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#1
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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 |
#2
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Removing phormiums
-- .. "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 |
#3
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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. |
#4
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Removing phormiums
-- .. "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 |
#5
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Removing phormiums
-- .. "'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 |
#6
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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! |
#7
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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 |
#8
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Removing phormiums
-- .. "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 |
#9
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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 |
#10
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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 |
#11
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Removing phormiums
-- .. "Pam Moore" wrote in message news 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 |
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