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treepalm

WANTED: for Green Elephant

treepalm
14 years ago

Hello all,

Is anyone planning on bringing Raspberries to the green elephant? My sister is looking for some and I'm glad to trade something for her. I'm also looking for some Harry Lauder's walking stick cuttings, although I just read that it is grafted. Does anyone know how it does with it's own roots? Can I start it from cuttings?

I've taken bunches of cuttings, but I'm not sure that they are ready to trade yet. I will try to find something from your want list to trade.

Thanks,

Teresa

Comments (4)

  • lotta_plants
    14 years ago

    I have a thornless red raspberry, can bring a couple.

  • treepalm
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks! What can I bring you, Lotta plants?
    Teresa

  • lotta_plants
    14 years ago

    Doesn't really matter.

  • bejoy2
    14 years ago

    Harry Lauder's Walking Stick (Corylus avellana contorta, or contorted filbert) is a mutation. It will not reproduce from seed. So for the average gardener without access to a tissue culture laboratory, there are only three options: layering, rooting a cutting, or grafting a cutting. Layering can take a year, and if the tree isn't yours, you need the owner's permission to lay a branch down and leave it that way for that entire year. Grafting takes practice, and means that you have to find a compatible plant to act as donor. Filberts are notorious for sending up suckers from the rootstock, especially if the main trunk is cut. I have a native filbert at the top of my driveway that I tried to cut down, with the result that it is growing only to shrub-height, and has about 20 trunks. With grafted filberts, you have to watch for straight trunks coming from the root stock. It can be a never-ending battle, since every time you cut off a sucker, it can stimulate several suckers to grow in its place, like the Hydra of Greek mythology. It's been my experience that the best way to remove such a sucker is to rip it right off of the rootstock. Grasp the stem close to where it comes off of the rootstock and pull it down and away from the rootstock, tearing the cambium off with it. Of course, this creates a wound that invites disease. You can see how much trouble it can be propagating this particular plant by grafting. However, one advantage of grafting a tree is that you can control its height by selecting a dwarf rootstock. That's how they create dwarf apple trees, and that's why the contorted filbert is characterized as a dwarf. For that reason, a tree you start from a cutting may grow a little taller than what you expect, so if you like the diminutive stature of nursery-grown contorted filberts, keep that in mind. Personally, for this plant, I like the option of rooting a cutting best. The roots it develops will be its own, so if it does send up suckers, they will have the twisted characteristic you want. Try soft wood (current years' growth), semi-hard wood (last years' growth), and hard wood (two years old). From what I've read, filberts are not difficult to start from cuttings, and cuttings taken in fall or early spring do best. Good luck!

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