Liquidambar weirdo

[Wulfskaar]

I noticed this Liquidambar (sweet gum) on my property growing where it shouldn't be, so I pulled it out. I was shocked to see that it was growing on top of a layer of landscape fabric. It had 3 large roots that had spread out where they eventually found holes in the fabric. It was already chopped from a weed-whacker and has new growth.

I decided to pot it up in case it might be good for a root over rock or something like that. I put a couple flat rocks under it to keep any new roots from growing directly under it. Hopefully it survives the move!

 

[Eckhoffw]

H

I noticed this Liquidambar (sweet gum) on my property growing where it shouldn't be, so I pulled it out. I was shocked to see that it was growing on top of a layer of landscape fabric. It had 3 large roots that had spread out where they eventually found holes in the fabric. It was already chopped from a weed-whacker and has new growth.

I decided to pot it up in case it might be good for a root over rock or something like that. I put a couple flat rocks under it to keep any new roots from growing directly under it. Hopefully it survives the move!

Cool. I love finding surprises in the yard!
What’s holding all that soil you got there?

 

[Wulfskaar]

What’s holding all that soil you got there?

It's a big plastic planter I had laying around that I cut down to size.

 

[Wulfskaar]

The young greenery has wilted beyond repair, I believe.

Should I cut it all off and hope for the best?

 

[penumbra]

Beyond repair is not set in stone. In the picture it looks ok but again, beyond repair could mean anything. If it looks anything liker the picture leave it alone and hope for the best. A picture of beyond repair might sway me.

 

[0soyoung]

The young greenery has wilted beyond repair, I believe.

Should I cut it all off and hope for the best?

No!
Keep it and hope for the best.

As long as the leaves are green, they produce carbohydrates and auxin to grow roots. More roots will beget new/more leaves.

 

[Wulfskaar]

@penumbra @0soyoung Thanks for responding!

If those leaves were a salad, I wouldn't eat it. I get a bit confused trying to figure out if it's a waste trying to send energy into dying leaves, or if they are still supplying the roots with life. The leaves are still green, although I don't know for how much longer.

Having grown between landscaping fabric and large mulch, and then getting weed-wacked (you can see the chop), then getting pulled up and stuck into weird soil, it's had a rough existence so far. I hope it makes it.

It's in mostly shade with some morning sun and it's got water.

 

[penumbra]

I think those leaves are dead and useless but I am not thinking it is going to make any difference if you leave them or not.

Sorry.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Does this show how although a fair bit of root was collected it was too thick tap root and not enough fine feeder roots?

Or is it more about the growth being too early in its lignification stage?

Either way a propagator type set up or a bag to maintain humidity may have helped to avoid in future from my experience with cuttings.

although I agree this is beyond transplant shock and I wouldn't hold my breath on THESE shoots coming back, the stump seems to have been pretty determined to survive so far and may well send out new shoots I would leave these on until they fall off as mentioned above about auxin in the hope they have enough stores to grow some feeder roots
Edit: posted at same time as a much more knowledgeable member above and deep down i think I knew it was useless and probably clinging to hope EVERY time I have left leaves on my own stuff!

 

[n8]

Leave it alone and see what happens. Liquidamber are tough and very forgiving.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Leave it alone and see what happens. Liquidamber are tough and very forgiving.

It's survived a lot so far, as I said earlier, so I have some hope. I'll leave it be and just give it time to decide what it's going to do, one way or the other.

Thanks everyone!

 

[0soyoung]

As soon as you saw the leaves beginning to droop (not because the substrate was dry), you should have sprinkled the foliage. As soon as that proved to be inadequate, you should have have recognized that you're trying to root a cutting, in effect, and made a humidity tent/terrarium around it. The leaves were wilting due to more water being lost via transpiration than the roots were supplying. Your only options are to stop the water loss. Removing the leaves is one way, but as I said before, you need leaves to generate roots. So you must raise the relative humidity around the leaves = your only real choice other than just giving up and tossing it.

The tent stops the loss of water by transpiration (it must be out of direct sun so that it isn't a solar oven). The problem, though, is that this is an ideal environment for fungi. I spray a solution of 2 tablespoons or 3% hydrogen peroxide (from the pharmacy/grocery) in a quart of water to initiate the terrarium and every few days thereafter. Peroxide is an effective antiseptic. Spraying the solution also assures high humidity.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Interestingly, it seems to be doing much better! I have been watering it and keeping it out of the sun for the most part. I think it gets an hour in the morning. Many of the leaves that were shriveled are back to looking like leaves again and it's drooping a bit less!

 

[Wulfskaar]