Ginkgo biloba 'Ross Moore'

Is anyone else growing this tree? If so, what is your experience with it? When I ordered it I had doubts about it's pendulous nature, thinking it would be more like 'pendula' with more of a horizontal habit. NOT so. This baby weeps. I've been staking it for 4 years now. From 18 inches to now -------->9 feet! Many side branches that hang down beautifully. I severely pruned off the lower branches this spring as they were crawing on the ground. The base of the trunk is thick as a broom stick but it's soooo wobbily up to the 4 foot mark. I'm wondering if anyone has an older specimen and when their's gained enough strength to stand alone. I hate the stakes.

thanks!

I don't have it, but this image might be helpful.

http://www.pendulousplants.com/images2/Ginkgo%20Ross%20Moore%20copy.jpg

Right now I have two Chris's Dwarfs, each from a different nursery, planted mid summer 2006. They display completely different growth habits. One is shrubby with multiple branches and this year had six inches of branch growth. The other is a single trunk, heavily leafed with no side limbs and the top bud grew straight up about two inches. Both are grafts. They are in the ground, not pots, and have unrestricted room. This is going to be fun to watch. I'm going to tuck yearly photos in the garden journal. I guess it comes down to who was weilding the grafting knife.

That's my tree! I sent it to Pendulous Plants and they asked if they could use it. I have to send them a picture of it this year. I am also documenting all my trees' growth each year. Should be interesting...

thanks....

todd

Oh for heaven's sake! Well, you do grow nice specimens.

Mary

Thanks.....I try....

Here's a new image of it. I measured it at 9' 4".

Wow! Unless you can find a 15' stake it looks like its time to let the top flop!

Some have asked to see branch structure. Here's a winter silhouette. Fastest growing Ginkgo I have ever seen.

If any more branches get to the ground, you should try to layer-root them. You could make a pretty penny selling rooted starts!

I never thought of that. Think it would work??

I've read about it before, with ginkos. I know one can root cuttings, and layer-rooting is much easier and more successful. Just nick the stem that you cover with topsoil and wait a year. It probably would help to dust with a rooting hormone such as 'Root Tone'. It'd be worth trying.

I've done it with Rhodendrons. For Rhodies it takes two years to get a root mass large enough to support the new plant. Bend, nick, and peg down on both sides of the nick and cover with soil the first spring. It takes only the tiniest nick. Sometimes if you get just a slight split when you bend the branch/stem that's enough. Leave alone for that year and the following year and separate the third spring. I've never used rooting hormone. Perhaps if I had the process wouldn't take so long. Also, because of the ugly freeze thaw cycles we can get here, I sometimes put a rock over the pegged part to make sure the branch doesn't lose contact with soil. Serious propagators use cuttings. I only want one or two new plants, not 200, so this method works fine for me. Slow, but good. I use bent coat hangers for the pegs.

If you do propagate, and there isn't a long line ahead of me, I would give a new 'Ross Moore" a really good home.

Put me second in line! (I guess we're talking "Counting your chickens before they hatch" here!)

I'll do my best. I'm kind of a numb skull when it comes to that stuff. But if it works....you're on!