Cloning Trees

Jay Pique · 2004-08-07T19:34:11+00:00

I was browsing through the Lee Valley gardening site (again) recentlyand came across the Rooter Pot.[ system is a much simplified and easier propagation system called"air layering". Basically it allows you to make clones of existingplants, shrubs and trees and allows you to obtain in 8 weeks aduplicate that would take 3 years from seed or a cutting.This sounds like a very cool thing to do, and has me wondering - whattrees would be the best candidates for cloning? Are you best offwandering the woods until you find a "perfect" specimen?...or doenvironmental factors play such a large role that merely eyeballing atree won't really tell you much? I figure if I'm (someday, maybe)going to clone some trees, I might as well clone the *best*.Anyone done this? Any good sources of info?JP*****************Also, is it poor form to use "long" links, like above?Or is it worse form to use a tinyurl that disguises the ultimatedestination?

Aug 07, 2004 22 Replies

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Jay Pique 21 years ago

****************** BRING ME THE AXE!!!

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George E. Cawthon 21 years ago

Oh Thank you. Pick whatever you consider desirable traits for that species-- straightness, fast growth, disease resistance, etc. I don't think oldness is particularly desirable. Age is probably more a result of chance than genetics. BTW, cutting old big trees and leaving small trees isn't selecting for small trees, since little acorns become mighty oaks. Maybe somebody forgot that.

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George E. Cawthon 21 years ago

Try the banana. Ever bite into one of those seeds?

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