Great video! I planted hybrid willow and hybrid poplars last year on my property. I sprayed them with deer repellent but the deer still ate most of them. I will be replanting and using tubes this year. Great advice!
Just want to verify. You said you scraped one side 12” and stuck in the ground 1”. That surprises me that you would only have to plant 1” deep. Thanks for all your content.
Woops if I said 1 inch deep that would be a verbal gaff on my part. I meant 1 foot deep. I take 2 foot cuttings and plant them 1 foot deep. Thanks for catching this!
Could you use these for a fast screen if you cut the tops off and they kinda grew outward after a couple years of growth? Also how old are those spruce trees you think? Your videos are really useful as I am working on improving habitat on my property. Thank you
Thanks for that! Those spruce were planted in 2002 I believe. Yah if you cut them off they bush out from stump sprouts as well as root sucker some so they could make a decent screen. Though I'd still prefer spruce or shrubs over these. I wouldn't use these as a stand alone screen, I'd at least add a strip of switchgrass as well.
I’d put some rotten logs or bark and clump of leaves around the tree cutting and it wouldn’t have as much competition from the weeds to suck up the moisture. They would grow and establish roots a lot quicker.
Good idea! I also like killing the grass in my tree planting areas. That grass acts like a sponge. Though in this particular area I hadn't gotten around to that yet.
You mentioned cutting them to stump sprout. I watched your video in the past where you cut bedding areas in the 25 year old hybrid popular stands to get regen. I was wondering do hybrid poplars root sprout too, not just stump sprout? I have cut some quaking Aspen down and I’ve had good roots sprouts and regeneration from cutting just a few trees down getting hundreds of new trees. Do hybrid poplars root sprout as good as the Aspen or not. Great videos.
I have about 50 hybrid poplars that are around five years old now and 20 feet+ tall. Thinking about cutting some of them down in another five years to hopefully get root sprouts and get a lot thicker side cover and browse.
@Wisconsin Whitetail they prolifically stump sprout and do send up some root suckers, though not nearly as many as aspen. That sounds like a great plan, deer love the new growth from these and they do make fine cover
@@PFHabitat when they stump sprout will they have multiple trunks. 3-4? The areas I have them planted has a thick layer of canary grass. They might not be able to root sprout that well, what do you think. Thanks for the reply.
@Wisconsin Whitetail yes multiple new trunks will come from the stump sprouts. If it was mine I'd treat the canary grass given it isn't doing much good wildlife. You'll probably still see a little root suckering but I think treating it would help. When I cut aspen in areas with thick canary grass I don't see as much regen so I'm sure it suppresses it some.
There will be a lot of variability with that based on growth bur generally with hybrid poplar stump sprouts I can get at least a dozen good healthy looking cuttings
Really appreciate your videos! This is a great reminder to use what I have on-site vs buying nursery stock. What was your timing for taking your cuttings and getting in the ground? Same day? Did you use root enhancer? Have you used a branch of poplar or all young shoots for your cuttings? Thank you!
Thanks for watching! I took the cuttings and planted the same day. I have tried rooting gels but haven't seen a difference with a side by side comparison. Scaring one side of the cutting has been the thing that has helped root growth the most for me. I have taken branches and tried those as well with some success though the new growth seems to produce the best results.
In my situation I’m using them for screening until my conifer plantings grow to desired height. The hybrid poplar and willow grow very fast and are out of reach of the deer in a couple years but are vulnerable first year or two. I also had bucks rubbing on them that killed them. Tubing them is the way to go I’m finding out
@@Resist.Tyranny agreed. I tend to kill all the grasses in the areas i plant. They suck up a ton of moisture from my new trees. I welcome the broadleaf plants that come. But in this area I did not do any spraying so I'm sure it had an impact
A couple sprays to manage the invasive grasses is worth it in my mind to change over the ecosystem back to it's native state. Once I get the grasses under control I never need to spray again
Great video! I planted hybrid willow and hybrid poplars last year on my property. I sprayed them with deer repellent but the deer still ate most of them. I will be replanting and using tubes this year. Great advice!
Yah I've leaned the hard way as well with both of those varieties. Tubes is the way to go!
Poplars will typically regrow after being eaten by deer. I have hundreds and they always recover
Root suckers can handle deer browse but new bare root plantings or poplar cutting will die if browsed heavy by deer.
Just want to verify. You said you scraped one side 12” and stuck in the ground 1”. That surprises me that you would only have to plant 1” deep. Thanks for all your content.
