Red Osier Dogwood - Quick Questions

[jspin22]

Hi,

I have an area where I would like to establish some red osier. I have read on people using trimmings to populate an area. I went ahead and got some seedlings from a local department sale. Is it possible to disc up and area and also plant seeds? Any other tips for getting an area going?

 

[H20fwler]

I just cut the branches on mine to get scion from about a foot long in spring and shove them down in the wet dirt. I leave about a third of it above ground with a couple buds above and walk away from it, some take some don’t.

 

[SD51555]

I’ve had really good luck with three methods.

1 - put about 50-100 cuttings in a cage. Put the cuttings close together, like an inch or two apart at most. If you’re in a wet spot, you should get at least 20% to take. They love to grow thickly together, so don’t worry about having to thin them. I’m not opposed to throwing out the native soil and plunking a fluffy bag of potting soil down to speed that up either.

2 - try to hunt down plugs. I have plunked 20 6a plugs in one hole and they did awesome. Those are on my lawn at camp.

3 - go out and find some that are already there and growing, and throw a cage on them. That will be the absolute fastest way to get them going.

I’m out logging by hand right now in my sanctuary, and I’m finding tons of small dogwood clusters. I need clusters in this area, so I’ll be in there with cages before the winter cut is over on Tuesday.


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[bigboreblr]

I had around 80% or more sucess rate o the cuttings method. However, I put them in a nursery garden with apple tree grafts. They got watered 2 or 3 times a week.

Without reliable watering, your better off with the seedling sale. IF you got them in a wet area, it would be better.

Beside rototilling the spot and adding peat moss and potting soil, I put a grabage bag and poked the cuttings in the ground. Just under the size of a pencil is good. Put the stick 12 inches under ground, and let 1-3 bud spots be exposed. I put wax on the cuts. Also put bar chips over the garbage bags.

They probably grew about 2.5-3ft this year. Cuttings should be done in the early spring before bud break.

Was debating to transplant them this fall. Life got busy and looks like spring. Again, probably should be before bud break.

 

[Telemark]

I used to stick cuttings in the ground, but I found a way that is a lot more effective for me:

I put several cuttings in a tall thin pot and let them establish roots for a season, then I either plant out the entire cluster or split it in the winter and repot it and let them grow a little more before planting out in Spring.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

The cuttings had a less than stellar survival rate for me but the SWCD bareroot seedlings that are $38 per 25 seedlings have had great survival rates. For me the $ saved by using cuttings is more than offset by the time wasted with poor survival compared to the SWCD seedlings. I do have some cuttings planted that did great though..

 

[ruskbucks]

I do yellow, red, and silky cuttings every year. I have had great success with them at my home in SE WI . On my property in NW WI I have limited success. I have always just stuck them randomly all over. After I thought none of them made it I find some years later that did. This year I stuck about 10 cuttings in a left over cage. I checked them in fall and almost all of them had leafed out. I tried to find some of the others outside of the cage and couldn't not find one. I wonder of the deer are pulling them right out? I have had really good success with elderberry cuttings up there.

 

[ruskbucks]

Hi,

I have an area where I would like to establish some red osier. I have read on people using trimmings to populate an area. I went ahead and got some seedlings from a local department sale. Is it possible to disc up and area and also plant seeds? Any other tips for getting an area going?

I would definitely cage them for 2 years. After that let the deer have them they are pretty much indestructible. Some kind of weed control will help also. If you have a area that is damp, put them there. I think I remember reading that seeds are not effective except if the birds plant them for you. Have you considered some elderberry? Great shrub. Provides cover, browse, and fruit that deer and birds love.

 

[ruskbucks]

Hi,

I have an area where I would like to establish some red osier. I have read on people using trimmings to populate an area. I went ahead and got some seedlings from a local department sale. Is it possible to disc up and area and also plant seeds? Any other tips for getting an area going?

Another tip is once they are established 3-4 feet high you can bend some of the branches down horizontal with the ground( layering) and cover the stem up with dirt. I leave the end exposed and use landscape staples or even a brick to keep it flat on the ground. This will cause the plant to throw vertical shoots up from the stem that's covered with dirt. You can really get them to spread out from one plant this way.

 

[BuckSutherland]

I used to stick cuttings in the ground, but I found a way that is a lot more effective for me:

I put several cuttings in a tall thin pot and let them establish roots for a season, then I either plant out the entire cluster or split it in the winter and repot it and let them grow a little more before planting out in Spring.

View attachment 59958

I like that a lot. Why the hell do you people insist on keep giving me additional projects. Will be trying this next spring for sure.

