Removing phormiums
 

Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

Removing phormiums
 

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"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

We dug a trench all round ours, trimmed the side roots out with a saw, dug
underneath it and 'rocked it' out.

Slid it onto a large folded sheet, 'just' managed to manhandle it into a
wheelbarrow, it was a good 2 foot in diameter and 6 foot high, wheeled it
down the garden to where daughter and son in law had parked a pick up truck,
4 of us hoisted it into the back, and they took it away and planted it in
their massive garden.

If you 'just want to get rid of it', dig the trench all round and cut it
out, bit by bit by bit with a course wood saw.

Very soft and sappy. Stacks of stuff for the compost heap. (Oil the saw
afterwards or it will go rusty)

Mike

Removing phormiums
 

On Jun 14, 8:16*am, Pam Moore wrote:
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? *Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. *She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. *She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. *Thanks.

I hear that Blaster Bates will come out of retirement for an
appropriate fee.

Removing phormiums
 

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"moghouse" wrote in message
...
On Jun 14, 8:16 am, Pam Moore wrote:
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I hear that Blaster Bates will come out of retirement for an
appropriate fee.

.................................................. ..........................

Very soft and sappy. The course saw is the answer, even on the roots

Been there, done that :-))

Mike

Removing phormiums
 

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"'Mike'" wrote in message
...


--
.
"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

We dug a trench all round ours, trimmed the side roots out with a saw, dug
underneath it and 'rocked it' out.

Slid it onto a large folded sheet, 'just' managed to manhandle it into a
wheelbarrow, it was a good 2 foot in diameter and 6 foot high, wheeled it
down the garden to where daughter and son in law had parked a pick up
truck, 4 of us hoisted it into the back, and they took it away and planted
it in their massive garden.

If you 'just want to get rid of it', dig the trench all round and cut it
out, bit by bit by bit with a course wood saw.

Very soft and sappy. Stacks of stuff for the compost heap. (Oil the saw
afterwards or it will go rusty)

Mike


Go to the last four picture on the following ....

http://www.myalbum.com/Album=OQFDHPQP

That was when it was a bit smaller.

Mike

Removing phormiums
 

On Jun 14, 8:16*am, Pam Moore wrote:
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? *Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. *She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. *She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. *Thanks.

If you want a serious suggestion may I recommend a method I used some
years ago?

I had just moved into my house and was surveying the garden. There
were two enormous pampas grass clumps. I started to tackle the first
one but found it very hard going. My secret weapon was then brought
into play. My then teenage daughter had a new american boyfriend who
was very anxious to make a good impression on his sweetheart's Ma and
Pa. Fortunately he was a very athletic young man. "What we really
need, Greg, is a little help digging out a couple of plants". "No
trouble at all. sir, Consider it done, where's the spade?" It took him
a week of intensive labour but he was very fit at the end!

Removing phormiums
 

On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:18:29 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:16:20 +0100, Pam Moore
wrote:

Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

Never actually dug one out, although I've considerably reduced the
girth of one and I've removed several pampas grasses over the years
and the approach is similar.

I used a combination of heavy grub-axe, a good pair of loppers and a
sharp hand axe, the sort used for chopping firewood. Dig a trench on
one side of it, and then tackle the individual shoots, one at a time.
Pull them down and away from the core of the clump, and then hack down
on the join with whatever combination of the above tools takes your
fancy until it comes away. Repeat with the next shoot, and so on until
the job's done.

Or get a man with a mini-digger!

Thanks Chris, that's particularly helpful. Sadly there's no access to
the garden for a mini-digger, but I'll give my grandson your
instructions. He's just finishing school and needs something to
occupy him while he waits for exam results. An axe it will be! Two
phormiums should tone up his muscles!

Pam in Bristol

Removing phormiums
 

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"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:18:29 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:16:20 +0100, Pam Moore
wrote:

Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

Never actually dug one out, although I've considerably reduced the
girth of one and I've removed several pampas grasses over the years
and the approach is similar.

I used a combination of heavy grub-axe, a good pair of loppers and a
sharp hand axe, the sort used for chopping firewood. Dig a trench on
one side of it, and then tackle the individual shoots, one at a time.
Pull them down and away from the core of the clump, and then hack down
on the join with whatever combination of the above tools takes your
fancy until it comes away. Repeat with the next shoot, and so on until
the job's done.

Or get a man with a mini-digger!

Thanks Chris, that's particularly helpful. Sadly there's no access to
the garden for a mini-digger, but I'll give my grandson your
instructions. He's just finishing school and needs something to
occupy him while he waits for exam results. An axe it will be! Two
phormiums should tone up his muscles!

Pam in Bristol

A sharp course toothed saw will be easier and do the job quicker.

Mike

Removing phormiums
 

In article ,
says...
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

I use a mattock but if you work from the edge in they are quite easy to
deal with piece meal
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

Removing phormiums
 

On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:51:24 +0100, Charlie Pridham
wrote:

In article ,
says...
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

I use a mattock but if you work from the edge in they are quite easy to
deal with piece meal

Thanks Charlie. I'll report later in year!

Pam in Bristol

Removing phormiums
 

--
..
"Pam Moore" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:51:24 +0100, Charlie Pridham
wrote:

In article ,
says...
Has anyone tried removing a phormium? Which is the best way?
How deeply rooted are they?
My daughter has 2 phormiums in her garden which have outgrown their
space. She wants to get rid of them.
Even trying to get a fork in is difficult, so digging them out seems
impossible. She is considering an axe!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Pam in Bristol

I use a mattock but if you work from the edge in they are quite easy to
deal with piece meal

Thanks Charlie. I'll report later in year!

Pam in Bristol

Why not show us pictures, or even videos, of before during and after. Even
having a go with a course sharp saw which will halve the time :-))))))

Mike