JBP - Successfully propagating from candle cuttings

[Patmet]

Ok so I'll share my experimenting and methods here for striking mature JBP candle cuttings.

I first tried this in December 2021. These were my first few black pines I had bought in Perth, so I thought wouldn't it be great to be able to use the strong shoots we cut off and dispose of when decandling, to grow my collection of stock. I took a variety of different sizes and lengths to see what did and didn't work.

To my surprise by around July the next year (2022) i had roots through the bottom of the pot. Out of 12 cuttings I had 6 successful, and then once seperating and potting on in August 1 died. The remaining 5 are going strong today. I took note of the types of cutting that worked.

I repeated this again last summer in December 2022. This time I took more and just used the type of cuttings that were successful past time. I have had a roughly 50% success rate again. I had roots in late winter again and seperated and potted individually in August 2023. I am optimistic that 50% success can be improved upon as they did get particularly wet this year which I think led to some rotting. I also have a pot of cuttings taken in Autumn 2023 which still look ok so far just to see what happens.

See below for pictures of the process and what the successful cuttings look like. Also the pines I took the cuttings from. I wouldn't say they are super young but they aren't very old pines either if that plays a part.

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The first batch December 2021 all different types.

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One of the successful cuttings from 2021 being repotted for the 2nd time August 2023.

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Some of the original 2021 cuttings today November 2023.

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December 2022. The types of cuttings I find most successful and how I prepare them. Pluck the neddles up the shoot and then dip in clonex gel and stick in a cut down pot together in a gritty mix.

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What the pot of 2022 cuttings looked like August 2023 before seperating.

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August 2023 seperating the December 2022 cuttings.

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One of the 2022 cuttings today.

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One of the jbp's propagated from

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The other

[BirchMan]

Great documentation Pat. I wasn't going to decandle one pine this year but now I might just to do this

[Akhi]

Thanks for sharing your experiment I have a mungo pine ready:-)

[Promethius]

Thanks for sharing, Pat. How old do you think your donor tree is?

[shibui]

Thanks for the great info.

Just a little more info on the successful candles you chose please.
It appears they are reasonably strong candles but it's not entirely clear to me from the photos what sort of candles you've chosen as successful. Can we please have some clarification on what you found to constiute the 'right' ones.

When you prepare the cuttings are you using the full length of the pruned candles? Remove the bare lower section and use only the section with needles?

[Patmet]

Thanks for sharing, Pat. How old do you think your donor tree is?

I'm not sure of the age but at a guess I would say somewhere around the 10 year mark give or take. Definitely older than 5 years.

[Patmet]

Thanks for the great info.

Just a little more info on the successful candles you chose please.
It appears they are reasonably strong candles but it's not entirely clear to me from the photos what sort of candles you've chosen as successful. Can we please have some clarification on what you found to constiute the 'right' ones.

When you prepare the cuttings are you using the full length of the pruned candles? Remove the bare lower section and use only the section with needles?

Good questions. I wish I could tell you the exact details, but unfortunately my documentation was a little lackluster at the time. I just have these photos and my memory to go off, but I think I can get it pretty close for you.

So yes, I have found that the stronger the candle shoots the better chance they seem to have of rooting, which makes sense. Basically what I've done to this point is just used whatever candles I can as my trees aren't refined so there isn't a tonne to cut off.

From memory, if the candles were about the right length I would not trim them any more but if they are longer stronger ones I trimmed them down to be able to fit in the pot - I want to say to somewhere around 80-100mm long. Then pluck the needles off and just leave a clump at the top which will just be poking out the top of the soil.

Hopefully that clarifies things more. I'll try to document things more thoroughly this year when I do it again.

[Patmet]

Well here we go. Just checked under this pot of Autumn cuttings and there are roots. These are the JBP shoot cuttings taken autumn this year when I was doing a light thin out post growing season.

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[Mickeyjaytee]

That’s really interesting stuff, thanks for sharing Pat. It’s great to know. I grew some JBP from seedlings and then read about the importance and small window you have in taking a cutting of the seedling. I think I tookcuttings of them around the 6 month old mark and they were fine and made it through ok.

Must be the weather over here in Perth

[Patmet]

The autumn cuttings from this year are really starting to grow now. The pot is riddled with star weed but I don't want to damage the needles getting my fingers in there.

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[BirchMan]

The autumn cuttings from this year are really starting to grow now. The pot is riddled with star weed but I don't want to damage the needles getting my fingers in there.

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Could be a game changer for JBP availability. I set up two pots full when i saw this a few weeks ago. One out in the open air, albeit under shadecloth and on grass, is drying out and might have 0 successes. The other one in a tub full of juniper cuttings is still quite green.

[Patmet]

I separated and individually potted up the cuttings taken in Autumn 2023. Very good success rate with this batch, and the best root formation I have had I think. Not sure if this is because of taking the cuttings in autumn, or some other factors. Most of the cuttings have grown roots radiating from around the stem. A few have grown roots only off one side so far.

Out of the batch of 12, 11 have rooted. The one that hasn't is still green and alive so a slim chance it might take still.

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The gritty mix used

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[shibui]

Agree those are excellent roots and excellent strike rate. Probably the roots best I've seen too but I guess I've not left them for an entire year before.

I'm regularly amazed at how long a cutting will stay green without roots. I have some Mugho cuttings that were started in 2022. Most have died but there's still a handful that are green and healthy. Also some dwarf Hinoki from the same vintage still green.

[Patmet]

Agree those are excellent roots and excellent strike rate. Probably the roots best I've seen too but I guess I've not left them for an entire year before.

I'm regularly amazed at how long a cutting will stay green without roots. I have some Mugho cuttings that were started in 2022. Most have died but there's still a handful that are green and healthy. Also some dwarf Hinoki from the same vintage still green.

Me too. I've had a few Deodar Cedar cuttings that just sat there staying green but no roots for a couple of years, and now there's finally roots poking out of the pot.

Amazing how they can just hang in there.