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Old 20-06-2003, 02:08 AM
Natty_Dread
 
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Default Removing a forsythia

Hi all -- I have a couple of forsythias I'd like to get rid of because
they're overgrown with grass and weeds from inside the shrubs and I haven't
been able to get rid of the overgrowth. I'm not sure how old these are,
since they were here when I bought the house, but one is about four feet
tall and about three feet wide from side to side. The other one is slightly
smaller than that. I don't have any experience removing shrubs, and I've
heard that forsythias have deep root systems, so I'm wondering (1) if that's
actually true about the root systems, and (2) about how far I'll need to dig
down to remove these. If anyone has some good advice for me, I'd be very
grateful. Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Rhonda
Alexandria, VA
Zone 7


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Old 20-06-2003, 02:44 AM
 
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Default Removing a forsythia

nah.. not deep. whack it down leaving about 2 feet of upright trunks to get a grip
on, start chopping around the outside. my DH uses a pick ax sorta thing, gets the
tip under and works around it popping it out . then uses the flat end part to whack
the roots. rock it back and forth to pop the rest of the roots. Ingrid

"Natty_Dread" wrote:
I've
heard that forsythias have deep root systems, so I'm wondering (1) if that's
actually true about the root systems, and (2) about how far I'll need to dig
down to remove these. If anyone has some good advice for me, I'd be very
grateful. Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Rhonda
Alexandria, VA
Zone 7




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Old 20-06-2003, 03:32 AM
B & J
 
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Default Removing a forsythia

wrote in message
...
nah.. not deep. whack it down leaving about 2 feet of upright trunks to

get a grip
on, start chopping around the outside. my DH uses a pick ax sorta thing,

gets the
tip under and works around it popping it out . then uses the flat end part

to whack
the roots. rock it back and forth to pop the rest of the roots. Ingrid

It depends a bit on the soil, Ingrid. In sand or loam the digging is
relatively easy, but I removed four from heavy clay with rocks in it, which
proved a bit of a challenge. First, I soaked the soil a couple of times a
few days in advance. Then I cut the bushes down to a couple of feet with the
loppers, and finally I used the pick ax to dig a trench around each of the
plants. They refused to come out for me even using a pry. My neighbor who
has a tractor with a front end loader came over, and we hooked a log chain
around the base of each and eventually were able to pull them out. It was
not an easy task. BTW, I liked the forsythia, but they were in the wrong
place so I planted two of the pulled out stubs and gave the other two to the
neighbor. The bark was stripped in many places by the chain and the roots
looked shredded, but all four survived and blossomed this spring. They're
tough!

John


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Old 20-06-2003, 06:44 AM
madgardener
 
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Default Removing a forsythia

"B & J" wrote
in ...
wrote in message
...

nah.. not deep. whack it down leaving about 2 feet of upright trunks to get
a grip on, start chopping around the outside. my DH uses a pick ax sorta
thing, gets the tip under and works around it popping it out . then uses the
flat end part to whack the roots. rock it back and forth to pop the rest of
the roots. Ingrid It depends a bit on the soil, Ingrid. In sand or loam the
digging is relatively easy, but I removed four from heavy clay with rocks in
it, which proved a bit of a challenge. First, I soaked the soil a couple of
times a few days in advance. Then I cut the bushes down to a couple of feet
with the loppers, and finally I used the pick ax to dig a trench around each
of the plants. They refused to come out for me even using a pry. My neighbor
who has a tractor with a front end loader came over, and we hooked a log
chain around the base of each and eventually were able to pull them out. It
was not an easy task. BTW, I liked the forsythia, but they were in the wrong
place so I planted two of the pulled out stubs and gave the other two to the
neighbor. The bark was stripped in many places by the chain and the roots
looked shredded, but all four survived and blossomed this spring. They're
tough!



