Producing Woody Cut Stems 10 things beginners need to know... Richard Uva, Owner, Federalsburg, Maryland

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1 Producing Woody Cut Stems 10 things beginners need to know... Richard Uva, Owner, Federalsburg, Maryland

2 10 things beginners want to know What products do florists want? 2. Which woodies are productive in small spaces? 3. What spacing and field layout should I use? 4. How to plan for a woody plant installation? 5. What management is needed? 6. How can weeds be controlled? 7. How to prune and train them? 8. How can blooms be forced early? 9. What are THE Profitable Crops to Grow? 10. Where can I get plants?

3 1. What products do florists want? First, lets talk about why they use woody stems. I will show some popular products.

4 Accentuate design lines. Rustic feel. Architectural look. Woodies add contrast and interest points. Size for large scale design.

6 Florists need to decorate for holidays and seasons. Woody plants are the harbingers of seasons! Fall berries Christmas Holly Late winter pussy willow Spring lilac Most sales are Oct-May

7 Some woody stem products are symbols of deep cultural significance

8 Stem Dogwoods Autumn-winter Red stem dogwood stick dogwoods

9 Winterberry Holly Deciduous holly for Holiday use Ample soil moisture Male and female plants need for berry set Selective harvest or alternate year harvest

10 Evergreens and Holly foliage with our without berries Limited to Christmas market Male needed for berry set to take place. Selective harvest

11 Southern Magnolia Evergreen especially desirable for holiday use. Wreath use. Grows fairly rapidly.

12 Quince Early January harvest and force Thorns Scale has been a problem. Selective harvest or alternate year.

13 Can force in late January. Forsythia Change forcing water weekly, use preservative. Can cut to 1 ft above ground every year.

14 Cherry Blossom Spring Tent caterpillar and deer rub. Selective harvest or alternate year harvest.

15 Willows Pussy Willow--spring Curly Willow--dry or hold in cooler and use year round. Fantail Willow--fall use Aphids Tolerates moisture Harvest every year, clear cut

16 Pussy willow Curly Willow

17 Lilac Syringa vulgaris hybrids Late frost caution Pseudomonas syringae Lilac borer Scale Selective harvest or alternate year harvest

18 PeeGee type Hydrangeas Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora cultivars Limelight is the best cultivar Flowers on new wood Can cut back every year Other hydrangeas possible

19 2. Which woodies are productive in SMALL spaces? WINTER--Pussy willow, curly willow, red stem dogwood, forsythia. You get a lot of stems in a small area. SPRING Mock Orange, Black Chokeberry, Viburnum opulus roseum, Viburnum 'Mary Milton, Viburnum Popcorn SUMMER--Hydrangea Lime Light, ninebark, weigelia, purple smokebush Small size, high value, but lower stem count: quince, Harry Lauder s walking stick, ilex

20 Mock Orange vase life is not good but it is great for spring event work. Euonymus (right) is a good green to have around for small floral work.

21 Large Plants NOT for Small Gardens: peach crabapple redbud flowering dogwood southern magnolia Japanese flowering cherries saucer magnolia

22 3. What spacing and field layout should I use? Either plant it Like an orchard or incorporate woody cuts into your landscape. Many suitable species are found in landscapes, hedgerows, and foundation plantings.

23 High Density Planting Many plants, each one small, less time to first harvest You buy more liners (plug to pencil size plants) alley hedgerow Can mechanize culture Fabric/plastic with herbicide strips on side 3 ft in row 12 ft for drive alley.

24 Low density planting 8 or more ft in row x 15 ft or more between. Fewer plants but more years until harvest because you need to let the plants grow bigger. Buy fewer but larger plants. With time and growth, larger scaffold branches fill the space. Mulch circle weed control with herbicide spot treatments.

25 4. How to plan for a woody plant installation? Pre-plant soil preparation to meet your organic matter, ph and phosphorus needs. Eradicate all perennial weeds and turf grass the year before with a non-selective herbicide or repeated cultivation. Planting March/April for bare root or container stock. September planting of container grown stock is ideal. Make sure your planting site and irrigation system is prepared before of arrival of the stock. Irrigation and weed control is particularly important during the first season of establishment.

26 5. What management is needed? Depending on your site and your yield needs for these crops the opportunity for very low maintenance production is a possibility! Fertilizer rates as promulgated by the Maryland Nutrient Management Program. See, Commercial Cut Flower Production, Fact sheet 808, U. Md. Extension. --I use less. Weed control: mulch, fabric or herbicide. Or try all three! Irrigation--an inch or more per week. I recommend drip lines inthe-row with grass strips between rows.

