First-Year Growth and Survival of Long Cottonwood Cuttings

摘要

When five Stoneville cottonwood clones were grown in a nursery for one season, lifted with about a foot of root, and planted in 3-foot deep holes, they averaged 9.6 feet in height growth and 92 percent survival after 1 year in the field. Planted height averaged 8.3 feet. The same clonal material planted without roots averaged only 36 percent survival. These results do not imply that the standard method of planting 20-inch unrooted cuttings in the lower Mississippi River Valley should be changed. But where the aim is to grow large sawtimber and veneer trees at wide spacings (16 by 16 to 24 by 24 feet) or to alleviate deer damage without expensive fencing, or where early season cultivation may prove difficult, planting 1-year-old rooted cuttings 3 feet deep provides an excellent, although more expensive, alternative.