Begun the (Metasequoia) clone war has

9 years ago

A cutting I took late last winter while pruning my big tree actually has roots. Not the most scientific maner. I did some pruning and picked six or ten or so sticks and cut them at an angle and applied some rooting hormone then stuck them in pots outside. This one kept its foliage all summer and was the only one with roots coincidentally.

Seeing how a seedling started last year our performs a cutting is very interesting. I might try a couple more this year for grins. I think I was late last year getting the cuttings then again it was just a sidelight of pruning.

I have a grafted Ogon I might try this on. It actually needed staked after transplanting so I am not thrilled with that and the graft line is not a plus.

Will an Ogon grow on its own roots readily?

This clone of my tree seems to have darker foliage than some presumably seed grown trees I have in identical pots. Is that just normal?

Also, do you think it will actually grow next year and put on height? This hear I just got some foliage. Is that par for the course with cuttings?

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Comments (3)

jbraun_gw
9 years ago
toronado, Yes that tree will grow on it's own root stock. But as with most clones that are grafted there's usually a good reason why. Do you want to find out in a few years what those reasons are?

If you aren't prolific in grafting this may be the chance for you to change that. You already have the seedlings started. Are they Ogon as well? I don't have any reference books that list Ogon. But I'll guess they are slow growers. If that's the case that would be why it's grafted. You could start some seedlings from regular Metasequoia since you have already shown that you can do that with Ogon. Then graft next year when you prune.
Toronado3800 Zone 6 St Louis
Original Author
9 years ago
You have a point. There has to be SOME reason why they graft a Ogon since the main species roots soo easily.

I agree with your second point as well about learning how to graft. I do have some small metasequoias in pots, an Ogon and someplace a grafting kit....

I'll do both! Then I can compare what Ogon is like on its own roots.

My Ogon grows FAST but thinner than the species in the trunk and spread. Rumor has it the cultivar came from a batch of irradiated seeds in Japan. Presumably the parent tree grew at least some on its own roots.
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arktrees
9 years ago
toronado,
HIGHLY doubt there is a problem with growing on Ogon's own roots. The most likely reason to graft and not root cuttings are simple.You got one cutting to root, and it has not growing above ground during the full growing season. That equals a extra year of production. Where is the same is grafted to a seedling, the grafting process takes a few weeks, followed by vigorous growth of the graft, especially if all shoots of the root stock are removed above the graft. So at the end of one growing season, the grafted plant may be 4-5', while the rooted plant is a fraction of that. That equals lost profits due to increase time of production, and low rooting frequency.

Grow your cutting on, it should be fine, though it might be beneficial to keep it under lights for a while in the fall to delay dormancy and to increase the amount of photosynthesis products available for next spring.

Arktrees