Paper Birch form cutting?

[Austin]

Is it even possible to propagate a paper birch form a cutting I know air layers work and I attempted some cuttings early this year, but they where shot 8 inches and did not take but never lost their green color.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Not sure about success rate, but from what I've heard/read, Birch make poor bonsai. They have a tendency to die back and have short life spans, so I personally wouldn't waste time on one. Maybe that's just me though

 

[Austin]

I like the look of them when they are standing alone, they grow very nicely with a full canopy.

I know the MN department of forestry did an air layer test on paper birch and had 3 out of five take.

 

[Austin]

I like the look of them when they are standing alone, they grow very nicely with a full canopy.

I know the MN department of forestry did an air layer test on paper birch and had 3 out of five take.

Yes they can be

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BEPA

after dormancy is met on the parent tree

 

[Austin]

paper bich will root from a cutting =D took some at the beginning of feburary and I moved them today into a better situation than a plastic bag and they had started to root and break bud

 

[rockm]

As bonsai birch--including paper birch--aren't easy. If you want that attractive white flaky bark, you will have to grow the cutting out in the ground for a decade or so. In a pot, it is slower to appear.

If you want the white bark, starting with a tree that already has it is the way to go. The new growth on a cutting will not have it.

In bonsai cultivation, like most pioneer species, it will sucker from the base constantly, drop limbs for no reason--limbs that may have take you five years to develop.

It can make striking bonsai, but you have to put up with alot...

 

[Austin]

As bonsai birch--including paper birch--aren't easy. If you want that attractive white flaky bark, you will have to grow the cutting out in the ground for a decade or so. In a pot, it is slower to appear.

If you want the white bark, starting with a tree that already has it is the way to go. The new growth on a cutting will not have it.

In bonsai cultivation, like most pioneer species, it will sucker from the base constantly, drop limbs for no reason--limbs that may have take you five years to develop.

It can make striking bonsai, but you have to put up with alot...

I actually wanted it for the suckers, and yes I intend to air layer a bigger branch with the white bark on it this spring, actually a few of them keep some for bonsai and plant some other around the property.

I just wanted to see how easily it would root... kinda boreing here in the middle of winter just wanted to try something, however I am having a 60% + success rate with cuttings taken in winter (seems to be dependant on the health of the buds on the branch more so than the health of the branch its'elf, but thats just my speculation)

also read somewhere paper birch take about 2 months to even root from a cutting