Air layering

[CrealCritter]

I am going to need nursery pots. these 3 gallon ones, seemed to be a fair price for thick re-usable ones.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

@CrealCritter did you check out your local nursery for pots? I don't know if you have a Green Acres near you, but the one near me has good quality thick plastic plant pots for just a couple bucks. I reuse the pots the plants I buy come in too.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

You might also check to see if your local Lowes or Home Depot gives away the used ones to be recycled.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I've been reading up on Elderberry propagation. Am seeing that some folks are having success with softwood cuttings. My 2 plants are barely surviving. A lot of winter kill every year, and they just have not gotten established. One is only 15" tall, and the other is about 4' tall. the larger one only puts out 1 - 2 "canes" and the older ones die all the way back. This year's growth has some new sprouts coming out on the surviving cane, and I'm tempted to take some of them off where they join the cane, and see if they will take root. That one plant has put out an offset from the base that is about 3' away. I have hope that one will survive, if hubby doesn't kill it with the mower!

 

[CrealCritter]

I've been reading up on Elderberry propagation. Am seeing that some folks are having success with softwood cuttings. My 2 plants are barely surviving. A lot of winter kill every year, and they just have not gotten established. One is only 15" tall, and the other is about 4' tall. the larger one only puts out 1 - 2 "canes" and the older ones die all the way back. This year's growth has some new sprouts coming out on the surviving cane, and I'm tempted to take some of them off where they join the cane, and see if they will take root. That one plant has put out an offset from the base that is about 3' away. I have hope that one will survive, if hubby doesn't kill it with the mower!

We have the opposite issue. We have elder growing like weeds some 10' plus tall and another variety called dwarf elder that only gets about 18" tall and never really puts out much berries, so I bush hogged the dwarf but left some nice tall ones to grow. Are you expecting tall elder bountiful elder but maybe you have dwarf elder?

Here's a picture of the elderberry I took last year in mid to late summer before the flowers turned to berries. I didn't get to pick any from this patch. But I did from a few others around the property. Still had to stand on a ladder though.

Here is a internet picture of dwarf elderberry. You can see it's not really much good for berries. Since everything about the plant is dwarf.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

@CrealCritter did you check out your local nursery for pots? I don't know if you have a Green Acres near you, but the one near me has good quality thick plastic plant pots for just a couple bucks. I reuse the pots the plants I buy come in too.

Thanks but I already ordered them from eBay, what I had posted. Ebay said they shipped today.

i'm starting to get "my stride" per say. I live far from the nearest town, 20 minute drive. So by the time I go to town, stand in line at the store and drive back it's at least an hour wasted on something I could be doing around here. I'm now trying to plan my trips to town at night so I'm not "burning daylight". If I need something that's not immediate I'll order it on-line and have it shipped. Country Life...

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

My neighbor came over today and asked if he could store 21 lbs of sausage in my freezer. Sure enough I said, I grabbed a handle of the cooler and we loaded the deep freezer. I showed him what I did with the old orchard and the air-layering. He said you mean grafting? I said no air-layering and told him how to do it. He's never seen anyone do anything like that before, something totally new to him. Then he offered.me some walnut seedlings. I said sure I'll come by after it rains and digs some up.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Are you expecting tall elder bountiful elder but maybe you have dwarf elder?





Jesus is Lord and Christ

No, they should be the tall varieties. I bought 2 different varieties, planted them about 6 years ago. I think they just aren't happy where they are. The smaller one has some mouse damage but hasn't been completely girdled. I'm hoping that damage actually works to my advantage, and forces the shrub to go into survival mode, setting some new suckers. I've had wild ones pop up on the property in the past, but they were destroyed by land clearing efforts. If I ever see some wild ones OR someone's cultivated ones in my travels, I'd be sure to ask for some cuttings.

 

[Britesea]

we have a nice big one in the empty lot next to us, but the last couple of years the drought has prevented berry production. They bloom, but the berries just dry up on the tree before they ever fully develop. I'm thinking of running the hose over there and giving it some water at least once a month this summer, to see if that helps, since my well is very deep. I have a lot of dried elderberries "put by", but I would like to be able to harvest some so I don't run out; only God knows how long this drought will last.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I bought some of those air layering pods, they arrived yesterday. Going to try those, plus some assorted containers to air layer the lilac, a jasmine, and some of the branches off my avocado.

Does it matter if you use liquid or powder rooting hormone? Should I try both ways to test which one works better?