Did You Really Want To Know?
Ok, Anne, these are the lilacs I dug which are about 4 feet tall, half the size of the bush I took them from. Sorry the pics are sideways. I forgot to rotate before I left home.
I am planning on pruning back the foliage about a third to promote new leaf and root growth plus that should provide more blooms next year. This is an old fashion variety so not much to worry about insect or food-wise. If I were to tackle the lilac in your yard, I would dig as much as I could of the root ball (use the garden fork to keep from cutting as many roots) and go the same route of pruning as I did. I wouldn't try to split the root ball.
It will be a tremendous job, no doubt but I would do it in the effort to save the lilac. Are there a lot of sprouts or shoots? Maybe the better idea would be to go for them and discard the large rooted part. Just up to you.
posted by Unknown at 9:19 AM
4 Comments:
Thanks! I'm encouraged the root mass looks shallow. I was expecting it to go deep. That means it won't be too hard to dig up? I'll have to have a good look at it tonight when I get home and see about the new shoots.
In pruning, I cut back 1/3 of the plant and leave 2/3?
I just want to make sure I don't cut too much.
Garden fork? Is that what I use for my garden salad?
Now an established bush such as an eight-foot-tall one might have a bit different root ball and the soil my folk's bush was growing in was sandy loam making for a relatively easy digging venture!
Yes, to the saving 2/3. No big deal pruning either. Just lop it off.
Garden fork joke...funny..haha.
One more question: should I wait until it's stopped blooming before the procedure? This bush is 8 ft tall but very scrawny, when do I prune?
Oh sorry, guess that's two.
One question still.
Prune after it blooms and this will encourage more bloom next year.
If it's scrawny and eight feet tall then it might not be too bad a job to dig.
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