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  • From: Mauch1@aol.com
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Planting Clonal Rootstock
  • Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 10:14:05 -0400

Del, since your original question seems to have gone the way of the Black
Walnut :-), I thought I'd try to give a personal answer to your question.

>Question 1: How important is it to get the individual roots >of a clonal
>rootstock layed out in its own path?
>By just throwing dirt around it they all clump together - >?>but they are so
>fine and tangled it seems rediculously laborious to seperate >them,
>especially if there are a lot to plant.
I'd guess I'd come somewhere "in-between", I'm a hobbyist and planting a few
at a time (although I typically don't have much time :-( I try to spread the
roots out a little bit, but I don't make sure that each of those roots has a
seperate path. If you were using a tree planter, I'd guess you'd barely have
time to get the tree in the soil.


>Question 2: I prune seedling roots somewhat like I do a >tree, how does one
>prune the masses of little roots of clonal rootstocks?
>My thought is to remove half of them right at the base - >rather than
>cutting
>the tips (thinking of 5 years down the road - and all those >tiny roots
>strangling each other)
Well, I typically try not to trim roots. I try to make my hole wide enough
to harbor all the roots. I'll even allow them to make a slight spiral as
long as the roots aren't actually wrapping around the hole. As to the clonal
stocks, I think they root prune themselves. When you did them up after
they've grown, only a few of the roots will have survived and become
dominant. I (think) it will look pretty much like the seedling stocks (but
no tap root).

--
Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N    75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation





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