27 Pests Tent caterpillars on Prunus Deer on Malus and others Japanese beetles esp. pussy willow Aphids on willows and others Scale Info in: The Cut Flower Quarterly, Spring 2012, Stanton Gill

28 Lilac Problems: scale, pseudomonas, frost, fall blooming/dormancy issues, borer! Maybe this crop is best left for Penn., New England and upstate N.Y. or other cooler areas.

29 6. How can weeds be controlled? Leave a weed-free zone. A 3 ft mulch circle or strip down the row. If you are just mowing you are not doing enough, esp. with young plants.

30 You don t want to be a member of this club!

31 Weed Control

32 Non-selective burndown herbicide-- Diquat is used around ornamentals. Herbicide Glyphosate should not touch leaves or bark. Preemergent herbicides: Snapshot and Pendulum (both granular) are easy to apply. The best herbicide reference is: Chemical Weed Control in Ornamentals J. Neal, North Carolina Ag. Chemical Manual.

33 7. How to prune and train them? Product on new growth only. Harvest, then cut these back every year once plants are vigorous and established: Product consists of two year s growth. Often don t need additional pruning unless they get overgrown: Willows, forsythia, red stem dogwood, peach, callicarpa. Ilex, crabapple, lilac, cherry, quince Cut to 1-2 high. If they get overgrown and twiggy, make large renovation cuts every few years.

34 Spring cut back- willows, stick dogwoods, etc. Before spring cut back After cut back

35 cutting back/ harvesting

36 Alternate year harvest: In year 1 they are harvested, cut back, and grow whips by the end of summer. In year 2 develop flower buds on side shoots and harvested the following winter/spring.

37 Thinning out the crown on quince--remove overgrown, broken, bent, and horizontal growth after harvest.

38 8. How can blooms be forced early? Forsythia, quince, cherry, redbud, peach, plum Harvested during warmer winter weather, or steady weather, not cold snaps. Cool greenhouse or barn above freezing at night. 70 day, night. Chlorine tablets in water and / or change water as needed.

39 9. What are THE Profitable Crops to Grow? There is no answer to this question. Instead, ask: What crops could be profitable for ME If your market is retail customers (farmers market, etc.) & your neighborhood florists, grow fast growing crops and things people know and like, i.e. pussy willow, curly willow, red stem dogwood, forsythia. You can get fast return and sell reasonable amount of quantity. If your market is high-end floral designer and event florists, you can add some high value and more unusual crops, i.e. quince, flowering dogwood, Japanese apricot. However, with these crops, you can get a lot of money per bunch, but probably won t sell very much of them.

40 Price and Yield Price per Bunch by Customer Type Wholesale Florist/ Supermarket Florist Shop Retail 100s of bunches 5-10 Bunches 1 bunch Winterberry Holly $5-7 $10-12 $15 Quince $15 $30? Pussy Willow $3-6 $8-10 $10-12 Lime Light Hydrangea? $10 $25 Stems Production Per Plant Estimate Small Large Winterberry Holly 1-2' 5-stem bunch 5 20 Quince 5-6' 5-stem bunch 5 10 Pussy Willow 3-4' 10-stem bunch Lime Light Hydrangea 2-3' 5-stem bunch 25 50

41 10. Where can I get plants? before ordering check sellers minimums Small cell-grown and bareroot liners-- quantity Heritage Seedlings, Salem Oregon Schaeffer Nursery, Winchester, Tennessee Spring Meadow Nursery, Grand Haven, Michigan Manor View Farm, Maryland Great source of quart and gallon sized stock-- quantity Cumberland Nursery, Millville, New Jersey Just need a few plants? Consult a local nurseryman that sells retail from their nursery. Heartwood Nursery, Felton, Pa has a nice selection of Ilex and sells retail.

42 Resources Bachmann, J., Woody Ornamentals for Cut Flower Growers. ATTRA, Gill, Stanton et al., Production of Woody Plants as Cut Flowers. U. of Maryland, Greer, L. and Dole, J.M., Woody Cut Stems for Growers and Florists. Timber Press, Inc., Portland. Jenkins, David, F. Woody Plants as Cut Flowers. In: Proceedings of the 4 th National Conference on Specialty Cut Flowers, Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 1-4, 1991, Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Inc.

When to Prune? Late Winter-Early Spring

When to Prune? Late Winter-Early Spring This is the best time to prune most plants because it is before growth begins. Prune a few of the oldest canes from all mature shrubs down to the ground. Trim deciduous