Harry Lauders Walking stick

[Shaggy]

After wanting one for years, Last summer My wife finally made space in fer garden for me to get my Corkscrew Hazel.
I absolutly love this tree. Now I want more of them. I read that the seeds are sterile and that the tree must be reproduced by other means.
Can I take an interesting cutting off my tree this spring and root it to start a new tree?
Does it root easily?
I have experience with several different methods of cloning plants.
I'm looking at it out my window as I type this, and wondering if "AirLayering" might be the answer.
Has anyone got experience with this species.

[Jess]

Hi

Corylus contorta is a grafted plant as they are incredibly difficult to do from cuttings but it might be worth a try.
The best time is in the autumn from hardwood cuttings.

[Shaggy]

I'm new to this and don't know what you mean by a "Grafted plant".
I understand grafting a branch from one tree onto another, like for fruit trees, but how do you reproduce more trees though grafting?

[Jess]

Grafting, in this instance, means grafting a Corylus contorta whip to a corylus avellana rootstock so the plant gets the vigour of the root. It is quite a specialised technique used to grow weak plants or to restrict the growth of strong plants. Fruit tree growers use this technique a lot.
here is some info.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles01 ... entals.asp

[Dom Nizza]

Hi

Corylus contorta is a grafted plant as they are incredibly difficult to do from cuttings but it might be worth a try.
The best time is in the autumn from hardwood cuttings.

I always had a little problem with this Walking Stick.. till I finally got one to grow. Felt it could be ground layered... (pinning a low branch into the ground about 6 inches) after scraping the bark off of about 4 inches squeezing with pliers to expose the inner bronch) ... In meantime here is a fully developed plant. Sometimes it happens by accident.. check it out.


It's a little weird looking but, a great conversation piece. ...