Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
canadianplant

Need info on propagating these from cuttings

canadianplant
10 years ago

I know some trees have little info on whether or not you can propagate from cuttings. The main one I can think of is butternut. Not that its impossible, just that its a bit challanging and there isnt much literature on the subject..

Just my luck that I have a few trees i interested in trying to strike cuttings, and they have little no no info on doing so. No info saying yes its possible or not. Any info will help.

Common hackberry - Celtis occidentalis
Siberian elm - Ulmus pumila
Ohio buckeye - Aesculus glabra

Comments (10)

  • canadianplant
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    You can add american elm and its hybrids as well

  • sam_md
    10 years ago

    This is what works for me with American Elm cvs. Around the time of the solstice in June I take 6" cuttings, remove bottom leaves, treat with hormone and stick in 50/50 mixture of peat & perlite. I put them under intermittent mist but fog works also if you have it, they need good quality light. They will be rooted in about 3 weeks at which time they are potted up in liner pots.
    Sharp Top trees has an incredible inventory of trees produced this way, see link:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Sharp Top Tree

  • Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
    10 years ago

    Hackberry is easy to grow from seed...ditto for Siberian Elm.

    I don't know why anyone would want to grow Siberian Elm from cuttings given the high seed production, high germination rate, and rapid seedling growth.

    Ohio Buckeye should also be grown from seed. Plant shortly after collecting (or store moist in the fridge). They don't store well and tend to germinate as soon as planted.

  • canadianplant
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Seed for all of the above are not available this time of year.

    TBH I am interested in both, just that seeds arent available right now. Cuttings also give you a bit of a head start on growth.

  • akamainegrower
    10 years ago

    Michael Dirr's classic book, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, has quite detailed propagation information for many 100s of species. The instructions include best methods, special techniques, timing, etc.

  • sam_md
    10 years ago

    Seed for all the above are not available this time of yearThe same is true for cuttings. In the case of American Elm, they are in full bloom for us and seed will be ripe before softwood cutting season. One problem, seedlings of American Elm have little value.
    In the case of Butternut or White Walnut, around here we have lost interest in them since they are so susceptable to disease and quickly disappearing.

  • canadianplant
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The large elms here are survivers of DED from the 70s. They should be resistant to it which is why I am interested in cuttings. Seedlings can be useful due to the timespan of exposure to DED and may give some resistance to the offspring.

    As far as butternut goes there are no large seed bearing trees here. They just started to plant them en masse within the last ten years or so. No where near seed bearing age. There is one large sspecimine which may be decades old but not well taken care of which does not set seed. This is the one I am interested in.

    Ohio buckeye are VERY rare here and considered non hardy. There are two confirmed trees in someones yard here which seem to be very old and large. A lot of people who moved up here from s ontario apparently brought plants up as a reminder of back home and I can only guess that is where these came from. The cities urban forest division has confirmed only two trees in the city. Im not sure if growing from seed will ensure hardiness but cuttings will.

    To be fair I would probably collect cuttings and seed seeing as this is a hobby :)

  • Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
    10 years ago

    Ohio Buckeye is perfectly hardy in Edmonton...you shouldn't have any issues in Thunder Bay.

  • canadianplant
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Edmonton is also a very odd city to grow in. They range from a warm zone 3 to a cold zone 2 depending on where you are. Theyre lows are generally MUCH lower then they are here, however, but they are also prone to winter warm ups followed by massive cool down.

    They also have a few examples of amur cork tree in the U of A campus!

  • jocelynpei
    10 years ago

    Elms can be struck as hardwood cuttings too, but the success rate is low, perhaps 30 percent here. You take dormant cuttings, make a slight notch in one side of the base and dip in 8000 ppm IBA, rooting hormone. Pot them up and put a plastic bag over them. Put a few holes in the bag for air and to discourage mould. Place them somewhere warm, like a heating pad on low. The rooting medium seems to need to be warm. They need a south window too, or a grow light. The ones that flush too early will usually die, as the cut end seals up with callus at about 5 weeks and they then don't get enough water and wilt out. The ones that flush later may make roots at the site of the callus and survive. Grafting onto a seedling and then laying the grafted tree over works better. You wait till the grafted tree is 2 or 3 feet tall, then plant in loose soil at an angle so you can peg the trunk down flat. Bury the trunk and keep it well watered so it will send up verticles as each branch grows. You can scrape a bit of the bark off at the base of each, treat with rooting hormone and wait for roots. Sometimes it takes quite a while, so just water and wait. Otherwise, try the softwood cuttings like the previous person or so said.