Very Old Cherry Tree

16 years ago

I have looked around on these boards for a bunch of ideas but would like some specific advice

Next to my house is a very old sweet cherry tree. It is an amazing tree. It has withstood generations of neighborhood kids climbing it it has survived the demolition of neighboring houses and remanined beautiful and hardy in a rough urban lansdscape. It fruits and flowers amazingly.

I am afraid it will not survive the inevitable redevelopment of the area.

I would like to clone it so that I can plant a copy in my yard so it will live on in some way.

It is my understanding that it is hard to propogate old trees like this what can I do to increase my chances of success.

I am not an experienced gardener this will be my first spring with a garden after 10yrs of apartment life. I did grow up doing alot of work in the yard but I am a great killer of houseplants.

Do I even have a chance here or is this a futile idea.

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Comments (7)

georgez5il
16 years ago
Grafting is the prefered method IF you have time start some plants from seed collected from your tree & then graft onto on of these saplings May take 2 years till ready to graft.... Taking cuttings is problamatic. in late june find a 2-3 inch tip of firm NEW growth. apply 0.8% IBA (a rooting hormone) stick in well drained soil & mist. I would take 10-20 such cuttings since success is limited.
good luck
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
16 years ago
georgez5il, when taking cuttings from NEW growth on an old tree would you prefer the new growth from lower, horizontal limbs or new growth from the vertical limbs at the very top?
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kittyl
16 years ago
If I were you IÂd try to get some scionÂs from your old tree grafted on to a new cherryÂ either fruit cherry or flowering cherry. (Some people are successful in getting grafts crossing over to plums, cheeries, or pears.) Use new growth to make scionÂs, donÂt use old growth which likely has flower buds ready. The new growth would also work for cuttings you want to root. I donÂt think it will matter whether you take them from horizontal branches or vertical.
veeja11
16 years ago
Right now is a great time, take 10 cuttings dip in rootone and put in soil, or put some in a glass with a willow branch in water, soft wood, last years growth. tip the cuttings and it is a definate that it will root, talking to the cuttings helps. root away. carol
kenzo
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the replies.

I will try a few different methods. I will try the cuttings I guess there is nothing to loose. I will look for new growth.

If I put cuttings in soil can I leave them outside or should they be inside?
tc88
15 years ago
Kenzo, did you manage to root the cuttings? Thanks.
macmikeal
12 years ago
Anyway to get any hardwood cuttings off this tree? You can wait until it goes dormant. Cut some whips. This years growth. cut the top on a slant an the bottom next to the bottom of a bud and square. Put a five gallon bucket in the ground cut bottom out. Put sand in the bucket. Place the whips consisting of three buds in the ground upside down. cover with more sand or wet peat moss. Then wait until next May around the 15th take out should have some roots formed. Take and plant them out. Should have some cherry trees then. Sounds like a good tree to get some cuttings from.