Hello,itsfullofstars wrote: ↑July 5th, 2015, 7:50 pm Hi folks.
I've been trying to grow some Japanese Maples from cuttings for a while but always end up with rotting cuttings.
My recent method. Took my cuttings in the middle of April (autumn in Sydney, probably not the best time to do this)
- Even mixture of perlite and sand
- Use rooting hormone (the red gel variety from bunnings)
- Put about 4 cuttings into a pot
- Placed half a clear plastic bottle over the cutting to keep warm and humid
- I probably spray every day or every 2nd day.
- I keep them in a room where they get filtered sunlight for about 5 hours a day
You might also try to cover your maples with a soft cloth, I sometime use on if the durags my husband wear to wave is hair. Just lay it on top of the japanese maples to protect it. You can find a cheap durag one here at https://ozdurag.com.au/. It is a great way to protect plant from sun and to keep them humid.
Some started to root after about 6-7 weeks. Some start leafing out within 2 weeks, but don't produce roots. Some weeks later the leaves die.
The ones which rooted started to rot. This is the most saddening thing. After all that work and daily care, it produces roots by rots anyway.
My endless problem of too much moisture. It's so difficult to keep the moisture level just right. Too much, and it gets too humid, bugs start appearing, and inevitable blackness on the cutting.
Just on friday i took some more cutting (3/7/2015). I have some outside wrapped in plastic bags.
Has anyone here had much success with rooting japanese maples from cuttings and anything i could improve upon? I'm going to try closer to spring next time.
I have had some success with rooting Japanese maples from cuttings, but it can be a bit tricky. I think the most important thing is to make sure that the cuttings are well-watered, but not too wet. I would also recommend keeping them in a spot with bright, indirect light.
One thing that you could try is to take your cuttings a bit earlier in the season, closer to spring. This might help them to root more easily.
Overall It is difficult to grow Japanese maples from cuttings, and you are probably not doing anything wrong. It is just a difficult plant to propagate in this way. I would recommend trying a different method, such as grafting, if you want to try to grow Japanese maples. You can also try to find a nursery that sells Japanese maple seedlings, which may be easier to grow than cuttings.
Good luck!
