Hawthorn Collecting

[Dermot]

I actually buried the root I planted. Completely buried. I never thought of planting some above ground

 

[Shibui]

Some species will sprout from below soil level but I get much better results when root cuttings are planted with the top clear of the soil and that's standard practice for root cuttings as far as I know. Shoots will always come from the end of the root closest to the tree ie 'top'. This means you must be aware which end is which to be successful.

 

[Dermot]

Everyday is a school day . I'll try to expose the top of the root and see how it goes. Thanks again

 

[Dermot]

Is there any value to be had in putting a well diluted dose of liquid seaweed on the collected tree's? I wouldn't intend on any fertiser until end of August, all going well.

 

[PonderingSage:]

Are you black bagging your hawthorn?
Tony Tickle has some videos about it.
Here is the one l got around the same.

 

[Dermot]

Are you black bagging your hawthorn?
Tony Tickle has some videos about it.
Here is the one l got around the same.

Very nice tree mate. Hopefully it pulls through.

One of them I am black bagging. I don't have a green house or anything so it's a lot of work protecting it from wind etc. The others are outside in a corner of the garden.
Yes I watched lot's of Tony Tickles videos. I know he mentioned not feeding until the heading into autumn to give the tree strength for winter. I wasn't sure about liquid seaweed however

 

[Shibui]

Is there any value to be had in putting a well diluted dose of liquid seaweed on the collected tree's? I wouldn't intend on any fertiser until end of August, all going well.

Feel free to use liquid seaweed. Lots of people swear it is great. I've found it does not seem to do any harm but as far as I can see doesn't actually help either.
Fertilise when the tree is growing well. I'd be adding fertiliser to new collected trees well before the end of summer.
IMHO fertiliser helps plants grow so best applied during the growing phase. The idea it helps harden trees for winter seems to have been debunked.

 

[Dermot]

Feel free to use liquid seaweed. Lots of people swear it is great. I've found it does not seem to do any harm but as far as I can see doesn't actually help either.
Fertilise when the tree is growing well. I'd be adding fertiliser to new collected trees well before the end of summer.
IMHO fertiliser helps plants grow so best applied during the growing phase. The idea it helps harden trees for winter seems to have been debunked.

Interesting. Thanks. I'm conscious that the soil mix contains so little organic material it would need to be substituted. I'll try a little seaweed once it warms up a bit more

 

[Dermot]

Snug out!

Just a quick update two months after collection.
One of the 3 trees was black bagged and brought into the house. After about 4/5 weeks it was brought out for a few hours per day. I had to remove the black bag as it was blowing about and could cause more damage.
It's brought out to the sun all day and comes back in at night time. I will keep this up until temperatures warm up.

The other two have been left outside. They are pushing buds slowly. It still hasn't warmed up here yet. Day time temps about 11/12 Deg C.

 

[Dermot]

Quick update. As per previous posts, I dug a total of 3 "hawthorns" (or so I thought!) one of these trees got the black bag treatment. The other two were left to the elements and hoped for the best.
At this stage all three have pushed leafs. It turns out that one of the trees was actually a Blackthorn or prunus spinosa. I didn't realise until after leaves were produced.
The hawthorn that got the black bag treatment initially thrived. It pushed strong shoots which was really encouraging. I was hoping to develop maximum roots before winter and all was going to plan. After a few weeks of black bag treatment, I I started introducing sunlight. It was actually kept in the shade but natural light none the less. After a few weeks of light it was moved into full sun. Bearing in mind it is Ireland and the full sun over the last few months has really been mid sun- at best! I kept watering the foliage to help keep the tree hydrated as the roots were yet to establish. Unfortunately, for the last few weeks I have been battling some type of leaf blight. They are drying out and crisping up. I have sprayed with fungicide every 8/10 days and stopped watering the foliage. I still don't have it under control. I'm still removing infected leaves. Hopefully the new leaves will be healthier.

 

[Dermot]

The other hawthorn and Blackthorn which didn't receive the black method, appear to be thriving.

 

[Cajunrider]

The other hawthorn and Blackthorn which didn't receive the black method, appear to be thriving.

Looking good!