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Plant Propagation

Rooting serviceberries

13 years ago

I planted a serviceberry last Spring (2010). When I was putzing around the garden in early Spring (March) of this year, I noticed it tipped over. On closer inspection, it looks like a critter (rabbit?) had gnawed through the base of the tree so that it was completely severed from the root system. I plunged the whole (rootless) tree deep into teh ground at the same spot, really not expecting much.

Low and behold, almost 6 weeks later, the plant is still alive! It's now flowering, and leaves are budding.

I'm scared to tempt fate and tug on it to see if it's made new roots.

Has this ever happended to you? Or, is the tree just running through any energy stored in its branches and wille ventually die when it runs out of stored energy? I keep scratching near the branch tips -- and still green!

The plant I have is about 3-4 tall.

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Comment (1)

wally_1936
13 years ago
I would leave it alone and wait as if you pull on it and the roots are not well established it may kill the plant. I believe the hardest thing for us gardeners ans would-be-gardeners is our lack of patience. Enjoy what you have and set back and watch nature at work. I copy-pasted this from a serviceberry website there are plenty out there

Propagation:
While serviceberry can be grown from cuttings, it is seldom worth the effort. Seeds are easily collected and germination is usually quite good. Collect ripe berries during July and August and place in a small pail of dry, clean, sifted sand. Crush berries with your hands while mixing with sand. Sift mixture through a window screen, remove larger pieces of fruit. Plant this mixture of seeds and pulp into rows in the nursery, trying to get about 3 seeds per inch (2.5 cm). If you just planted the berry, which has several seeds, the fruit would probably ferment and heat up enough to damage the seeds. Seeds should be planted as soon as possible and will germinate the next spring. Germination is usually less than 50%, but growth is rapid, averaging about 1 foot (30 cm) per year.

Thanks
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Hello, I know this is a long time ago that you posted this, but I want to say THANK YOU for posting this! I live in Ontario and want trees along a fence line that provide spring & fall interest, I know serviceberry trees are native here and would do well in their eventual home in our yard, which has clay, moist soil (hard to find low-maintenance shrubs that will grow in the soil conditions, plus we're zone 4, plus I'm just learning how to "be" a gardener/homeowner...) Anyway, I was going to plant serviceberry shrubs in 4 large containers (25" x 25" resin Suncast planters) I have on our patio, let them grow a bit for a year or two, then plant them once they were big enough to earn the respect/space of the lawn care crew out back... If I wait until November/December and then drag the pots into the garage until the frigid temps have passed... I know I could also line the pots with insulation (have a can of spray foam insulation I may use to cover the inside with an inch layer or so, like putting icing on a cake, but on the inside of the pot?... anyway, I'm sorry you didn't get many replies, I'm glad to see your plant did flower with some more space. If it is still in a container, or if you were able to transplant it into your yard, I would love an update to see how it was doing, many years later! I think the stories of saving little seedlings and letting them do their thing are great stories. Anyone can buy beautiful shrubs from a nursery, but little sentimental stories like this are why I enjoy gardening. Cheers!
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