Encouraging Quicksilver to grow bushy instead of straight up
Hi, I've recently planted a 5L Eleagnus Quicksilver and the info on the tag says it's a small tree or lareg shrub... I'd love to grow it as a bushy shrub rather than forming a tall tree and read that I can use a technique called 'stopping'.
Before I do anything to it, is it correct to cut off the top few inches of all the long stems? I assume this will encourage new branches/stems to form lower down? I've attached a picture....it's the tallest plant in the border.
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Hi Sue,
Most shrubs will branch out if youcut them back so Ishould think this one will. It's hard to see from the pic but if it's got one long stem I'd cut a bit more than a few inches off. Take it to just above a healthy looking set of buds
In the sticks near Peterborough
If it has one or more 'main' vertical trunks, you can cut these out completely (ie. below the stem's bottom-most bud or side-shoot) to encourage it to go out rather than up. That's 'stopping'. Now's a good time for it.
Most shrubs will bushout if you cut from the top - but just check up that cutting into old wood will not kill the shrub .
Dont learn like I did , I cut a beautiful Broom in half as it was getting too big . Then found out when it died that you only cut off into NEW WOOD in the Broom family .
I've taken another picture so you can see the plant better...
It seems to have a few stems coming off the main trunk... should I cut the main trunk off to just above the bottom 3 stems? This means i'll be chopping off about 1/2 the tree...