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Red Osier Dogwood

20 years ago

A happy question to you all: last Christmas I was outside and took a tip cutting of a red osier dogwood whose beauty struck me. I then put the tip in a moist paper towel, then inside a ziploc bag, and stuck it in the refrigerator. Well .... you know what happens then, I just pulled it out, thinking it was hopeless, put it in some water, and lo and behold, the tip is leafing out. No sign of rooting that I can see.

Is there a possibility I can root and grow this? I gathered the tip in Indiana, but am now in New Jersey. It's such a beautiful shrub, would love to be able to look at it in winter.

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Comments (4)

nywoodsman
20 years ago
Red osier dogwood is common to the swamps of new jersey,and as a shrub prone to growing in large clonal groups,it would love to have you break off a peice to take home to replant.Find local stock out in the wilds of your area.That way you will know its native,has local vigor,and is not the asian variety.Take a walk on the wild side.
Don't worry about barerooting it, its indestructable
ladyslppr
20 years ago
I agree with nywoodsman that you should try to find a local variety. Although I bet the Indiana plant would grow in your yard, you'd be introducing Indiana genes into the local red osier dogwood gene pool. This might be an insignificant thing if done once, and it might not be very significant for red osier dogwood, but if native plant gardeners like us keep moving plants around the country we surely will eventually cause damage to the genetic makeup of native plants. There are plants like red osier dogwood that grow everywhere from eastern Canada to Texas and there must be genetic variation within the species. By moving plants around, we are messing up that natural genetic diversity.

Hope you don't think I'm beating up on you - just trying to point out a potential problem that I think native plant gardeners should be aware of. to propagate red osier dogwood I'ld first try placing a few 1 foot long cuttings with no or only a few leaves on them directly into the ground where you want the plant to grow and keep them moist. Push about half the cutting into the ground and leave the rst sticking out. This could also be done in a pot. I think they will root easily. If not, as nywoodsman said, there should be lots of rooted "suckers" alongside any large plant you find in the wild. One of these could be removed with a few roots and should transplant successfully.
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Yes that is a type of dogwood.
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This is off ebay, 25 seeds for about $4. Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) 25+ Seeds Zones 2 - 7. Native throughout northern and western North America from Alaska east to Newfoundland and south to Durango. This medium to tall deciduous shrub spreads readity by underground stolens to form dense thickets. Dark red stems make a striking contrast against winter's snow. The Latin species name, meaning 'bearing stolons", refers to the rooting of branch tips touching the ground and forming new shoots. Since the wood is quite durable, Native Americans used the Red Osier Dogwood as digging sticks, pipe stems, arrows and pegs. Propagation: Seed propagation requires stratification at 41 degrees F. for 100 to 130 days, so are best to plant directly in the ground in the autumn, However, if not planting until spring, the seeds can be stored in the freezer for a couple of months then start in a greenhouse in small individual peat pots. Plant the seedlings when they have reached four to five inches in height. The plants also root readily from softwood cuttings collected immediately after flowering. Stick cuttings in sand, peat or pearlite for 8 to 10 weeks. Keep moist with mist if possible or high humidity at a minimum. Seed propagation however can work to Red Osier DogwoodÃ¯Â¿Â½s advantage in keeping populations genetically diverse and therefore less likely to succumb to catastrophic disease or parasite infestations.
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Too young and small to prune much. And then often best to cut out oldest branches only, rather than the whole top.
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I have no experience watering in clay soil but at this point in time, all of your plants roots are pretty much inside the root ball, so that is where your plant is doing all of it's water uptake. So this is the area most important to keep moist. The soil that the root ball is composed of is key and would determine how long it takes for water to permeate all the way to the bottom. If it's native clay, Initially it may be best to use a slow soaker style of watering, for a long enough period of time (maybe several hours for clay) to make sure everything gets soaked thoroughly. I don't know what to tell you on how you should check to make sure everything is initially soaked all the way down. Someone with more experience with clay soils can chime in about that. If it's some type of potting mix from the nursery, that's easier, you should almost be able to watch the water soak away as you apply it. A couple gallons should do it then. :) You won't have to worry about watering a dogwood too much at this stage as they thrive in areas that have wet soils and even standing water for at least part of the year. Mine was growing in a mucky clay loam right next to the swamp. If the leaves do fall off, it's not the first time transplant shock has claimed the leaves but it doesn't kill the plant. It will re-bud and send out more leaves after a few weeks.
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forcemargaret_yahoo_com
15 years ago
Can red osier grow in east TX.?
lycopus
15 years ago
It doesn't occur naturally in TX. Might not get cold enough in the winter.

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cold stratification?

1