Hard wood C Elm cuttings

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Hi all.

When is a good time in UK to take hardwood cuttings from C Elms ? I have a couple of trees that got a chop last spring that have grown freely so will need cutting back.

I want to try a forest and the cuttings will be around 8" when its time.

Any tips taking cuttings and keeping alive would be great also as this is the first time for me.

Thank you
 

Shibui

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Over here hardwood cuttings can be taken early ( end of autumn) but need to be protected to prevent dessication so wrap them or mist regularly. Before modern misting hardwood cuttings were cut to length, tied in bundles and buried in the ground completely for the winter to stop them drying out. Then dug up and planted out in rows with tops above the ground. I've tried this and it does give good results as long as you can remember where they are buried.........

Late winter also appears to be good time to coincide with new growth. When new shoots appear they may need to be covered until new roots are established.
Cuttings about the size of a pencil seem to give me best results for hardwood. Smaller ones do better in spring and summer.
Rooting hormone makes a big difference so use as directed.
Cutting mix 50/50 peat/perlite or peat/coarse sand are good propagating mix or just buy a bag of propagating or cutting mix at the nursery.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Late autumn or early winter is ideal for hardwood cuttings. The "healing in" process described by @Shibui gives time for the cuttings to develop callus over the cut ends of the cuttings. The new roots will form from this callus. Hardwood cuttings taken in late winter or early spring will not have had time to develop this callus. If taken in spring, hardwood cuttings will not make roots until much later into the growing season, because they have to make callus first. This means more time one will have to keep them moist and in a humid setting.

Easiest to take hardwood cuttings in autumn-early winter. If you wait, success rate drops off. Softwood cuttings, with lots of new growth are tricky to keep up with water requirements.
 

Davidlpf

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Hi.

If for C Elm you mean Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia), you still have many possibilities to make hardwood cuttings, almost it could be too soon.

You can watch this video, it is in Spanish, but the dates are written over the video, so you can have an idea.


More tips in this one


And keep in mind that the weather in South Spain, where the videos were made, is quite warmer than in Belfast. ;)

I hope this helps you!

Greetings.
 

M. Frary

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Root cuttings yield more interesting trunks and with elm they are foolproof.
 

Davidlpf

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Hi

Hardwood cuttings of Ulmus parvifolia var Seiju, taken on 24/01/2020
20200124_171443.jpg

I put them in a plastic bottle, with pumice and a layer of sphagnum moss, and let outdoors under a shelf
20200124_165546.jpg

Today 14/02/2020 the very first "aerial root" appears!! 🥳

20200214_104408.jpg

It's seen that the technique works!!

20200214_104352.jpg

I hope there will be a lot more under the soil.

Greetings from Spain!
 
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penumbra

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For the northern hemisphere, we are at the end of the ideal time to take hardwood cuttings. In a week or two it will be too late.
This is generally true but there are all kinds of exceptions. Last year I did wisteria cuttings in March and they did great. Years ago I di Bloodgodd maple in March and they did great while those taken earlier in January did not. There is the science, and then there is just finding out what works for you by trying.
 

AlainK

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Hi, would this work with cuttings from Maples too ?

I tried Japanese maple (plain species) cuttings in February once. Very few rooted. Out of about 40, only about 5 survived, 2 to 4 mm.

I tried again a couple of times, with no success at all. So I gave up because summer cuttings (1-2 yr-old shoots) are easy to take, and for larger ones, mid-May to the end of June air-layering yields almost 100% success, so why bother? Just keep one or two in big pots as mother-trees, and that's it. At least on the plain Acer palmatum palmatum.
 

Shibui

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Hi, would this work with cuttings from Maples too ?
Are you asking about hardwood cuttings from stems or the root cuttings just above? I have tried maple root cuttings but none have sprouted. I have never heard of maple root cuttings growing so I don't think root cuttings for maple are possible.
 

PieterVE

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Hi, no, I was wondering if hardwood cuttings from maples would work in those plastic bottles as @Davidlpf was showing in those youtube films... ?
 

Shibui

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Some people can grow maples from hardwood cuttings. Sometimes I can get roots but for some reason they seem to die off soon after potting up here so I grow mostly from seed.
Hardwood maple cuttings are possible and worth trying. The bottle method is just one way to stop the stems drying out. There are a number of other ways, some already mentioned
 

sorce

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English Elm is my favorite elm leaf.
Bark too.

Is it ulmus Minor?

Love.

Sorce
 
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