Cloning a Hazel Tree

[Emdiesse]

Hi, So I figured today I'd love to have my own Hazel tree that I could harvest. My next door neighbours have a rather large Hazel tree popping right over the top of our fence and so I have a cunning plan; To take a cutting of the Hazel tree and plop it in my garden to grow as well.

I am looking for advice really because I am not sure of the best way to go about this.

1. Do I simply take a few (25-50cm) cuttings off the tips of branches
1.1. stick them in the ground and pray
1.2. stick them in a few pots with some compost, water and pray... then transplant into my garden

I guess it's probably really not a good time of year to be thinking this either, what with it being autumn, then winter... but if I were to do this around March-April time?
Or is there a way I could start it now, start it indoors or something?

Cheers

 

[FGYT]

just put a few nuts in a pots some will sprout

ATB

Duncan

 

[jorn]

You could try something different. Select a branch to your liking, then mark the branch i.e. cut out squares on each side of the branch. Don't ring the branch! Now take an old carrierbag and cut large oblong square of the material. Take some potting ground or compost and put it on the plastic. Then wrap it around the branch where you marked it an tie of the ends. After a couple of weeks roots should have started growing inside the bag, you can prune the branch of and stick the bugger in the ground.
This is one way, there are many more. It's just a fun expiriment. Again, you should try this in spring when the leaves are on the tree.

Good luck!

 

[Emdiesse]

Come next spring, i'll give all three methods a go and see what happens

Phase 1.
1. Chuck a few nuts in a pot of compost
2. Cut a few hazel branch tips, stick em in a pot
3. Tie a small bit of plastic full of compost to a few marked branches

Phase 2.
Stick them all in the ground and see what comes out best!!!
I will update on results come summertime next year.

 

[stuey]

Ground layering is the most common method for propagating hazel. Done in either either autumn or spring choose a low bendy stem that will bend down to touch the ground. Bend it down and note where it touches the ground. Make a shallow scrape in the ground 4 - 6inches deep. Scrape off the bark on the underside of the stem or if you want to get fancy slice a flap of bark back to just beyond a leaf bud and prop the flap open with something suitable. Dust the exposed area with hormone rooting powder. Bend the stem down into the depression and peg it down firmly. Cover with soil and sit back and wait for 12 months.

Air layering as Jorn suggests is the same principle but up aloft and can be little unpredictable in terms of success.

Planting nuts is definately worth a try but potect the pots from squirrels!

Hardwood cuttings arent known to succeed with Hazel.

Good luck

Stu

 

[Harvestman]

For the 'cut off a branch and stick it in the ground' technique, a quick dip in rooting compound will do no harm, and might do some good.

Works for me with blackcurrants, anyway.

 

[Bigfoot]

This is basically what I do :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/propagation_hardwood1.shtml

 

[Emdiesse]

Ok, cheers for the reply guys. I would try the ground layering, but I think i'd struggle with the fence in the middle. I will try air layering though. Seems worth while looking out for some rooting compound. Is this something you can make as well or is it a complex mix of chemicals, etc?

 

[stuey]

Im afraid hormone rooting powder is largely chemicals and best bought from a garden centre or garden shop.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Im afraid hormone rooting powder is largely chemicals and best bought from a garden centre or garden shop.

An organic version can be easily made form finely chopped willow bark! Another wonder of the willow tree!

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[stuey]

An organic version can be easily made form finely chopped willow bark! Another wonder of the willow tree!

ATB

Ogri the trog

I thought I knew all about willow trees too!! Thanks OTT!! Learned summink really useful there!! Thannks

 

[Emdiesse]

An organic version can be easily made form finely chopped willow bark! Another wonder of the willow tree!

ATB

Ogri the trog

Cheers, It fascinates me how much nature can actually provide. Sure, it might not work as well as the man-made stuff, but it's great to know this information.
I guess that's also why willow tree is apparently very easy to propagate, I'm going to have to give that a go too!

[edit]This makes some interesting reading around making rooting compound from willow www.izwa.org.za/Alternatives bookletPDF.pdf [/edit]

 

[jorn]

An organic version can be easily made form finely chopped willow bark! Another wonder of the willow tree!

ATB

Ogri the trog

I didn't know that, that's a great bit of knowledge! Will give it a go!