Kitchen Garden Forum

Has anyone taken hardwood cuttings of elm. We have a resistant to beetle smooth elm - beautiful mature tree - down our road. Would it pass its resistance on in cuttings? Can I take hardwood cuttings just like any other ? I was going to take cuttings, dip them in rooting powder and poke them into a raised bed with a good mix of sand/grit in the soil.The history of the tree is that its companions were cut down post beetle ravage many years ago, but the local farmer thought that this one looked healthy and didn't cut it, but gave it time to prove itself healthy or otherwise. It's still standing. There's plenty of beetle in the hedgerow elms but this one seems resistant. I'd like to see if I can get some resistant stock into our area. Advice?

So long since I've seen an elm, we had some HUGE ones where I was born, the stumps were over six foot across.

Correct me if I am wrong but elm suckers?

Or is that just when the original has been dutched?

Hello Jane,
I have taken Hazel cuttings in the way you describe (no rooting powder) but have not tried Elm.

We too have one old Elm, just outside the garden, that escaped when all others in the garden succumbed to the disease. It sends masses of suckers up and my colleague dug one of these up and set it in the back of the old chicken run out of curiosity to see if it would survive. It grew to be about 15ft high then sadly succumbed to the disease in the same way that you see hedgerow examples seemingly making a go of it then dying at a certain size.

The survivor tree has in the last few years put up a sucker within the garden...we have left this in place as it is in the corner of an existing shrubery. We are coppicing it every couple of years to try to keep it young stemmed and under the size/age?? that seems to bring on the disease. This way we hope to at least say we have an Elm within the garden.

All the best,
Clive.

Going to have a go then and see what happens. Hazel is a good rooter. I'll find out whethter elm is and I'll look for some suckers.