Propagation by Cuttings: Fall Field Notes

hedge cotoneaster, collected fruit today. I root these from softwood, but seed might be easier aside from the extended stratification needed, one month or more warm then 4 months cold. this plant is super interesting as a dwarfing pear rootstock, it has good long term compatibility. I'm planning to make it one of our pear rootstocks.

white mulberry, morus alba tatarica. these are 2-3 years old from seed, most went in the toot cellar but a couple of patches like this will stress test the cold hardiness. it’s a zone 3/4 borderline shrub, yet I saw a large one locally this summer and tried mulberry for the first time, proving mulberry can grow in manitoba and survive -40. hoping my seedlings are equally as tough. I’m out of seed now but can propagate these selections with softwood

common comfrey, root cuttings. I started our patches from seed a couple years ago, but these root cuttings are the usual way to start more. added them to my seed shop today in five packs for shipping in canada. #comfrey #rootcutting #propagation

rows of rooted softwood and empty beds ready for winter

sandbar willow are a small species that spreads and grow in clumps. this patch is at least 30 years old and the largest trees are 12-15 ft, it’s also spreading out. It’s great because everything I coppice will regrow. several truckloads of cuttings are going to a planting site to stabilize soil. #willow

sandbar willow hardwood cuttings for a local riparian project with a landscaper, 48” poles. we have a large patch of these and it’s cool to coppice part of it, a completely renewable resource.

collecting more sandbar willow, brush cutter blade on my 60v lithium ion weed whacker makes this go way faster. might be done now, if anyone asks you for a couple thousand four ft cuttings consider it’s like 5 heaping half tonne loads before you agree.. i was thinking it would be like two loads at the most. good news is i’m getting some exercise and this area will all grow back next year, it’s a wet area near a dugout that our horses used to keep trimmed like a putting green before we moved. at least I can walk through it again.

micro propagation with tissue culture is my winter project. Here I have some containers with MS basal medium about to get sterilized. Collected a fun selection for explants yesterday, not sure how the timing will work for some perennials.

success rooting hippophae sinensis, the chinese sea buckthorn. Cuttings thanks to @craigboychuk from select trees in his awesome old sinensis orchard

softwood propagation first winter. the cuttings we take in June and July get some roots and grow a few leaves by august just in time to harden for the winter. They’ll take off in the spring. #propagation

Virginia creeper seeds are like little grapes with hard seeds inside. I’ve been propagating them from softwood with good success, and also trying a seedbed this fall to see how quickly they’ll grow. We have extra seeds so they’re available from our site. #propagation

more success rooting domestic plum cultivars at 6 weeks under mist, last two weeks on bottom heat. Pitsin #10 and Skiba are varieties hardy to zone 3. These will harden off and get transplanted into beds, and I’ll lift them and heel in for the winter. there’s a good chance these will get some frost damage this month, will see how well they harden off or if they start up some new growth, not out of the woods yet. We have 5 cold hardy varieties of domestic plums on their own roots growing with this method, all started from dormant scion wood this May. #propagation #plumtree #mistpropagation #softwoodpropagation #ownrootsfruittree #ownroots #coldhardyplants #backyardnursery