Salvaged Barberry

[Cmd5235]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to post a few shots of my newest acquisition, a barberry ripped out by a neighbor. Not the preferred time to plant, but I figured I’d give it a shot.


One of my smallest by far.
I’m planning on chopping again at that first bud in a few weeks, but I just wanted to get it in soil ASAP today.

 

[RKatzin]

Interesting that you cut everything to the trunk. It's been my experience that barberry do not heal over wounds so I leave a bit of nub to work. What's your take on this?

 

[Cmd5235]

I agree, but the branches (more like shoots) were so tough, I didn’t think I could get them to wire without breaking and tearing. The angles at the trunk were so sharp, I didn’t think they’d look proper even as nubs at that angle and size overall. So we will see

 

[RKatzin]

I can see that. Very interested to see how it develops. Definitely a different kind of tree. More akin to Hawthorne as far as wound treatment and growth habit.
What kind of regrowth can you expect in this first season?

 

[Cmd5235]

Well, if it’s consistent with other landscape barberry plants, its going to throw up suckers from the roots like crazy. I’ve seen field grown barberry cut to the roots for regenerative growth and they explode the following year. So the challenge will be keeping them cut back to redirect growth and energy to the trunk and remaining branch. I’m hoping to get a few decent buds this year, chop that big leader again once that happens, and immediately start to wire new growth. They become so brittle that you have to stay on top of them to get the shape before you end up breaking the whole branch.