Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Redwood Cloning Attempt #1

ABSTRACT: I tried to clone a redwood from a branch instead of a root and it didn't work. Also, I'm a big dummy.

INTRODUCTION: Redwoods are cool, so I wanted to grow one in a cup, and I know you can because you can buy them like that.

METHOD: I found a redwood branch on a trail in Ventana Wilderness (Los Padres NF near Big Sur). I took it home. After two weeks of letting it lay on the floor I put it in the bottom half of a 1 L plastic soda bottle with soil, gave it some water and a *little* light, and put a plastic bag around it (with plenty of holes) to seal in the moisture. I watered it once a week, despite a certain person (let's just call her "A.R.") who is a nasty person and wanted this to fail from the beginning.

RESULTS: Dead tree branch sticking out of soil in the bottom half of a 1 L plastic soda bottle. Well aren't you happy A.R. Now go steal pennies out of wishing wells too.

DISCUSSION: The hell with it. I'm just going to buy one at Muir Woods or somewhere else.

REFERENCES: Your mom (personal correspondence).

1 comment:

Thurston said...

Perhaps, for your next attempt, you might want to try a rooting hormone? Don't rely on the insights from A.R., of whom you speak. Her biological knowledge begins, and ends, with euthanizing injured animals. Ref. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8702.html