Rhus Aromatica ‘grow low’ (sumac)

[BrightsideB]

I have been wanting one of these and was at a nursery I hadn’t been to today and saw this by itself so I picked it up.


Any advice on how far I can root prune it? Or ideas of what to do? I would like to air layer a branch. Not sure how well they layer though.

 

[LittleDingus]

You might search the 2021 five year native tree/pot forum. There are several progression threads on them in there. My contribution is here

5yr Native Tree Challenge - Dingus's rhus aromatica (Fragrant Sumac)

This thread is to track my attempts with rhus aromatica over the next 5 years. I may end up with multiple plants but I'll track all attempts at the species under this one thread to keep the information together. This species is native to most of Missouri including my immediate neighborhood...

www.bonsainut.com

They can take pretty heavy root abuse. They are sold in nurseries as a means to retain soil on hills/embankments. They can spread by rooting wherever branches touch the ground as well as by suckering.

The problem with the species isn't too little rooting...it's too much!

I would suspect they air layer well...though I think I would try by leaving the bark and wrapping with soil instead...they may root more readily that way from dormant buds than by callousing. If you try this, be sure to wrap a bud sight...they can have long internodes...

I don't yet have a feel for how well they backbud. My gut says they'll drop a branch and sucker if all the green is pruned off. Since I only have 5 years with the trees being in the challenge, I've been on the cautious side trying to manage the foliage.