North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Title: Re: [NAFEX] Black Walnut..was..Clonal Rootstock

If I was stooling the tree, I'd cut it close to the ground (within an inch or two), then when the shoots were a foot long or so, put twist ties around the base of them.  As the shoots grow, they are girdled very slowly, causing energy and nutrients to back up above the girdle, which helps encourage the shoot to root.  You could try applying liquid rooting hormone to the area, too.  After applying the wires, mound soil or baked sawdust over the bases of the shoots to keep them moist.  You might be able to put a bottomless bucket over the whole thing to help hold the soil/sawdust in place.  If you have done it right, you should be able to pull the soil away in late fall or early spring and find roots on the shoots, which can then be cut off and potted or planted in a nursery row for a season before being planted in the final locale.


>  one of the reasons I went walking towards this vigorous seedling Black Walnut this morning with saw in hand was exactly the idea of stooling the Black Walnut when it regrows, which I know it will, since I cut it to the ground 2 years ago, and it has regrown stronger than ever.  I'm very interested in the idea of making copies of something with such enormous vigor.  Vigor in seedlings of almost any fruit or nut tree has always been a keen interest for me. 
>
> I have never understood the wire method.  Does it replace removing a strip of cambium, encouraging callusing and rooting [like in air-layering?] Is the wire meant to cut through the cambium? 
>
> In stooling, would you use a tree tube?  A 5-gallon plastic pail? What would you recommend? 
> Charlie Paradise 
> still Massachusetts zone 5