Does anyone have experience with "spriging" cottonwood?
Putting in cuttings.
We have a big problem with cottonwood dying off along out rivers.
The ten year drought has taken a serious toll. Limited flooding has not help the regeneration.
Any pointers will be appreciated.
Sprigging would likely need the water that apparently is missing in the equation.
How have you been doing it?
We have just begun. We are in the planning stage. We have had great moisture this year, with some flooding but not like historical flooding.
So we are looking at where the current flood plains are. Which rancher will commit to fencing.
Which sites have good water. Some will have good sub irrigation.
I am trying to decide if we should try cuttings from local trees, purchase bare root stock, or purchase cuttings.
What is the purpose behind the propagation of the cottonwoods?
For black cottonwood, from this link: http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_pobat.pdf
Cuttings of twigs of the current season's growth, 20-45 cm long and 1-3 cm diameter, taken during the dormant season and with healthy axillary buds, can be placed in a sheltered outdoor bed or directly into permanent positions. Plant with one bud above the surface. Cuttings grown in a mist-propagator also root easily. Nursery- or container-grown seedlings and rooted cuttings establish easily and grow rapidly on moist well-drained soils in full sun. Live stakes should be 3.5 cm diameter and 1.2 m long, stuck directly into ground on-site.
I know NRCS uses cuttings quite often in wetlands/riparian restoration.
Along our river banks are cottonwoods. In our grassland areas these may be the only trees. With out these trees there is nothing holding the banks.
Rivers and creeks in the Wyoming sense of the word, are not very wide and may be seasonal.
Many of these trees are dead or dying, we are looking at 85% or so, with no replacements.
These trees can be very old.
It is a serious change to the water ways.
I will start taking pic's and posting them.
Ooops! wrong page had to delete, April fool on me! :o
Balsam poplar is just about the same as western black cottonwood. Sticky, smelly buds and propogate easily by cuttings as Ryn suggested. I've done this many times in the last 25 years and either bury them in trays or in a bed outside. They need to be kept moist. They grow pretty quick this way. Often the road crew will stick a balm sapling by culverts before the ground freezes so they can find them to clean out in spring. The sapling will often root and grow like a regular tree.
Would you think that smaller is better?
So make small cuttings, put into a bed and transfer next year?
Or go bigger and direct to planting area?
I know I am pushing our time here. If I have to, I will wait a year.
The buds are just starting to swell.
Small branch tips with last years buds would be my approach. If the ground is still quite moist it could work on site. But if the bank soil is high in silt and sand, it may dry out too quick to take.
I planted some from cuttings last year. They did real well until a beaver ate them >:(. You can see them planted here: https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,42981.0.html , and the ground was very moist. The only ones that did not sprout were 2-3 big fat cuttings, and the best ones seemed to be about 1/2-3/4" thick. Off topic, but I finally got rid of that beaver this spring.