Wild Dogwood

[bowhunternw]

I have a fair amount of natural dogwood on my property, and a lot of it looks like it has been there a while and is woody and aged. Would it be a good idea to cut them down once in a while? Does that spur new growth? I am guessing that like most of their other browse they prefer the young tender stuff.

 

[ruskbucks]

Yes, it spurs new growth. I have been taking cuttings for the last 4 years off my silky dogwoods. They seem to just keep getting bigger and thicker. I think someone on here said they have a rule to cut back 1/3 every year(maybe 2/3).Leaving 1/3 of he old wood so the plant will produce berries. The best cuttings come in the middle of the dogs and are usually 3-4 feet tall and straight. The deer seem to like the 1 year old growth and also any buds. I was just in back and they had really browsed the one hanging over the trail.

 

[bowhunternw]

Thanks for the tip!

 

[nwmn]

anybody want free dogwood cuttings? they are literally EVERYWHERE up here. if anybody wants to come harvest as many as they can they are more than welcome to.

i've got some areas with big oaks on our property, i was thinking about running the brush mower to eliminate all the brushy crap and see what comes back for regeneration, deer don't seem to use this area so I figure it's as good as any for a test area on regeneration of dogwoods and what not.