Getting cuttings to strike help

[Bonsaiforest]

Super ... Thanks again Shibui...All the information I need. I'll Get into it first thing in the morning when it's a little bit cooler. Cheers...

[shibui]

I put in some cuttings today. Thought some photos might help add details to the explanations.
First up a conifer - Shimpaku juniper:

cuttings - shimpaku 1.JPG

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This piece will give me several cuttings depending what result I want.

I usually strike some long thin, flexible pieces to be wired and twisted to grow as contorted junipers.

cuttings - shimpaku 3.JPG

Note the base and side shoots are trimmed before dipping and setting the cuttings. (Forgot to take the photo )

cuttings - shimpaku 4.JPG

There's still room left in the pot so I also made some hardwood cuttings from the base of the branches I had cut:

cuttings - shimpaku 5.JPG

- again, trim off the lower side shoots before dipping and setting the cuttings.

cuttings - shimpaku 6.JPG

But that's not all.....

The side shoots that were trimmed off these cuttings can also be used. They are smaller and will take a while to grow into usable bonsai stock but they do root quite easily.

cuttings - shimpaku 7.JPG

This time I remembered to take a photo of the cutting with lower growth removed, ready to be dipped.

cuttings - shimpaku 8.JPG

Dip the base of your cuttings as you go then place in cutting mix.

cuttings - shimpaku 9.JPG

Water the cuttings in then into the propagation area - and wait......

Next, Leptospermum 'Aphrodite' - hardy, quick growing and lots of pink flowers in spring. Natives are treated pretty much the same as above.
This is the sort of pieces I take from the stock plants:

cuttings - Leptospermum 01.JPG

That piece will yield anywhere between 2 and 10 cuttings.

cuttings - Leptospermum 06.JPG

cuttings - Leptospermum 02.JPG

cuttings - Leptospermum 03.JPG

From the pictures above you will note:
That you can obtain different types of cuttings from the same plant.
That you can use different types of cuttings to propagate the same species.
There are lots of 'right' ways to propagate plants.

I'll try to update this thread as these cuttings start to produce roots. feel free to remind me if you don't see anything - I sometimes forget

[Daluke]

Do you have much luck rooting Squmata?

Also I can get small shimpaku to root but they seem to take a long time... 6 months and longer.

[Daluke]

Re-reading the posts in the thread, I've read about Tridents being difficult. I've found I get about 85% to root after using Yates hard/soft wood gel and plant into a tub of rich grow potting mix. I haven't had much luck with bonsai mix soil.

I struggle with cotoneaster. Any tips?

[Homer911]

Great post....

There are many comments regarding cuttings taking longer or taking lest time to take.

How long are we talking?

I have just taken some cuttings from my trident maple, Japanese maple and Chinese elm. How long should i wait until i dig them up - if they survive.

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[shibui]

Do you have much luck rooting Squmata?
Also I can get small shimpaku to root but they seem to take a long time... 6 months and longer.

I don't grow squamata so can't tell you about it. They are readily available so I assume they strike reasonably easily. You should be able to put in cuttings like the shimpaku I have just done.
Time to root depends on time of year and conditions. At this time of year I would expect to be potting up the first of these by the end of summer but the last lot I did was autumn and I have just potted up the last of them 18 months later.

There are many comments regarding cuttings taking longer or taking lest time to take. How long are we talking?

Time to root also depends on species. I can have roots on really easy to grow species like herbs and Leschenaultia in 3-4 weeks. Elms and some natives 4-8 weeks. Sometimes it they can sit around for 12 months or more. Just threw out some mugho pine cuttings that still had no roots after 2 years in the cutting bed.

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I have just taken some cuttings from my trident maple, Japanese maple and Chinese elm. How long should i wait until i dig them up - if they survive. 

Not sure about the 'dig them up' bit? Where have you got them? Chinese elm should be ok but don't bet on the maples surviving.
You can see the pots I have my cuttings in - 75mm diameter, 100 tall. I wait until I can see roots growing out of the drain holes in the bottom of these pots then tip the whole lot out and separate the cuttings. Pot up those with roots and put any unrooted ones back for a bit longer. Hope I remember to take photos of the process as it happens with these ones so keep watching.

Re-reading the posts in the thread, I've read about Tridents being difficult. I've found I get about 85% to root after using Yates hard/soft wood gel and plant into a tub of rich grow potting mix. I haven't had much luck with bonsai mix soil.
I struggle with cotoneaster. Any tips?

Good result with the tridents. My attempts often root but the new roots rot soon after. I suspect I have some fungal infection that attacks maples. Had reasonable success with a Japanese maple var this spring by using fungicide at each stage
Cotoneaster, however, root very easily here. Do you know which species/ var you are trying? Hardwood in winter strikes very well. Soft, medium and hardwood strikes quickly in spring and summer so not sure what's going on with yours

[Bonsaiforest]

Re-reading the posts in the thread, I've read about Tridents being difficult. I've found I get about 85% to root after using Yates hard/soft wood gel and plant into a tub of rich grow potting mix. I haven't had much luck with bonsai mix soil.

I struggle with cotoneaster. Any tips?

Out of the 36 trident cuttings this year & only 10 of them took. They were planted in a mix of 1/3 diatomite ... 1/3 propagating sand & a 1/3rd sieved fine pine bark. Seemed to work best on semi hardwood cuttings. They were taken in the last week of spring which is probably against the norm for trident cuttings (usually planted in winter). Will be trying again with the same mix next year and try planting some at different times during the seasons, some late winter, some first of spring & again in late spring.

[shibui]

Some of the cuttings I put in last December have produced roots so it is time for a follow up.
Last week I saw there was roots coming out the bottom of the pot with the Lepto cuttings.

cuttings 3.JPG

There's plenty of roots when removed from the pot.

cuttings 4.JPG

Gently tease out the cutting mix and separate the individual cuttings.

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If there are any really long roots just trim them back to fit in the new pot. In this case only one had long roots. Note that a couple have just one small white root but I still pot those ones up into individual pots. At this stage the new roots are really growing fast so most will be ok.

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A few of the cuttings have not grown any roots but they have callused well (that's the white lumps at the base of the stems) so they should produce roots soon. I put those ones back into the cutting mix and back on the misting bench.

P1140734.JPG

Only 1 cutting had not formed callus so I threw it away. Results: 14 with roots, 4 with good callus, 1 failed. Time = 11 weeks.

No sign of roots on the shimpaku yet. Conifers are often slower to root than many other plants.
I also put in cuttings of some quicker rooting plants at the same time. Lechenaultia biloba was potted up after 7 weeks. Basil and sweet potato cuttings had produced roots and were potted up after 10 days. tomato cuttings had roots after 14 days.

[Borosta]

Shibui, silly question on the Callus. To confirm you just put them straight into the mix again as is? I only ask as I just read the other day it was suggested to knock off the callus & treat them again.


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