Huon pine cuttings

Discussions about propagating from cuttings, seeds, air layers etc. Going on a dig (Yamadori) or thinking of importing? Discuss how, when and where here.
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Brekel
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Huon pine cuttings

Post by Brekel »

Any tips for taking Huon pine cuttings?
They're supposed to grow well from cuttings. So far, every other type of cuttings I've tried has gone well except Huon pine!

I have just aquired a couple of Huon pine starters, plus I also have a fairly ugly Huon pine in a pot that is healthy and growing really well. Its probably too late to turn the potted one into a bonsai, but it would be a good source of material for cuttings.
I tried a couple in autumn. Kept them under plastic cover in a shady spot, they stayed green until Oct. Gradually moved them into an area where they got a little morning sun without the cover, and they dried up. No signs of any roots.
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by shibui »

I have pretty good success with Huon pine cuttings. No special treatment but I do have auto misting to maintain humidity. Just trying to think when I have taken them. Probably late spring or summer when there is half hard shoots.
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by Brekel »

Thanks Neil, I'll give some a go. How big were the cuttings you took?
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by shibui »

Most around 2-3 mm thick and 15-20 cm long. Same as I do for most species.
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by Brekel »

Thanks :tu2:
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by Brekel »

Sorry for all the questions @shibui , just trying to maximise my chances and these seem a bit different to other trees I've done.
Would you normally take cuttings from growth like the four on the right? Or something with more branching like the one on the left?

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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by shibui »

No problem with asking questions. I'm always happy to pass on the little knowledge I have managed to pick up.

I would class the red shoots as 'soft' wood. They are just new and have not hardened yet. If you bend one it can be bent right round without breaking.
I think the branch on the left (blue) is what I would call half hard or semi-hardwood. Most of it probably grew last season and has started to harden up a bit. Semi -hard wood can be bent but will fracture if bent too far. The tips of that one are new and so are soft wood.
Soft wood ie red shoots will root quite quickly but the shoots are hard to maintain until the roots form so soft wood cuttings are tricky.

The blue one is what I would target for most native cuttings. It usually means waiting until the spring flush is over and the shoots have hardened a bit - late spring through summer, but there is almost always some semi- hard shoots behind the softer new growth if you need to take cuttings at other times of the year. With that blue shoot i would cut 80-90% of the fresh new growth off the tips and use 10-15 cm of the slightly harder section. Strip off most of the lower foliage and just leave a little of the remaining new growth. That same branch would yield another slightly harder semi-hard cutting further back but it would obviously not have the new shoots at the tip.
There's another suitable piece at the base of the one with all those new shoots marked red if you need more semi hard cuttings but in another couple of months all the shoots marked red will have matured and be semi hard and ready to make more cuttings so waiting will yield more suitable material.
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by Brekel »

Thanks heaps Neil.
The section shown is 1 of 4 main branches hanging down. I'll wait a while as you suggest, and between the 4 I should be able to get a few cuttings to try.

I was considering trying to air layer one or two of the branches off too.

This one is certainly more floppy than the two little ones I've got. It's a shame that the branches are positioned poorly, and are probably not able to be effectively wired up any more. After doing some cuttings and/or air layers, what are the chances of it recovering from s trunk chop that would remove 90% of foliage?

A couple of older pictures of it:
20200225_191823.jpg
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by shibui »

They do seem to get 'floppier' as the branches get larger. I believe they should eventually stand upright somehow. How else can these grow into giant trees?
Mine appear to be very flexible so I have wired some branches up if required.
I don't have huge experience with what can and can't be done but pretty sure they will keep growing as long as you leave some green to sprout new shoots. I would expect removing 90% of foliage to set it back a bit but I doubt that would kill the trunk.
My bet is it will just grow lots of new shoots.
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Re: Huon pine cuttings

Post by Brekel »

The branches on this one are really stiff where they join the trunk now. Maybe a year ago, when that photo was taken, but I don't think I'd trust them to bend up now without snapping. I'll haveabetter look when the wind and rain stop.
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