Trees for nothing  - Switches, suckers and layers.

 Trees have been grown for so  long that it is difficult to think that they do need care, nurture and management to achieve a measure of success. Oaks and chestnuts produce tonnes of nuts as seeds – so how can they fail to reproduce? The answer is that trees are also a valuable food source for so many species that for a tree to survive to maturity is quite a feat.

Growing trees can be a tricky business – seeds have a 75% germination rate, and then when in the sapling stage are readily taken as food by numerous animals – rabbits, sheep, deer and hares. Leaves, bark and shoots are all under pressure when young.

 Ready grown stock from nurseries can be expensive (as raising them takes a long time – see above) and will not always be available. And the best type of planting is that which replaces and enhances naturally occurring stock for your area. Taking a cutting, sucker or layering a plant is using a plant that is already established.

Propogating trees from existing stock gives ready made saplings - strong and usually with a developing root system that fulfil the following criteria:

-         usually native to the area and well established

-         have matured enough to withstand predation

-         are available free for collection

 Three main methods of obtaining free trees are:

1. Cuttings – taking a strong shoot, cutting it to size and planting it over winter to produce roots for spring planting

2. Suckers or offshoots – taking already grown shoots from the base of the tree or the root system

3. Layering – encouraging mature shoots to produce saplings.

 CUTTINGS.

 This is the simplest method of increasing stock – willow (Salix), hazel (Corylus), dogwood (Cornus), poplar (Populus) and plum (Prunus) will readily take to this kind of growth.

 A hardwood cutting, as this is known, is made in the dormant season from a mature shoot. The advantage of this system is the plant is in the ‘dormant’ or quiet cycle of growth and therefore will be well established when the growing season starts.

Method:

-         Wait until leaf fall and choose a well-developed stem – not too old, and cut to a length of about 30cm (15 inches).

-         Make as sloping cut just above the TOP of the new bud for next year.

-         Make a horizontal cut 25 cm (10 inches) below this bud.

-         Dip the base in rooting powder if being used.

-         Make a mix of one part peat to 3 parts sand in a cold frame or sheltered corner.

-         To encourage a straight growth – sink the cutting in to the depth of the top bud.

-         At bud break in Spring, gently loosen out of sand bed and plant in outside bed.

-         Replant in autumn in final position when the leaves have fallen and plant is dormant again.

SUCKER

 A sucker is a growth that arises directly from the root system and is effectively a clone of the parent tree.

An offshoot arises directly from the base and can be treated the same way.

Felled trees readily produce suckers to survive – ash, (Fraxinus), wild cherry (Prunus), false acacia (Robinia), aspen (Populus tremula), elm (Ulmus) and poplar (Populus  sp.)all readily sucker. Again, leaf fall is the best time to move the sapling, resulting in less stress and better settling time for the plant.

 The simplest way is to identify a plant that is already growing near to the parent tree – putting a tag around a sapling in the growing season will help identify the sapling in the autumn.

-         Suckers will grow in a line radiating from the tree and will result from where the root has broken up to the surface.

-         Take a garden fork and fork away the soil around the roots.

-         Using a sharp knife, sever the root contact between the parent and the sapling.

-         Over winter in a light soil – 1:1 sand to soil. This will help roots to develop fine hairs needed for survival.

-         The following spring, just before bud break, the plant can be lifted and put into final planting position. 

LAYERING.

 This can be successful with shrubby plants – woody plants with multiple stems and a low-growing, bushy habit. Rhododendron (Rhondendron), laurel (Laurus) and dogwood (Cornus alba) can all be successfully layered.

Layering has the advantage of leaving the daughter plant attached until it has rooted itself and is a healthy shoot

The suitable parent plant needs to have long well developed shoots.

-         Two to three months before spring (bud break time), cultivate the soil around the parent plant well by digging and weeding and making it suitable for root development – light and free-draining.

-         Take some well developed but springy shoots and trim off all leaves except the last two buds – about 8 cm below the growth tip.

-         Lay this stem along the ground and anchor with either a wooden peg or a stone and cover with soil. Firm soil well and water frequently.

-         In Autumn, uncover soil and check root growth. If it is strong and growing well, sever from parent and plant where desired. If not, a further season may be spent on the parent plant, and the sapling removed in Spring.

 And these trees and shrubs do not stop at being individual plants – hedges, copses and spinneys are the natural niche for mixed planting.