Planting out the Poplars

Do you remember when I took about twenty Poplar cuttings and planted them in March 2005?
Well they thrived and now they are a range of heights from 5-12 feet and I decicided last Sunday that if I could not lift them before the leaves opened and the weather became too warm then they would probably be too difficult and large for me to lift in the future.

So now we have an avenue of Poplar to grace the track leading to the house which if all of them survive will add a new dimension to the approach.

Poplars are very easy to take hardwood cuttings from. Just cut an 18-24" stem (1-2 year old wood) from the out reaches of a Poplar tree and cut a sloping cut just below a bud.

You can dip in rooting compound if you wish but I don't think it necessary. With a dibber or a screwdriver insert the cutting to a depth of at least one third of the stem length which will submerge between 3-6 buds. Lightly press the soil back or adopt the same method as you would leeks and water in with a can without the rose on so that fine particles are washed into the hole. This will ensure there are no air spaces against the stem.

Then just wait but water them if you have a prolonged spell of dry weather . Poplars are fast growing and do tend to like low damp ground better so the more water they get the faster they will grow.

Keep competing weeds away from the base and if you are a user of Roundup then I would suggest you keep the grass away from the base so firstly no damage can be done with a strimmer and secondly the roots will not have to compete for nutrients with grass or weeds.

Add some manure mulch in the autumn of year one and maybe a sprinkler of Growmore every spring until established.

I will be leaving the lower branches on my trees but if you have a need to mower closely then you can crown lift by pruning the lower limbs as the tree gains height.

Another good tip - if you want density rather than height (remember these can reach 100 ft in time) then thwart height  . You might find that a proper surgical review is needed after 5-8 years.