Staghorn sumac’s (Rhus typhina or Rhus hirta) cone-shaped flowers and brilliant fall color almost make up for its occasional invasive habit. It is native to much of the eastern United States, where it rapidly colonizes after fire and clear-cutting provide plenty of sunshine. Whatever its classification and shortcomings, this prolific plant makes a striking thicket or, with discipline, an eye-catching specimen tree in a natural landscape. If you can’t find a plant at your garden center, ask a neighbor if you might liberate a plant from his stand.
Find a female colony of staghorn sumac in spring by looking for berries. Only female plants produce pyramidal mounds of fuzzy red berries following their flowers, which persist through the winter. Even if birds and small mammals have eaten all the berries, you should be able to identify the female colonies by the berries’ stems.
Drive a spade straight into the ground in a circle from 18 inches to 2 feet in diameter around a young plant to sever it from the colony parent and its siblings. Because sumac roots may extend twice as far as the tree’s canopy, you’ll also be pruning your tree’s roots. Dig out competitors as you cut around the tree. This eliminates entangling roots.
Dig the plant up by forming a root ball at least the size of the circle you cut and 8 to 10 inches deep. Do this in fall, after the weather begins to cool and the plant has established its own root system. Sumac root systems are shallow, so you won't need to dig too deep.
Dig a planting hole in a sunny area that is twice as deep and wide as your transplant’s root ball. Adjust the pH if necessary -- sumac thrives in a slightly acidic to neutral soil -- and add sand or organic matter for improved drainage, if necessary.
Plant the sumac slip at the same level as it stood at its previous location. Back fill with soil and water the plant well. Give transplants 1 inch of water a week until frost if the weather is dry, but do not allow these drought- and heat-tolerant plants to sit in soggy soil.
Things You Will Need
- Sharp knife
- Garden spade
- Bucket or garden cart
- Staghorn sumac, like other sumac species, propagates along thick roots. Wherever the rhizome grows near the surface, a new plant may sprout. Cutting old plants to the ground stimulates growth at these "nodal" points on the rhizomes. You can also start new plants by cutting several node-containing pieces of rhizome and placing them in a 2-inch sand tray over the winter.
- Staghorn sumac decorates the sloping green space along many highways. The plant's thick network of roots and rapid spread makes it a good choice for bank stabilization, especially where the soil is dry, sandy or rocky.
- Short-lived staghorn sumacs live for approximately 15 years. Transplant a stubby new shoot rather than a large central plant from a colony -- you won't need to replace it as soon as the older plant.
- Always get permission before digging plants on private property and never harvest plants from public land.
- Before planting staghorn sumac, check with a local agricultural extension or department of natural resources or conservation to find out it is classified as an invasive or noxious weed in your area. In some areas, you could be fined for introducing invasive plants.
- Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images