Hybrid Poplars Cuttings and max length.

[Brush Creek]

I am trying to screen a road and have some hybrid poplars I planted last year. How long of a cutting can I use to try to give the cutting some advantage over the CRP grass I want to plant in??

 

[Brush Creek]

How far must they go into the ground?

 

[wiscwhip]

Stu is spot on, up to and over 4' is not unheard of.

 

[wiscwhip]

I would think that 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way would be good. On a 4' cutting, bury 2'-6" and leave 1'-6" above ground.

 

[John-W-WI]

I planted 20+ footers last spring. About 3 1/2' deep. We had an exceptional year for rain, so that helped.

I wouldn't hesitate to plant 10' long cuttings again for rubbing posts.

For a taller screen, 20' seems to work surprisingly well!

http://blog.bigrocktrees.com/giant-cuttings-rubbing-posts/

-John

 

[sandbur]

Would there be any results from adding water holding crystals to the pilot hole?

 

[John-W-WI]

Would there be any results from adding water holding crystals to the pilot hole?

On a normal year it is probably a very good idea. Especially with the bigger holes I made with the skidsteer. Mixing crystals in all of that dirt would really help if you didn't get timely rains.

-John

 

[sandbur]

Also posted in the Sandbox thread. should I remove more buds or cut the top back?
There is about 2 feet in the ground.

 

[John-W-WI]

I would be willing to bet that tree will be just fine. Looks like decent soil, moisture will be the limiting factor. If it gets dry, put a 6' square of black plastic around it (or even bigger if you are willing). If it's a rubbing post, remove the ground cover when fall approaches.

I hope that branch grows like crazy. Looks like the perfect height for a licking branch :)

-John

 

[sandbur]

John-this is sand that has had just a bit of improvement from rye planting.

 

[wiscwhip]

Set a 5 gallon bucket at the base of the cutting with a 1/16" or 3/32" hole drilled in the bottom nearest the tree and let it slowly seep out for water. I bet you would only have to fill it once a week, and if we got decent rains, even less. If you put down a small square of black plastic as stu suggested and let the bucket drain through that, even better.

 

[MNAaron]

How do I store my 6 ft cuttings until the frost goes out? Should I place them in a bucket of water and place in the shade?

 

[wiscwhip]

Keep them in as cool a spot as possible that is not below freezing, below 40 if possible. I would not keep them in a bucket of water for more than 24 hours before planting. Just bundle them together and get the largest ziplock bag you can find, put a damp(not wet) paper towel in the bag, zip it as tight as you can and monitor them to keep them from drying out.

 

[jaximus]

im very interested in this as my brother is going to log a portion of his 60 acres and we are looking to increase the poplar population. he will be mostly cutting mature pines (not plantation, all wild). there are a few nice pockets of very large poplar (12-18" diameter trunks). he plans to remove them and let the roots sucker and create some nice poplar thickets. the logging is scheduled for next winter, but there are a few places that will not be disturbed where we are hoping for more poplar.

we have access to an area that was clearcut 3 years ago, it was all poplar before the cut, and now has millions of nice poplar whips that could be utilized to expedite the process on the new 60 acre parcel.


heres a good link i found
http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/plant-propagation-by-stem-cuttings-instructions-for-the-home-gardener/

my questions pertains to more the process of going from cutting to planting. is it really as simple as cutting at a 45 degree angle and stabbing the stick into the dirt? maybe soak all the cuts in rooting compound for 12-24 hours before planting? water with rooting compound? shave off a little bark around the bottom of the cut to expose more wood?

 

[wiscwhip]

It really can be that simple jax. You can make it much more complex, with spraying to keep weeds down, laying out fabric, ect. If you are just looking to overwhelm the area with a ton of cuttings, soak them in water overnight before you plant them, dip each one in rooting hormone, and shove all but the top 2 buds into the dirt. If you have good numbers of mature poplar, the roots and stump sprouts you get after cutting are going to absolutely explode! You may not need to do anything to help them at all, but then again, it can't hurt either and is very cost effective insurance.

 

[jaximus]

thanks! we are hoping that the roots of the mature trees take off with lots of new sprouts, but there are a few areas that we would like to fill in between the clumps of trees in the spot we want to be a thicket.

 

[wiscwhip]

Don't over think it, keep it simple. Just overwhelm the area with cuttings as I said and you should be fine.

 

[MNAaron]

Ok I am a little slow. Why can't I simply soak them in a bucket of water and if they form roots and buds before I plant them in a few weeks what will that hurt?

 

[wiscwhip]

I would suppose you can if you want to use a shovel to plant them like a bareroot tree. You will run the risk of damaging and breaking off the newly formed roots from the cutting if you just push them into the dirt without a hole. Those cuttings only have so much energy stored in the wood, and if they produce roots in the bucket and you damage them, they will expend more of that energy to try and push new roots or repair the damaged ones, thus expending even more energy and potentially causing failure.

 

[MNAaron]

That makes sense...thanks