Cloning a Resistant Elm

[twmarriott]

You want to take cuttings 2-3 foot long. You halve the leaves to limit the water loss through transpiration. Keeping them out of bright sun will help. You cut below a leaf point and take off a few lower leaves but cut cleanly. Try some with rooting powder and some without as some species it delays routing. Bigger cuttings are often easier so try different sizes. Yes try layering as it may work. And finally, of course these are clones.

 

Sadly though I've been observing elm trees since the 70's and recently many of the trees that survived the original infection have now died. But as others said, we need to keep trying. By the way, the nursery nationally that sells resistant elm isn't selling English elm but a hybrid.

 

I'd like to plant some elms down here, where can I get these hybrid or disease resistant elms?

[agg221]

I'd like to plant some elms down here, where can I get these hybrid or disease resistant elms?

 

There are several sources. I would say be wary and do it if you are prepared to take a chance. There are three options: find someone on Arbtalk who knows where there are big elms and give it a go with cuttings, google 'disease resistant elm' and it will throw up some results where nurseries have propagated surviving trees from cuttings (there is at least one inEssex doing this) or find the cultivar Morpheo on google, which is one of the most widely tested.

 

I would avoid the Princeton elm though as it has not proved resistant to the European strain of the disease.

 

Alec

[woodyguy]

Get one locally. They wanted over £20 a sapling for the hybrid. Frankly if you're growing non-English its easier to grow chinese or american or siberian from seed.

[Perkins]

Perkins - there have been various bigger 'official' projects, including one in Warwickshire and my local tree officer (Braintree) had a serious interest which is where I learned from. He propagated a few trees through a local nursery, which are now available for sale but at a very high cost. I think the future is likely to be interested individuals just doing enough to keep the surviving strains going. Propagation from bark shavings is the micro-propagation technique which is amazing if you ever see it. The shavings are kept alive through nutrients in agar gel, then hormones are introduced to promote transition to root mass, then further hormones to promote bud growth. It produces really strange, almost alien looking masses of root, followed by perfect, beautiful miniature plants which are cut off and grown on. You can keep it going indefinitely. I did my work experience at East Malling Horticultural Research Establishment in the propagation department in the 1980s when it was just being developed and it was fascinating to watch.

 

 

Hey Alec, that sounds really interesting. Certainly a brilliant place for starting out in the tree industry... the home of root growth investigations and of the ubiquitous M9 rootstock! I'll have to investgate micro-propagation techniques further.

 

On the subject of Elms, I'll be rooting a few cuttings myself using the excellent advice contained here. Thanks. The nurserymen around here suddenly clam up when you ask about rooting cuttings! (I wonder why?)

 

Of course the beauty of cuttings is that you can take hundreds to improve your chances of success.

[Macpherson]

Hi, came home a couple of nights ago with elm cuttings from four different healthy looking mid sized trees from different locations and when I looked on here, this thread was at the top of "today`s posts". Thanks guys, all the info I could need.

[twmarriott]

There are several sources. I would say be wary and do it if you are prepared to take a chance. There are three options: find someone on Arbtalk who knows where there are big elms and give it a go with cuttings, google 'disease resistant elm' and it will throw up some results where nurseries have propagated surviving trees from cuttings (there is at least one inEssex doing this) or find the cultivar Morpheo on google, which is one of the most widely tested.

 

I would avoid the Princeton elm though as it has not proved resistant to the European strain of the disease.

 

Alec

 

cheers I do know of a few elms but over warks, none at all over here all gone.

i'll see if I can source some, we've the space ground to plant a good few (there were dozens going back to the 60s) but all cut and burned due to disease. there doesn't even seem to be any smaller ones now, not sure why...

i'll start with the morpheo strain....

[twmarriott]

just googled this chap, seems to know his stuff! Ordering - Resistant Elms

[Billhook]

Hi, came home a couple of nights ago with elm cuttings from four different healthy looking mid sized trees from different locations and when I looked on here, this thread was at the top of "today`s posts". Thanks guys, all the info I could need.

 

 

Serendipity or Synchronicity or both!

[Billhook]

Just listening to Bob Flowerdew on Gardeners Question Time yesterday talking about layering and he said with vines and Clematis he trains a shoot to go through a plastic flowerpot, damages the stem a little to encourage rooting before filling the pot with compost, (I suppose rooting compound would help) and then holds the pot in position with a couple of clothes pegs.

 

Once the layering has taken place just cut the stem and continue in the greenhouse.

 

The Elm may look a little strange for a while bearing odd looking fruits, but it seems like a good idea so I will give it a go.

[agg221]

just googled this chap, seems to know his stuff! Ordering - Resistant Elms

 

Very useful link - I am now going to see him at the end of June

 

On that subject, Billhook (and anyone else around East Anglia who knows of decent sized surviving elms), if you are able to send me a short length of this year's growth of typical form then that would be excellent as the plan is to see whether those which are surviving have significant Plot elm character, or any other distinct characteristics.

 

Alec