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taking swedish aspen cuttings now...?

14 years ago

Here in Calgary most swedish aspens are not in bud yet,I'm interested in taking some last years growth and with rooting hormone planting it this week..

Would it be better to wait a month or 2 and get this years growth and leave a couple of leaves on them? My book on poplars explains cutting the leaves in half and only leave 2 or 3 leaves on.. Last year I did this in large coffee cups and let them freeze .in late Feb I brought them inside and put them under a florescent grow lite ( with my tomatoes seeds) and several buds opened up only to die of lack of nutrients as they had no roots ( I discovered ).I have one that is growing ,but I think it mat be a choke cherry variety,it;s bud opened under ground and came up beside the stem,Its been doing ok for about 3 weeks now so I think it must have rooted..My swedish aspens all died .

I'd like advise on planting swedish aspens .,my propagation book doesnt mention them ,but for poplars says to take cttings in mid winter ,drive a hole into the ground 3 feet or so and put the 5 foot cutting into it .They obviously have never tried this in mid winter in Calgary.The ground is frozen like rock.. It is just now mostly thawed ..

Any advise will be appreciated .

Neil

Neil

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Comments (2)

prairierose
14 years ago
Neil, I've attached a link to the PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act) website. They grow their trees in Indianhead, Sask, so their advice for rooting willow and poplar cutting should work here. It may be getting a little far into spring - depends if your trees have budded out or not - but it would be worth trying. I got some willow cuttings from them last spring and planted them in pots - 6 out of 10 lived, and they may have done better if I had just planted them directly into the garden. I'm trying my own poplar and willow cuttings this spring.

Connie

Here is a link that might be useful: Poplar and Willow Cuttings from Hardwood
0
Konrad___far_north
14 years ago
I have taken pussy willow sticks about 2 to 3 feet long, make a bundle
and stick them into a large 25 liter plastic pail filled with a mix of potting
soil and a little sand, most rooted, you can try the same with poplar, wrap
the outside exposed sticks with shrink wrap, then poke holes into it,
this keeps the moisture level up, put the pail in
the bush or shade.
Remember, if you're planing willow, take pussy willow, it will help out
the bees for pollen source in early spring. [bee food]

Konrad
0
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If you Google Rooting Aspen cuttings you'll see lots of info. (I tried it).
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You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch. ;^) Anyway, the trees will be fine, though not the girdled branches. You could leave 'em on and see if the girdling was complete, or if perhaps, cambium was retained, in which case they may go on living. Or cut them off now. Either way, the trees themselves should shrug this damage off. +oM
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Yup, definitely Bigtooth Aspen. Similar to Quaking, but the leaves are toothed and the bark is maybe a little more brownish than on the quaking aspens. If it were my grove (I have a quaking aspen grove and love it -- I know most people consider them "junk" trees but they're really pretty) -- I'd take out a couple of those smaller, weaker ones, clean out the dead brush, remove the weed growth and vines around the trees, give them a good fertilization next spring, and treat them to a round of Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub just to be on the safe side to get rid of any borers that might be in there. Eventually to keep it going, you might want to think about taking out some of the taller, older ones as they age to open it up, and allow some fresh, new ones to replace them. That's sort of a judgement call, but they are relatively short lived trees from what I gather. I transplanted mine onto the property back in the late 1980's and they are now "mature" but don't seem over the hill by any means yet. And, I've got a bunch of new ones going in another location and others potted in big containers along the north side of my one greenhouse.
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Neil, I'd suggest you find yourself a copy of a good text on woody plant propagation -- I'd recommend The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation by Michael Dirr. You should be able to find it at your library or can order on Amazon. There is a science to growing trees from cuttings -- you can't just take a twig and stuff it into soil and expect it to grow. Timing of the cuttings, size, heat, humidity, light, the need for a rooting hormone (or not) all come into play. And some plants just do not take well from cuttings at all and require other methods of propagation. In general, aspens and other members of the Populus genus are typically easy to root from cuttings but timing and methods are everything with regards to the success of this practice. You could also pose your questions on the Propagation forum here on GW. There's a lot of very experienced growers there who might be able help further.
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