 

[bigboreblr]

I like that a lot. Why the hell do you people insist on keep giving me additional projects. Will be trying this next spring for sure.

Far as habitat improvement via tree plantings, it's one of the easiest to do.

One meber dumped some dead branches around his dogwood instead of caging it. Kept the deer away. I am doing something similar at camp with apple trees. So far so good. Atleast since august.

 

[somich]

I just cut the branches on mine to get scion from about a foot long in spring and shove them down in the wet dirt. I leave about a third of it above ground with a couple buds above and walk away from it, some take some don’t.

This will really interests me. I also would like to know what can get sprayed to suppress grass/weed in those areas and not damage the ROD

 

[somich]

I used to stick cuttings in the ground, but I found a way that is a lot more effective for me:

I put several cuttings in a tall thin pot and let them establish roots for a season, then I either plant out the entire cluster or split it in the winter and repot it and let them grow a little more before planting out in Spring.

View attachment 59958

I've tried cuttings and purchased cutting with no success. I will try the potted cutting path. Are you saying theses are just cuttings, not rooted/pulled transplants?

Are

 

[3I0]

I get them popping up all over the place so I like to transplant them in spring time to more desired locations. That's usually good for 20+ a year just where they are growing beside my driveway, in lawns/fields, etc.

A couple years ago I found a source for cheap (for Canada) bare root seedlings and stuck in 500 2'+ tall ones in a couple areas. Survival rate on them has been pretty good. I'd like to do more of it but it's challenging finding places to do true bulk plantings without having heavy equipment clear trees and stuff. In my manually done cuts I have to do lots of chainsaw work before I can plant which gets down to the wire timing wise for when bare roots ship versus when frost and snow is gone up here.

I also like to mash the white berries they get into the ground where I want them to grow but can't in all honesty say I have seen anything pop up from those yet that I've noticed.

 

[somich]

I get them popping up all over the place so I like to transplant them in spring time to more desired locations. That's usually good for 20+ a year just where they are growing beside my driveway, in lawns/fields, etc.

A couple years ago I found a source for cheap (for Canada) bare root seedlings and stuck in 500 2'+ tall ones in a couple areas. Survival rate on them has been pretty good. I'd like to do more of it but it's challenging finding places to do true bulk plantings without having heavy equipment clear trees and stuff. In my manually done cuts I have to do lots of chainsaw work before I can plant which gets down to the wire timing wise for when bare roots ship versus when frost and snow is gone up here.

I also like to mash the white berries they get into the ground where I want them to grow but can't in all honesty say I have seen anything pop up from those yet that I've noticed.

White and silky dogwood thrive and propagate here extremity well. Cant get ROD to self propagate or expand from my plants.

I tube, most if not all of my bushes for a year or two before caging.

I want it in several really wet areas for pheasants cattails etc.

 

[Telemark]

I've tried cuttings and purchased cutting with no success. I will try the potted cutting path. Are you saying theses are just cuttings, not rooted/pulled transplants?

Are

Just cuttings stuck in potting soil and kept watered. I have nearly 100% take on them this way.

 

[SD51555]

I think to really get it going in the wild, you've got to get to the point where the deer cannot eat all the browse you have. It used to be I couldn't find ROD that wasn't eaten to the ground. Now, I'm finding more not browsed at all than is.

I've got a few strategic cages around the property on wild bushes, but when I started seeing known high preference stump sprouts go un-browsed, I knew I was getting ahead, and the dogwood gets ahead with the rest of it, if it has space and sun. It took me 4 years and lots of chainsaw work to get ahead of them.

 

[H20fwler]

This will really interests me. I also would like to know what can get sprayed to suppress grass/weed in those areas and not damage the ROD

I don’t spray anything around them. The cover protects them from deer pulling them.

If you want a lot fast, planting them like others have said with the spacing and matting and protecting them is best.
For as low maintenance as you can get planting them the way I have works but not with as good of a success rate. I usually see the new ROD poking up above the grass and weeds 2-3 years after I plant it. My success rate is probably like 25% or less but I’m fine with that. I already have well established ROD with an unlimited supply of cuttings I can gather and push in in spring as I walk around the property edges with very little effort on my part.

 

[SD51555]

I went out and walked part of my sanctuary today. I got to see one of my native ROD clusters I caged a couple years ago. This was a cluster of about a dozen stems that were grazed down to about 12”.

5’ tall cage.

Also found some ROD popping up thru the edge of a brush pile I made two years ago.

There’s lots of ROD coming back on the property. The stuff near trails is still getting browsed, but the isolated stuff is being left alone.


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