Variegated Hornbeam?

[HotAction]

So, one of the branches of my hornbeam has leaves with variegated margins. Is this a common occurance? Anyone seen this happen before? What would you do if your tree did this? It kind of looks funny with the one branch having skinny serrated leaves. Should I try to cultivate it as a cutting? Well, any thoughts would be nice to hear.

-Dave

 

[R_F]

I would take an Airlayer of it.

 

[HotAction]

I would take an Airlayer of it.

Would rooting it from cutting be jusst as viable an option. The branch is less than an inch thick. I would like to get to setting the parent tree on its way to a future, without having to wait for airlayers and what not. The tree was field grown from a sapling in 1996. It was then repotted in 2005 into the container its in now. The rootball is solid and it seems to be pretty "dirty". I'm going to repot it in spring and chop the leader off. (about 1.5 inches thick) I'll probably try to root that also.

How agressive can i be when removing the field muck from the roots come spring, should I soak it in water for a day or two to loosen everything up? Any thoughts on how to approach the upcoming spring would be appreciated.

Thanks, Dave

 

[R_F]

Would rooting it from cutting be jusst as viable an option. The branch is less than an inch thick. I would like to get to setting the parent tree on its way to a future, without having to wait for airlayers and what not. The tree was field grown from a sapling in 1996. It was then repotted in 2005 into the container its in now. The rootball is solid and it seems to be pretty "dirty". I'm going to repot it in spring and chop the leader off. (about 1.5 inches thick) I'll probably try to root that also.

How agressive can i be when removing the field muck from the roots come spring, should I soak it in water for a day or two to loosen everything up? Any thoughts on how to approach the upcoming spring would be appreciated.

Thanks, Dave

As far as I know Air Layering would be your best bet and I would Imagine you could remove it in the same season since Hornbeams are so vigorous. Cuttings are too un-reliable for me and if I were you I'd really be interested in keeping this alive for the sheer novelty of it. I don't grow them myself so I'm basically repeating what rockm told me about the American Hornbeam. He and others said that they can even be collected in the middle of summer...so I don't think you need to be worried about being overly aggressive with the root ball.

Hopefully some one else will chime in on this one too

 

[rockm]

I would skip airlayering and concentrate on the main objective--the rest of the tree. The variegation you noticed is probably not variegation--Hornbeam, especially asian varieties, can produce different fall colors on the same leaf. This multicoloration can be strikingly regular on dozens of leaves, and can begin showing as early as mid-August.

In any event, if this shoot is 1/4 inch in diameter, it's not worth the trouble. True variegated cultivars aren't all that uncommon. They're useless for bonsai purposes--as they tend to look sickly and unnatural.

As noted, you can be very aggressive in removing (barerooting) American Hornbeam. Not so with Korean. I've barerooted and drastically (95 percent) rootpruned American H. at collection. If this is an American (Carpinus Carolineana) and it's been in a container more than a year, I'd have no problem washing all the existing soil off of it and planting it in completely new soil, with a root reduction--if necessary.

Root reduction and replanting set you back a year or more in developing top growth. I'd make absolutely sure the plant really needs to be repotted before doing it. I've overworked stock before --and helped kill off a very nice Korean Hornbeam by repotting on a set schedule --every two years, instead of monitoring actual root growth. I inadvertently tired the plant out with too frequent repottings...

 

[HotAction]

Rock, it is a KHB and when i got it the rootball had "pulled away" from the sides of the container and the whole lump could easily be lifted out. I added turface to the tops and sides to fill in the extra gaps because water just poured off the top and down and out the sides.

The variegation isn't in the color, it is the margin of the leaf that is different. they are thin and serrated sharply rather than the normal oval shape. Thanks for the input.

Dave

I'm still not sure if I will attempt propagation but we will see.

 

[sfhellwig]

If it is interesting enough, and the branch is that small, you could try grafting it. I don't know how hornbeam react to grafting but it could be a more viable option than rooting a cutting but quicker than an air-layer.

 

[HotAction]

The thing is i'm kinda broke and most of my stock is my "one and only" of that variety. Propagation is a logical idea, but as rock says, forget the salad and potatos, get to the meat! A conundrum indeed.

Dave

 

[rockm]

If it is a Korean HB, I would be more conservative with repotting. KH are not all that vigorous in the roots. I'd remove only a third to a little more at repotting time.

As far as propagating and airlayering stuff, I've found that it's mostly useless --unless the shoot or branch your aiming to get is VERY VERY VERY nice. The urge to use stuff that should be pruned is one that should mostly be ignored. The results--if successful--can result in dozens of sticks in pots with no future, yet demand time and resources that should be devoted to better trees.

If you're broke, developing mediocre material is not the most efficient use of funds--take it from a semi-employed writer...

Off my soapbox...

 

[Yamadori]

Hot Action,
You said "variagation". Do you mean "variegation" or "variation"? Variegation is a change in color pattern or diversified coloration. Variation is deviation from the normal or recognized form, function, or structure.

You mentioned leaf structure rather than color so I am trying to get clarification.

 

[HotAction]

Hot Action,
You said "variagation". Do you mean "variegation" or "variation"? Variegation is a change in color pattern or diversified coloration. Variation is deviation from the normal or recognized form, function, or structure.

You mentioned leaf structure rather than color so I am trying to get clarification.

Not sure I did say "variagation" , but hey no biggie I may be using the term incorrectly, as I understand, it does refer to a usual color change/pattern in the leaf. However, I also thought it could refer to a leaf with a differece in the leaf margin. The root word being variety, I thought it applied. I'm happy to be corrected if I am a bit confused. Can anyone clarify this?

Dave