On 2 Dec 2004 at 19:37, Kitsune Miko wrote:

There is that joke about the ultimate Jewish dilemma
being free ham. With me it’s free plant material
(like I need more).

Tonight, I got a 4’ old nandina with a really good
base. Now I have to figure out how to keep it alive
and how to cut it back. We dug and did get feeder
roots, but the roots are minimal compared to the
foliage. Can I cut it back? Does nandina sprout from
old wood? I have the roots wrapped in soil and a
moist towel. This will have to do until Saturday am
when I can see what I am doing.

The base is about 6” and has many sprouts. I think it
could be stunning if I can get it to survive.


Wow! A Nandina with a 6-inch base!

The answer to both questions is yes. About the only thing that
kills a Nandina is drought.

I have to qualify the "yes" on cutting back to say I wouldn't do
it at the same time the roots are so badly chopped. Plant it in
a wide, shallow pot in bonsai-type soil and keep it moist (not
wet). They grow in sun or shade, but the compound leaves tend
to get a LOT bigger in the shade. Do your cutting next early
summer.

A word about its budding back. The buds tend to come out a few
inches below the chop and at a rather sudden angle, so it's hard
to get a tree without sudden zags in it. You can get several
sprouts, but they're as likely to all be on the same side as
not.

It root sprouts prolifically! I have an ever-growing nandina
forest.

Unless you want Nandina growing all over your property, I would
not allow the berries to mature, even though they're gorgeous
with the red berries up top. Birds like the flesh and excrete
the seeds -- every one of which will sprout.

I'd love to see a picture of a Nandina this large.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Nature
encourages no looseness, pardons no errors. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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