Ok I just moved into a new house that has a great front yard with an ugly tree stump in it. The stump is ground level and has holes drilled in it. I am not sure what kind of tree it was nor how long it has been dead/ground down. My original thought was Ill build dirt up on it and plant a limelight hydrangea on it. After more thought and research I realize that was a horrible idea. My question is has anyone ever done that with success? How deep do these hydrangeas roots grow? I am new to most of this and just wanted some other thoughts on the whole thing. I am just really in love with this hydrangea help please!
Thank You Soooo Much Kaitlin
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MountainMamma
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luis_pr
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No, I have not tried planting on top of a decomposing tree dump and would probably only do it until after several years have passed. I had a landscape company take out a tree and they used a stump grinder. From what I remember, there was not much soil above the stump so I am not sure if any plants would "like that" environment. Maybe something small like coneflowers might take if you add soil but I wonder if their roots might just grow sideways (cannot penetrate the hard stump)?
FYI: To see if it would quicken the process of decaying, I added some molasses to holes that I drilled in the remaining stump. I am told it would help grow bacteria that will help the trump decompose faster. After adding molasses, I watered the area and topped it off with mulch as if there was a plant there. In time, the grass grew on top of the mulch and, until you asked, I had forgotten all about the stump!
Generally speaking and referring specifically to H. Macrophylla and H. Quercifolia, they have a tap root that can go down from about half to 2/3 of the heigth of the shrub itself. Not much of a tap root at first though. The rest of the roots are very tiny and fibruous, less than pen or pencil. Paniculatas may have a larger tap root as they can get 8' tall (like Limelight) and even more depending on the variety.
FYI: To see if it would quicken the process of decaying, I added some molasses to holes that I drilled in the remaining stump. I am told it would help grow bacteria that will help the trump decompose faster. After adding molasses, I watered the area and topped it off with mulch as if there was a plant there. In time, the grass grew on top of the mulch and, until you asked, I had forgotten all about the stump!
Generally speaking and referring specifically to H. Macrophylla and H. Quercifolia, they have a tap root that can go down from about half to 2/3 of the heigth of the shrub itself. Not much of a tap root at first though. The rest of the roots are very tiny and fibruous, less than pen or pencil. Paniculatas may have a larger tap root as they can get 8' tall (like Limelight) and even more depending on the variety.
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MountainMamma
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