Tsuga Canadensis broom!
Hello Everyone
I was walking by a cemetery yesterday and thought I saw a squirrels nest in a hemlock. The location didn’t make sense for it to be a squirrels nest so I went back for a closer look. Sure enough what I saw was the underside of a witches broom.
It seems to have some variegation that’s most visible on the left side. It also looks to be growing about 1” a year. So it could be a miniature. One tiny cone was also on it.
I found it on a church property and I’m already working on getting permission to take some scions. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.
I’ve been pretty successful with rooting cuttings in my humidity chamber. I even got a Cedrus to root for me. I probably have a dozen Tsuga canadensis ‘moonfrost‘ and a few ‘Hebefolia’ in my chamber now and they have been there since 11/18. No roots yet, but after 5 months they are all still beautifully healthy. I haven’t lost one. I know Tsuga can be a tough plant to get to strike. I’m not taking my lack of success so far as a negative since I assume its normal for them to take more time to root. my current set up is a humidity chamber with a heat mat and 4 tube T5 agrobrite light. I have a humidifier pump into the chamber so that my humidity stays where I want it. I’m also going to make a smaller chamber for next winter with blue LED lights. So I will have options and hopefully better chances of success. I’m thinking about moving the humidifier to the smaller chamber and using misters in my larger setup instead.
Questions. Are misters a good idea for a humidity chamber in a shed? If so any recommendations for a good misting setup or parts? When is the best time to harvest Tsuga cuttings? Is it worth trying at different times of year? In an ideal setup how long does Tsuga typically take to root?Any other tips on propagating Tsuga?
Thanks for the help.
Comments (8)
User
5 years agoJacob Bisharat VA zone 7A/7B
5 years agoHey Bill thanks for the the help. I’ll keep things updated.
I’m almost done working on the new cutting specific propagation chamber so I’ll have two chambers. One with blue LED, heat mat, and hopefully a misting system. That chamber will also only be 12” tall so the light can be closer to the cuttings. LED should also make it easier for me to control the temps. The other chamber I’ll use mostly for grafts without the misting just a humidifier. I’ll put some cuttings in there too, just to widen the possibilities of success.
I read through an old thread that mentioned successes at times throughout the year. The broom is so easy to access I might try taking 5 or 6 cuttings in June, but the vast majority of my effort will be in winter. I’ve been in touch with someone who has had success rooting Tsuga brooms. Things are pretty straight forward: Dip n grow, mist, bottom heat, cool tops, wait 5-6 months. He does his in winter.
I just want to be sure my due diligence is done and that I’m ready when the time comes.
Here is what I have so far
It’s roughly 2’ square. I will just use duck tape and plastic to seal off everything. The frame and base are all PVC and the top is plexiglass. I like PVC over wood. It’s still fairly inexpensive, but no rotting or fungal issues. I don’t glue most of the joints so I can take it apart or make adjustments later.
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5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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Jacob Bisharat VA zone 7A/7BOriginal Author