Dogwood cuttings

[Telemark]

Where to you keep the potted cuttings during the winter?

The back yard. We have mild winters, so there is little risk of losing potted trees or bushes to a hard freeze. One of the few benefits of living on the coast.

 

[Rit]

The back yard. We have mild winters, so there is little risk of losing potted trees or bushes to a hard freeze. One of the few benefits of living on the coast.

It’s gets too cold here I would have to figure something out but I like the plan.

 

[cavey]

Just heel in the pots for winter... or do a pot in pot system... or just build a frame - put wire mess on the bottom and line with plastic, fill with sand, stick cuttings in it and forget about it for a year or two and pull a few hundred or better rooted plants out of it this spring. Or just stick cuttings into a plastic bag filled with soil -- or potting soil these are years old and I take cutting off of them they have rooted through the bottom of the bags and soon will need to go.

You dont have to over think red osier the plant is pretty hardy. The ones in the raised bed survived -38 with snow cover. Sad part is I didnt have time to cut more to replace those I took out this spring. its a no brainer deal - as long as the sand bed stays wet they grow.

 

[Rit]

Just heel in the pots for winter... or do a pot in pot system... or just build a frame - put wire mess on the bottom and line with plastic, fill with sand, stick cuttings in it and forget about it for a year or two and pull a few hundred or better rooted plants out of it this spring. Or just stick cuttings into a plastic bag filled with soil -- or potting soil these are years old and I take cutting off of them they have rooted through the bottom of the bags and soon will need to go.

You dont have to over think red osier the plant is pretty hardy. The ones in the raised bed survived -38 with snow cover. Sad part is I didnt have time to cut more to replace those I took out this spring. its a no brainer deal - as long as the sand bed stays wet they grow.

What’s the wire mesh for? is there a preferred type of sand? I have an abandoned kids sandbox that is 8x8 that would be perfect to transform into a ROD warehouse.

 

[cavey]

Mesh was just 1/4" wire cloth to keep rodents out - didnt want voles or mice tunneling around the roots ... preferred sand is free sand. I would thing sandier top soil would work maybe a bit better I think the plants would put on more roots. I stuck them in watered the sand up once and forgot about them. They had partial shade - I dont know if more direct sun light would be better. The sand box sounds perfect and you are not out anything. The sand is nice for lifting them out to plant. Most I pulled out by hand - did lose some roots but had more than enough for spring planting. Sand shakes out easy. I would think if you could keep them watered you would not have to line the box. I did it just to keep them super damp for rooting. I stuck them in every 2 inches or so. I think I did about 800 cuttings 60-70% survival with zero care after sticking them in. Had I tended them better Im sure that number would have gone up.

 

[cavey]

I posted pics of the box without sand in it awhile back on another red osier posting. Its a simple box and I would think your sand box would be idea. Just as long as its deep enough to get 2-3 buds in the ground 1-2 out.... about a pencil sized stick/cutting