Re: RE: Re: smoke tree

Re>Why do you cut the pussy willow down? To control size?
>  I have a black catkin variety that I put in last spring. 
>  Probably will let it be this spring.

Mine was plain old syringa vulgaris. Got way too tall. Also a real JB
magnet, so I had to get the leaves down to where I could see and spray.
Also it left the bottom all naked. I read about stooling and Syringa was
suggested as a great candidate. Stooling this monster still yielded 8-10
foot canes each season after pruning. Once I tried it I did it every
year until I got rid of the JB magnet once and for all. I miss the pussy
willows but it was just a nuisance.

Now YOUR black pussy willow will most likely be much easier to tame and
if there's no beetle problem, it's a great asset. I think a lot depends
on the space you want to fill and the desired shape. Do you want a tree
or a shrub? That's how you decide whether to stool.


Kitty

+++++++++
My only experience with stooling was
with Pussy Willow, Salix sp, except that I did it after the catkins
developed, so I could use them for decoration - then WHACK! all the way
back down.


If you have weeds, you don't have enough plants.

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