The Secretary of the Interior's Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes [registered historic places] suggests that actual historic plant material should be maintained where possible and if necessary propagated by cuttings or otherwise.

Has anyone had experience with propagating cuttings, specifically white oak (Quercus alba)? Or is there some standard reference material? Any suggestions such as when to take cuttings, size, treatment, roting medium etc. appreciated.

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on March 28, 2000 at 06:56:25:

Hi Scott --

Oaks are recalcitrant, and thus notoriously difficult to propagate vegetatively.
The standard place to start here is Michael Dirr and Charles Heuser, The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation (1987).
Since that book is already 13 years out of date, you might try contacting Prof. Nina Bassuk at Cornell, who has been conducting vegetative propagation experiments with oaks for some time and probably has more recent resources.

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on March 28, 2000 at 06:56:25:

My copy of the following book is elsewhere, but it may have reference to the question at hand regarding vegetative propagation.
Plant Propagation Principles and Practices, by Hartmann, Kester, and Davies
(Prentice Hall)5th edition.

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on March 28, 2000 at 06:56:25:

Don't have direct information on oaks, but have a brief report on a certain historic tuliptree.

Cuttings taken from the Liberty Tree in October 1999 have been rooted. Tissue culture attempts failed, though (probably due to timing).

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on March 28, 2000 at 06:56:25:

Scott,

I love this stuff (genetic preservatio). I have found that comercial propagators are often
the best choice. You may find grafting has a better success rate.

Mark

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on March 28, 2000 at 06:56:25:


From the text I mentioned already, seed propagation is generally practiced. I don't know whether the preservation guidelines were favoring cloning over direct progeny. In the case of Q. alba, the acorns mature the first year, and the white oak group seeds "have little or no dormancy and, with few exceptions, are ready to germinate as soon as they mature in the fall." This is not the case with the black oak group, which require stratification to overcome embryo dormancy. (pp. 587-588)I could expand on the information relating to seedling culture if you can't locate the book.

As for grafting, "bench grafting of potted seedling stocks in the greenhouse in late winter or early spring is moderately successful. Side or whip grafting is ordinarily used, with dormant one-year-old wood for scions...Budding generally has been unsatisfactory." Also, white oaks and black oaks should not be mixed in grafting, and it is best to use the same species for scion and seedling.

Cuttings and layering are usually unsatisfactory, but some softwood cuttings have been successful in some species. In water oak, a high rate of success followed girdling of stock-plant shoots prior to collecting cuttings and treating cuttings with a rooting powder of auxins, sucrose, and fungicide.

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on March 28, 2000 at 06:56:25:

Thanks for all the input guys. Have gotten some academic input too. The actual decision about whether to undertake this preservation is in the hands of the client's Board.

Mark's citation about white group oaks sprouting in Fall without the need for a Winter maturing matches Russ's experience. In a real brief look at the site I found a lot of acorn caps, but only one acorn on the surface (unsprouted). I have't found any sprouts from acorns that might have rooted last Fall or in prior seasons. Do we think they root in Fall and send up shoot in following Spring? It would seem evolutionary folly to send up a shoot and leaf just as the snow is starting to fall....

Scott

Reply to post by Scott, on March 28, 2000 at 06:56:25:

If you are going to propagate white oak from seed remember that they are wind pollinated and who knows where that promiscuous tree got its pollen.....

The acorns require no pre-chilling as noted in a previous post. Collect fresh acorns between August and December and be sure to collect fallen acorns soon after falling or they will begin to germinate. Inspect the acorns for egg laying holes from weevils. If the acorns appears sound but has weevil egg laying holes, soak it (or them) in water at about 48 degrees C. Much above 50 C will kill the acorn as well but just below that will kill the larvae.

You cant successfully store white oak acorns. Sow the seed in the fall in pots or directly in the ground if you can protect it for peditors. White oak will germinate in the fall sending out a root first, then in the spring a shoot. Partial shade is good for germination and the trees should be transplanted out of pots after the first year.

Wayne

Reply to post by Wayne, on March 31, 2000 at 06:59:44:

Re: weevils, my text says to hold the acorns at 49degrees C (120 F) for 30 minutes. Float seeds in water and discard any that float. Some species' seed can be stored for several years by holding them at 1 to 3 degrees C (34 to 37 F) in polyethylene bags. The seeds should have a moisture content of 60 to 70 % at the start. Starting seeds in a box with a copper wire mesh 6" below the seeds can promote lateral root branching, which makes the seedlings more adaptable to transplanting. (This information is general to oaks, and there are exceptions.)
(ISBN 0-13-681016-0)"Plant Propagation Principles and Practices", Hartmann, Kester, Davies

Reply to post by Mark Goodwin, on March 31, 2000 at 17:02:45:

I doubt that anyone cares, but I did my 1996 MA at Cornell on oak micronutrition, and included a detailed review of acorn storage and germination research. Check out (if truly interested) "Screening Oaks for Iron Efficiency" in the Cornell library.