John



are you telling me we're ALL removing our old Forsythia's? I finally got a
hair up my bum and whacked MY two huge 25+ year old forsythia's yesterday,
Squire coming home just as I was starting on the second bush and throwing
them in the driveway.........he showed me how to bundle it all up and we
rolled it and tied it up and he will haul it unfortunatly somewhere to burn
later when it dries a bit more. I wish I had a shredder. The stubbs are
still there, and the ground is fast drying out despite the soaking rains
we've had the last three days. Are you telling me I will need a tractor to
pull these things outa the clay????!? I was gonna try the pick ax to tease
most of them out. Since coppicing them both to the ground and opening up the
area directly into the west yard where it's raised beds and more chaos, I
really DON'T want them now. I'm over it. I can always plant the two little
babies down in the woods and see how tough they really are..........If you
hear a back crying tomorrow it will be mine. I am going to start whacking
away at the stubbs and roots and see if I can dislodge some of these roots.
Wish me luck (I have clay and glacial rocks too, John.)

madgardener



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Old 20-06-2003, 07:44 AM
dstvns
 
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Default Removing a forsythia

On Thu, 19 Jun 2003 20:11:25 -0400, "Natty_Dread"
wrote:

Hi all -- I have a couple of forsythias I'd like to get rid of because
they're overgrown with grass and weeds from inside the shrubs and I haven't
been able to get rid of the overgrowth.


I can understand that. they can be very invasive.

I don't have any experience removing shrubs, and I've
heard that forsythias have deep root systems, so I'm wondering (1) if that's
actually true about the root systems, and (2) about how far I'll need to dig
down to remove these.


My smaller forsythia weren't too difficult to remove. The larger ones
required a pry-bar (spud bar) and a rock for leverage, but they also
came out. I chopped them down to 2 feet of stalks, removing all
brush, then used the pry bar on the roots. A lot of work, but I'll do
*ANYTHING* to get out of the house this spring.

A great plant to replace asiatic forsythia is the native spicebush,
lindera benzoin (another common name for it is the "forsythia of the
wilds"). It has smaller flowers than the asiatic versions, but the
drupes (fruit berries) of the plant are used by two dozen native
birds, especially needed along migration routes. The bark can also be
used as a tea, and the entire bush is fragrant. They require both a
female and male bush for fruit-set. The female will have berries, but
the male's flowers will be showier.

Dan



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Old 30-11-2003, 02:22 AM
B & J
 
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Default Forsythia

"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message
news:3fc8aed1$0$3246$afc38c87@...
I keep seeing what looks like forsythia from a distance, in bloom now in

N.
Illinois.

I can't get close enough without driving into peoples yards to check it

out.

What could they be and forsythia blooms in Spring?

js


I well could be forsythia blooming. I not only have forsythia blooming now
but also Carolina jasmine in bloom. Both normally bloom in March (z 6), but
we had a chilling period earlier followed by an extended warming trend (60 -
70). That was enough to trigger blooming.

John


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Old 30-11-2003, 03:22 PM
Retiredff
 
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Default Forsythia

Xref: kermit rec.gardens:257550



B & J wrote:
"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message
news:3fc8aed1$0$3246$afc38c87@...
I keep seeing what looks like forsythia from a distance, in bloom
now in N. Illinois.

I can't get close enough without driving into peoples yards to check
it out.

What could they be and forsythia blooms in Spring?


A lot of forsythias have a wild hair and will completly or partially bloom
in the fall and/or winter. It's kind of neat to see those yellow flowers
peeking through a thin layer of snow.


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Old 30-11-2003, 05:02 PM
Mike Gilmore
 
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Default Forsythia

Your Forsythia from a distance might even be a Kerria. Some wonderful
friendships between gardeners have begun by a passerby asking about a plant.

--
Regards
Mike Gilmore
WinsfordWalledGarden, SW England,
USDA Zone9a
"B & J" bjskeff@removecox-internetcom wrote in message
...
"Jack Schmidling" wrote in message
news:3fc8aed1$0$3246$afc38c87@...
I keep seeing what looks like forsythia from a distance, in bloom now in

N.
Illinois.

I can't get close enough without driving into peoples yards to check it

out.

What could they be and forsythia blooms in Spring?

js


I well could be forsythia blooming. I not only have forsythia blooming now
but also Carolina jasmine in bloom. Both normally bloom in March (z 6),

but
we had a chilling period earlier followed by an extended warming trend

(60 -
70). That was enough to trigger blooming.

John




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