Red Osier Flowers

[bjrogg]

When I was at Marshall some people wanted to know what Red Osier looks like in bloom. I took this picture this morning. I think it's easier to harvest when leaves are off and you can see shafts better. 2nd picture are some I harvested in March. My bow in picture is 66" so these are some really nice ones.

[BowEd]

Yep those are dandies.Always nice to keep a supply of dogwood seasoning around.

[bjrogg]

Thanks Ed they are some exceptionally nice ones. I was thinking about making a couple Atl Atl darts, but I'm thinking they might the spine might be a bit heavy never made any before but know they need to flex. I made a few arrows from some I harvested in January and I really like them.

[Tracker0721]

I got on with the Park Service and I asked a guy about some bushes, I should've taken pictures to post. Mock orange, ocean spray, red osier, wild rose, some other one he said he heard made arrows, vine maple and pacific yew. He showed me them all in a 15 minute walk around our bunkhouse. Thank you for posting, hope it helps some guys cut the right stuff.

[BowEd]

Yep I meant to say earlier here that most all dogwood is flowering right now.

[bjrogg]

I've seen it in gardening catalogs called twig dogwood it I'm not mistaken. I noticed one of my buddies has it as a hedge between his place and his neighbors, not sure if it's on his property or neighbors. I'll have to remember to ask him sometime. I've been told you can just stick twigs in ground and they'll grow.
Tracker the easiest time for me to find is winter or spring the bright red bark shows up from long way. Also harvest bigger diameter than you think you need because it shrinks a lot and you can file it down if you have to. I was told to leave bark on so it doesn't check until it dries down a bit. I really like it for shafts after removing bark it's very white goes good with my red + blue markings.

[BowEd]

It might very well transplant like that bjrogg.My girlfriend puts the stems into a bucket of water first to let roots start to appear then into the ground and kept watered it takes off on it's own.

[Pat B]

You can also lay a branch on the ground, still attached to the plant and lay a rock on it. In a few months it will set roots. Once it has developed good roots cut it loose from the mother plant and give it a while for the plant to develop some before transplanting it. Also, plants can grow either vegitatively or fluorescently but not at the same time so if a stem is flowering it won't produce roots.

[Aaron H]

Very good info here guys, thank you

[bjrogg]

Thanks for the info Pat + Ed. Pat some of  the really nice long straight shoots I found where from shoots that grew sideways rooted into ground then grew nice long straight shoots from nodes where new limbs would have been

[Pat B]

Be sure to cut only 2 year old growth or older. First year the stems will have leaves. Second year small branches where last years leaves were. Best shafting is 2nd year growth.
Red osier grows in colonies mostly made by shoots touching the ground and rooting or underground runners.

[DC]

This is what it looks like up here now. Red Osier is not always red up here. I don't know if it's a sub species or if it's lack of sun but it comes in red and green.

[BowEd]

Yep nice stuff there.
Robin cut some today actually.The thin little branches from the top of a big plant.Maybe 8 to 10 inches long.She cut the extra leaves off to make it put it's energy into making roots,and cut the bottom at a long angle to create extra surface area.Dipped it into root inhibitor a good inch then stuck them into peetmoss and sand watered well and now we'll wait for it to establish some roots and go from there transplanting it later.

[BowEd]

Ahhhhhh......That's rooting hormone not root inhibitor.......lol.

[Pat B]

Rootone is a powder you can use to promote rooting. Some of the old timers around here use what they call "willer water". It is willow chips soaked in water and is supposed to promote rooting also but I've not used it.