propogating ohia trees

[emorata]

hello punatics,

anyone have an idea about propogating ohia trees, i have two mature yellow ohias that i would love to propogate and would appreciate any advise on how to do this effectively from seed, graft, cuttings?

thanks in advance,

noel

[Mitzi M]

Noel,

You can propagate ohias from seed, which is slow, from semi-hard wood cuttings, which has a low success rate (in my experience anyway) or from air layers. The flower color won't come true from seed, so if you have, say, a yellow one, most of the seeds it produces will probably yield the more common red flowered form. Air layering is a good way to propagate ohia trees with characteristics you like. It can take from 3-6 months for the air layer to develop roots before you remove it from the parent. There was a great thread a while ago all about air layering ohias. Several folks said they were going to try it. I wonder what the results have been. Anybody have luck?

Mitzi

Uluhe Design
Native Landscape Design
uluhedesign@yahoo.com

[emorata]

thanks mitzi you are a wealth of knowledge, i'll have to try air layering when i get back on the island and have the time to check the progress, so this may not be anytime soon....but i would like to grow a nice ohia hedge someday with yellow flowers.

[Hotzcatz]

We've had some success with air layering ohias. It takes awhile though but then most air layers do. We only managed a fifty percent rate with ohias but did better with about a seventy five percent rate with peach trees, so we aren't the best air layerers out there.

Noel, you could start the air layer now and then check it when you get back, since it takes months before the roots are ready. Cut off the outer and inner bark in a band about an inch or inch and a half wide around a nice branch, we've had good luck with them several feet long. Dust the bare spot with root tone and then wrap it thickly with wet moss. Wrap that with plastic. We tie the bottom pretty tight to hold in moisture and leave some tufts sticking out at the top so the plastic can catch rain. Leave it like that for several months and then peel back the plastic and look for roots.

There might be better ways, you could see if there are any books about it at the library or info online somewhere.