root system and water the plant well.
Continue watering the new plant on a regular basis until the tree becomes established.
As the tree continues to grow, transplant the tree into a new pot that is double the size of the original container.
Continue moving the tree up one container size, until reaching a 3-gallon container and the tree becomes established. At that time, the tree may be transplanted directly in the landscape. (Remember that autumn is the optimal time for planting a tree).
Carol (Bonnie) Link is an Etowah County Master Gardener and an experienced garden writer. Her weekly column is designed to help and encourage others in their gardening endeavors. Send questions or comments to email@example.com.
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