Brachychiton populeus cutting

[Jan]

Thought you might like to know that Brachychiton populous can be struck from cuttings.

I had a couple of Brachychiton populous, one was grown on to plant out in the garden (the root system as a shocker, a tall, twisted, twined mess that tapered the further down it went until eventually making a finer root system – better buried!). The plant got to be as tall as me but still nowhere presented itself as the spot to plant it, so it lingered in its big pot.

In 2010, it was cluttering up the place so, at the end of March, I finally decided to try cutting it off at the widest point of the root/trunk junction, applying root hormone to this “cutting”, cutting the top back to a few inches, and put the whole lot into a pot with my usual cutting striking medium (well drained seed raising type mix but with lashings of long stranded moss mixed in and the lot “mulched” with long stranded moss).

2010-03-29_09.00.34_Brachychiton_populneeus_3.JPG

It has struck with no problems and is now about a foot high and going strong in a deep pot – I’ve since moved and now have a place that I want to plant this cutting into the garden.

[shibui]

Well done Jan. I have had similar results when transplanting kurrajong seedlings. Some that broke off just below ground level leaving neither 'tuber' or feeder roots transplanted just as well as the ones with a good length of root. I did not apply root hormone either. I think this opens the way to grow better bonsai by removing the large 'tuberous' taproot from seedlings.
I haven't tried it yet but I suspect that all the Brachychitons would also strike as stem cuttings. I have heard reports that Qld bottle trees strike ok.