How to Root a Cutting from a Contorted Filbert

Contorted filbert (Corylus avellana "Contorta"), also called Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick, is an eye-catching specimen in the garden. The star of the winter garden, contorted filbert’s bare branches twist and turn, corkscrew and spiral in all different directions, like gnarled fingers pointing at the sky. The plant grows to about 10 feet tall and almost as wide. At garden centers and nurseries, the plant is usually grafted onto sturdy rootstock. Growing contorted filbert from cuttings can prove difficult, as the stems do not root readily.

Parent plant
Pruning shears or clippers
Flower pots or 6-inch-deep container
Potting soil or rooting medium
Rooting hormone

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the pots or container before taking the plant cuttings. The cut stem ends will be sensitive and will dry out easily unless they are planted quickly. Use a container with good drainage. Fill the container or pot to within about a half inch of the top, so the growing medium will not spill out when you water the plants.
- 2
  Water the growing medium thoroughly. Wait until excess water drains out of the pot before going on to the next step.
- 3
  Make a hole in the growing medium with your finger, a pencil or the handle of a wooden spoon. Center the holes in flower pots so that you will have one cutting per pot. For a larger container, make enough depressions to hold the number of cuttings you expect to take from the parent plant.
- 4
  Select healthy, vigorous stems of the current year's growth. Make sure the stems you cut are above the graft union, if one is present, and about a half inch below a growing node. Cut on a slant to expose more of the stem's interior to the growing medium. Place the stem ends in tepid water to keep it hydrated until it is planted.
- 5
  Strip away all lower leaves, so the stem can use its energy for rooting rather than nourishing foliage. Take one stem at a time out of the water, and dip the bare stem end into rooting hormone. Insert the stem into the holes in the growing medium, and press the moist medium around the stem end to fill the hole and hold the stem upright.
- 6
  Place the planted cuttings in a spot that receives indirect sunlight. Keep the growing medium moist and the environment humid. Cover the cuttings, if desired, with plastic bags or other translucent material to enhance humidity.

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