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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Serviceberry growing very slowly

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  • From: Dan Nave <nave1@comcast.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Serviceberry growing very slowly
  • Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:49:45 -0500

Hi Leslie,

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm in St. Paul MN zone 4a or 4b depending. Not usually dry, but I am wondering if there is some root competition with the daylilies that grow around it and seem to be very spreading, even though I thought that I had cleared a big enough area for the roots. I expected it to take off and tower over them all anyway since it was supposed to be over 10 feet tall. Heavier composting and some fungi might help. I have heard of humic acid but am not really familiar with its use and where one gets it.

Dan

On 6/17/2011 10:57 PM, Leslie Moyer wrote:
My serviceberries are growing slowly, too, but I planted them 2 years ago and
since then I've been planting all of my trees and shrubs with a dusting (to
the roots) of mycorrhizae spores and watering them in with humic acid. It
seems to really make a big difference--everything takes off so much faster
and puts on new growth like crazy. This is something you can add now by
mixing them in a water solution and watering it in around the root zone of
the tree. It won't work as well as putting it directly on the root ball, but
it's probably better than nothing. You can read some about it (and see some
comparative photos) here: http://www.fungi.com/mycogrow/index.html His (Paul
Staments) books have more info, too.

Giving it plenty of water (you didn't say where you lived--if you live in a
drier area they'll definitely appreciate supplemental water) and mulching
around the root zone with leaf compost would help, too, if you haven't done
that yet. (The leaf compost will give the mycorrhizae something to feed
upon, too, and will likely introduce its own natural supply of mycorrhizae
spores.) Other mulches work, too, but either leaf compost or ramial wood
mulch (mulch made from small diameter branches and other bark) works best if
you have it available.

I'm putting mine on a drip tape and adding lots of leaf compost this year in
the hopes it will spur faster growth. Good luck to us both! :-)

Leslie Moyer
unschooler@lrec.org



On Jun 17, 2011, at 9:10 PM, Dan Nave wrote:

I bought one of the Serviceberries from Gurneys last year and planted it in
my garden. It said is
was Shadbush Serviceberry, I believe.

It is growing but is still quite a tiny plant probably not more than a foot
high in it's second
year. It doesn't get a lot of direct sun because it's so damned small. I
thought it would grow a
lot faster and outgrow the day-lilies that grow around it...

Anyone have any suggestions?

Dan
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