heres my problem over a year ago I had a guy plant a row of forsythias,,at the time they were blooming
by
Gary B
+5
and were 2 ft tall they didnt grow an inch all year and now it looks like they are still 2 ft tall,,and I know they are from the weed family,,I believe the guy didnt loosen the ground at all and it is very hard,,,so what are my ptions,,anything other than dig them up and replant?
8 answers
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So what have you been doing for fertilizer, etc. in the past year, and did you water them. Almost all plants require more water in their first year. Also, the right fertilizer helps. It might pay to take a soil sample to your NC cooperative extension office to figure out what you might be missing in the soil
3po3
on Feb 18, 2012
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thanx Ill do that and no I didnt fertilize but did water
Gary B
on Feb 19, 2012
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It's definitely worth having a soil test done, Gary, but, if your forsythia look otherwise healthy, I would not worry too much that you didn't see much growth the first year. Plants need a period to settle in before they start actively growing. In New York we had a saying, "The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap." I've learned in Florida that that process can be much faster, but the basic principle is true.
Douglas Hunt
on Feb 19, 2012
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Gary,I would love to have my forsythias stop growing at 2 ft.In summer I have to trim once a mo. to keep them from covering my entire yard,and I never fertilize them.So be thankful for small ones!
JP S
on Feb 19, 2012
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Douglas is right on about the 3rd year leap, and the soil test. Two thoughts come to mind. The first being that the plants may have been damaged prior to planting. (Left in the pot too long without water, or set on hot pavement and cooked the roots.) That will cause them to delay breaking out of the root ball or not survive at all. So my second thought is to advise you to pull one up out of the ground to see what the roots look like. Check to see if they ever broke out of the root mass/ball that they come with out of the container or burlap, Look at the roots and see if they are black and yucky or healthy looking. You can also check what the soil around them looks like as well and assess if you need to pull them all out and amend the soil. Yes, Forsythia is a very tough plant, but they still need to be able to get those roots through the soil in a reasonable manner. Also do you happen to know the name of the variety that was planted?
360 Sod (Donna Dixson)
on Feb 19, 2012
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Forsythia is so beautiful...it may sound crazy but I use a short length of rear and poke seriously deep holes about 2 feet from my bush and I pour in a pitcher of Miracle-Gro diluted in water...they grow like crazy...just be careful not to jab a root..if u feel resistance going in the soil back off a foot or so..I agree with Douglas too! :)
Pamela Scruggs
on Apr 26, 2015
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In reference to 360Sod comment, when you take up the plant, you may also find that the Blo c k Head didn't even remove or cut the burlap!!! When the roots were set free....WOW!
Msi1170121
on May 19, 2015
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I have 20 I set out beside my driveway 15 years ago, They were sprouts around 18 inches tall. The ground I set them in I had to use a pick and sledge hammer to remove some of the rock to make a hole. The ground is clay and rock. ( I live in the mountains of N.C. ) I put potting soil and compost in each hole.. The first 3-4 years they probably reached 30 inches tall.The next year they started growing and haven't stopped. I try to keep mine trimmed back, but this summer I had a shoulder operation, and now from the ground up I have some branches pointing up that are 16 foot tall.. I dread it this winter cause the snow, ice storms will break them down. I will this spring with my chain saw cut them back to a height of 5 foot so I can keep them trimmed neatly.
Bill
on Aug 09, 2015
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