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Propagation of a
Christmas tree
using your CUT Christmas tree
The beautiful CUT Christmas
tree which you purchased this year is not suitable to use to propagate new
trees.
Most commercial Christmas trees are propagated from seeds. From found or
purchased seedlings, in a few years you will have a wonderful supply of Christmas
trees to use, give away or sell!
At this time
of the year we expect to receive an email from a
Mom who says that her tearful three year old loves their Christmas tree and wants
to keep it forever. She asks, can she propagate a new tree from a cutting
taken from the cut tree? What can we say? Perhaps the best thing she can do is to take a
photo of the tree or have the child make a picture to keep forever.
Most evergreen trees used for cut Christmas trees are not possible (or very difficult) to propagate from
cuttings. Unfortunately the pine family, which has many varieties
suitable for Christmas trees, is difficult or impossible to propagate from cuttings.
Tree companies, like Lawyer and Musser listed below, likely propagate
their trees from
seeds. It is easier to use seed for propagation since a typical
seedling can grow to one to two feet in the first two years then transplanted
out, becoming a six footer in about five to six years. In that case, why bother
to use cuttings?
Regarding the cut Christmas tree, consider the problems of
taking cuttings from a tree which was cut down some weeks before. The
cuttings from any plant must be carefully taken from the proper part of
the plant and treated in an appropriate way. See:
http://www.rooting-hormones.com/takecut.htm.
Suitable evergreen trees which can be propagated from
cuttings must have the cuttings taken from the current seasons growth
and near the base of the plant. It is better to have a young tree as
the parent stock.
Some evergreen varieties which can be propagated from
cuttings are:
False cypress (chamaecyparis) family. These are
propagated from winter cuttings which are treated soon after taking
cuttings using the long soak method with Rhizopon AA Water Soluble
Tablets at one to two tablets per liter water,
for four to six hours, then stored in a plastic bag in a
refrigerator until the spring.
Spruce (picea) family. These are propagated from late
spring to early summer cuttings using Rhizopon AA #3 by the dry dip method.
Douglas fir (pseudotsuga). These are propagated from winter cuttings
which are stored in a plastic bag until spring then treated before
planting using Rhizopon AA #3 by the dry dip method.
One type of plant which is often used as a potted
Christmas tree plant is the Norfolk Island Pine (araucaria). This is a
tropical plant which looks similar to the hardy pines. These can be
propagated at any time of the year using the current seasons growth.
Use
Rhizopon AA #1 by the dry drip method.
Some of the favorite varieties used for Christmas trees in the
US and Canada are:
| Concolor Fir |
Fraser Fir - a top choice |
Norway Spruce |
| Douglas Fir - a top choice |
Eastern White Pine |
Southwestern White Pine |
| Balsam Fir - a top choice |
Scotch Pine |
Colorado Blue Spruce |
| Canaan Fir |
Eastern Red Cedar |
White Spruce |
| Eastern White Pine |
Virginia Pine |
Noble Fir |
Some the the most beautiful Christmas trees are the living
trees in pots or balls. After the holiday season simply take the tree outside
and plant it at the appropriate time for your area (subject to frozen soil to
dig the planting hole).
There are many suppliers of
Christmas tree stock grown from seed. We do not recommend any particular
supplier. Two well known tree farms are:
Lawyer Nurseries
950 Highway 200 West
Plains, MT 59859
1-800-551-9875
1-406-826-3881
trees@lawyernursery.com
http://www.lawyernursery.com
This company is best for the
commercial grower since their prices are quite reasonable. They have a
$250 minimum order. From their catalog: "We Offer One of the Largest
Selections of Field Grown Bareroot Nursery Stock in the Wholesale Nursery
Trade!" |
Musser Forests
1880 Route 119 Hwy N
Indiana, PA 15701
1-800-643-8319
1-724-465-5685
sales@musserforests.com
http://www.musserforests.com
This company has a wide range of
plants which are indexed by the intended use. They cater to both the home
and commercial grower. From their catalog "Our
shipping rate is a flat 20% of the order total with a $6.00 min. This
covers shipping, handling, and boxing. If your shipping exceeds the 20%,
we will bill for the difference." |
We wish you and your family
all the best for the Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!
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