planting redwoods in between stumps without removing root systems

10 years ago

I want to replace the three (horrible) little shrubs in front of our house. IÃ¢ÂÂd like to plant two red twig dogwood shrubs in their place- weÃ¢ÂÂre going to be repainting the house a cream color and I thought they would look nice against that.

I donÃ¢ÂÂt know how difficult the current shrubs will be to remove, so one of my questions is if I could just cut all three to the ground, paint some Round Up (or Round Up Tree Stump and Root Killer) on the exposed stumps, and then plant the two dogwoods in between?

In a year or two IÃ¢ÂÂd like to extend the front garden bed to be more of a conifer garden, and I thought the redwood shrubs would be a nice background to that.

Do you think the redwood shrubs would do alright without removing the root systems of the current shrubs, and then just letting them rot? Will putting Round Up on the stumps damage the roots of the redwoods IÃ¢ÂÂm planning to plant?

Finally, IÃ¢ÂÂve read some very informative posts on here about why not to amend the soil when planting trees or shrubs. On some other sites I saw they were recommending amending the soil when planting red twig redwoods, so I wasnÃ¢ÂÂt sure if redwoods were different in this regard or if it was just people who didnÃ¢ÂÂt know what they were talking about.

Thank you in advance, IÃ¢ÂÂd appreciate any advice!

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Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 years ago
crikey ... lol.. you interchanged redwood and red twig thru the whole note... just to be sure.. we are talking red twig.. right ...

i planted a small red twig .. one gallon plant... and 5 or 6 years later.. it was near on 10 feet tall and almost the same wide ...

they will not fit in your spot ... period

being a conifer fiend.. i like that idea .. but forget about the redtwig ...

cut the conifers to the ground.. they will not resprout ... [pretty sure anyway ... ]

cut the shrub in the middle.. and treat it with killer.. and keep in mind.. RUp as a stump killer is 100% [41%] .. .not the prediluted ...

paint the house this year... and increase the depth of that bed 6 to 8 feet ...

anything you plant.. you should predict its relative size.. and plant it far enough from the foundation.. so that when it grows up.. you still have 2 to 3 feet of space .. at the foundation.. for house maintenance ...

never forget.. foundation plantings are planted to hide the foundation.. NOT ON THE FOUNDATION... as these previous ones were ...

if you insist on the red twigs.. they are run them over with the truck plants... i would not waste a single penny on amending the soil for such indestructible plants... the ONLY place that recommends amending.. is a place that sells amendments ... and never forget that ... in regard to conifers.. trees.. and shrubs ...

conifers and trees.. to make the whole process nearer to bulletproof.. have very specific planting times.. depending on where you are ... usually early spring.. and early fall ...in yoru chi-town area ...

so.. considering the house painting.. shoot for fall planting ...

there is a superb conifer seller in your area.. see link ...

sooo.. kill.. paint.. develop bed/design.. and plan for fall planting ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link
wannabegardnr
10 years ago
Look for cultivers Baileyi or Arctic Fire (shorter) for minimal spreading.
From the title I thought you were talking about planting redwood trees, which are giant sized. Red twig dogwood, on the other hand, something quite different.
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Zaphod42, hindsight is 20/20, of course, but if you decide you want to continue potting in wooden planters, you could try using a liner such as a heavy garbage bag of the most similar size. (I used contractor's bags.) I invented this method for an odd circumstance. A client wanted to use very specific porous decorative pots to house plants that would eventually outgrow their homes on an exposed balcony many stories up in Dowtown Portland. I lined the containers with heavy plastic bags both to protect the roots from drying out in the heat (west exposure) and from suffering in the cold winds during the winter. I also wanted to tidily and as easily as possible transfer the plants to other locations when they had overgrown their welcome. I cut adequate drainage holes in the bottoms of the bags and smooshed--is that a word?--the bags flat against the bottoms of the planters. I folded the sides and taped them with duct tape. I folded the tops of the bags so they hit just at soil level or a bit above to allow for mulching. I used a fast draining material such as gravel in the bottoms. (On the windy balcony, the gravel also stabilized pots that contained tall plants.) I filled the bags with soil, pressing gently against the sides a bit to keep the bags folded between the soil and the pots, and planted as usual. When I was ready for plant removal, I pulled the entire bags from the planters with a bit of careful work. I did this by turning the planters partially on their sides, slipping my hands between the planters and tops of the bags, holding the folds of the bags and pulling and wiggling until the entire packages of soil and roots and bags were free. It helps if a partner holds the bottoms of the planters. Then I moved the bags o' plants to their new locations, carefully slit the bags open, removed roots and soil together and slid them into my planting holes. (A utility knife or old kitchen shears work well for cutting.) You may have to pick a little gravel out of the roots. Some gravel was buried with my plants, but in Portland clay, it's all good. Anyway, just food for thought. You may prefer plastic pots, of course. In my own garden, I long ago surrendered the pretty planters in my baby plant nursery and replaced them with plain ol' black plastic nursery pots. Not nearly as attractive as your wooden planters, but straightforward. However, if you're still feeling decorative and you're game for a little experiment.... :-) Carol
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my good friend mike.. lives in the wettest place in the world ... lol ... the PNW.. pacific northwest ... now this is what happens just about everywhere else ... to rot.. wood requires water.. lots of water ... so if you plant real close to a large root system ... you can create a real dry area ... which MIGHT be a problem with a transplant ... so just INSURE.. the transplant stays properly moist for a year or two ... next... to rot.. wood steal available nitrogen from the soil ... so.. if in a year or two ... the plant.. being properly watered and all .. starts to yellow a bit .. you will need to fert it.. JUST A LITTLE ... but they are not children..and dont need to be fed.. so the fert.. is ONLY ... a remedy.. should you OBSERVE a problem ... so.. putting.. two and two together.. if you want the stump to rot faster.. after cutting flush to the ground.. hubby could drill some one inch holes in it.. and you could put some fert in those holes.. and then keep it all moist ... and it will speed the rotting along.. somewhat ... regardless.. its going to be there a long time... depending on moisture.. but you are going to hide it with the other.. so i dont know if i would waste the effort on all this ... finally ... you will have. a spectacular mushroom show over the years ... and i suggest you enjoy that for what its worth.. its knowledge.. that there is enough moisture.. for mother natures breaker-downers.. the fungus.. to be attacking..the wood ... you can even trace where large roots were .. by the line of mushrooms ... just enjoy that part.. when they use up the energy stored in the wood.. they will go away on their own ... BTW .. has the stump been treated to die???? .. after the final cut.. you should apply 100% round up.. or stump killer to the EDGE of the stump... the green layer.. just under the bark .... good luck ken ps: and come back.. if you have suckers popping up.. we know how to take care of those also ...
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
10 years ago
And red twig dogwoods can - and even should - be pruned back hard periodically to renew vibrant stem coloring. Plus, there's an even longer list of compact or dwarf growing forms than wannabe alluded to. Look also for C. sericea 'Isanti' or 'Kelseyi', among others.

As to amending, skip it! With only one or two exceptions, I can't think of any tree or shrub that would benefit from an amended planting hole. For the most part, these are native plants (or very closely related) and will grow under a range of even quite challenging conditions
arylkin
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you! I clearly have no idea what I'm talking about as to redwoods. I meant red twig dogwood, I guess I was thinking about how they had red wood lol.

I've enlisted some family members to see if we can dig out some of the shrubs, we'll see.

planting redwoods in between stumps without removing root systems

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

wannabegardnr

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planting redwoods in between stumps without removing root systems

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

wannabegardnr

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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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