Woops if I said 1 inch deep that would be a verbal gaff on my part. I meant 1 foot deep. I take 2 foot cuttings and plant them 1 foot deep. Thanks for catching this!
Are those box elders, too? Thanks for a great video.
Thanks for watching! Yah most of the woody regen in this area is boxelder
Could you use these for a fast screen if you cut the tops off and they kinda grew outward after a couple years of growth? Also how old are those spruce trees you think? Your videos are really useful as I am working on improving habitat on my property. Thank you
Thanks for that! Those spruce were planted in 2002 I believe. Yah if you cut them off they bush out from stump sprouts as well as root sucker some so they could make a decent screen. Though I'd still prefer spruce or shrubs over these. I wouldn't use these as a stand alone screen, I'd at least add a strip of switchgrass as well.
I’d put some rotten logs or bark and clump of leaves around the tree cutting and it wouldn’t have as much competition from the weeds to suck up the moisture. They would grow and establish roots a lot quicker.
Good idea! I also like killing the grass in my tree planting areas. That grass acts like a sponge. Though in this particular area I hadn't gotten around to that yet.
You mentioned cutting them to stump sprout. I watched your video in the past where you cut bedding areas in the 25 year old hybrid popular stands to get regen. I was wondering do hybrid poplars root sprout too, not just stump sprout? I have cut some quaking Aspen down and I’ve had good roots sprouts and regeneration from cutting just a few trees down getting hundreds of new trees. Do hybrid poplars root sprout as good as the Aspen or not. Great videos.
I have about 50 hybrid poplars that are around five years old now and 20 feet+ tall. Thinking about cutting some of them down in another five years to hopefully get root sprouts and get a lot thicker side cover and browse.
@Wisconsin Whitetail they prolifically stump sprout and do send up some root suckers, though not nearly as many as aspen. That sounds like a great plan, deer love the new growth from these and they do make fine cover
@@PFHabitat when they stump sprout will they have multiple trunks. 3-4? The areas I have them planted has a thick layer of canary grass. They might not be able to root sprout that well, what do you think. Thanks for the reply.
@Wisconsin Whitetail yes multiple new trunks will come from the stump sprouts. If it was mine I'd treat the canary grass given it isn't doing much good wildlife. You'll probably still see a little root suckering but I think treating it would help. When I cut aspen in areas with thick canary grass I don't see as much regen so I'm sure it suppresses it some.
What time of year did you take the cuttings and put them in the ground??
During the dormant season in the spring
How many cuttings can you get from one tree (that is 2 or 3 years old)?
There will be a lot of variability with that based on growth bur generally with hybrid poplar stump sprouts I can get at least a dozen good healthy looking cuttings
I see loads of box elders. Planted from seed?
Well nature planted them from seed. This is all natural regen in what used to be an ag field. We did plant the spruce.
Can you root poplar cuttings in august/september?
I've tried growing season cuttings but my success rate went way down. Spring before bud break has been the best for me
Really appreciate your videos! This is a great reminder to use what I have on-site vs buying nursery stock. What was your timing for taking your cuttings and getting in the ground? Same day? Did you use root enhancer? Have you used a branch of poplar or all young shoots for your cuttings? Thank you!
Thanks for watching! I took the cuttings and planted the same day. I have tried rooting gels but haven't seen a difference with a side by side comparison. Scaring one side of the cutting has been the thing that has helped root growth the most for me. I have taken branches and tried those as well with some success though the new growth seems to produce the best results.
Are you using the poplars for browse only?
In my situation I’m using them for screening until my conifer plantings grow to desired height. The hybrid poplar and willow grow very fast and are out of reach of the deer in a couple years but are vulnerable first year or two. I also had bucks rubbing on them that killed them. Tubing them is the way to go I’m finding out
@@deercamp3479 got it thanks
For my situation I'm using them for future browse and cover and for added diversity to this area
I think the slow growth in your first two years is due to lack of weed control. They are competing with the poplar.
@@Resist.Tyranny agreed. I tend to kill all the grasses in the areas i plant. They suck up a ton of moisture from my new trees. I welcome the broadleaf plants that come. But in this area I did not do any spraying so I'm sure it had an impact
@@PFHabitat I would recommend tillage, mulch or landscaping fabric instead of toxic spraying, for what it is worth.
A couple sprays to manage the invasive grasses is worth it in my mind to change over the ecosystem back to it's native state. Once I get the grasses under control I never need to spray again
In my opinion invasive species over a lifetime are far more harmful to the ecosystem them a couple sprayings