Cuttings in water: Experiment

[Guy]

try putting a piece of willow in the same container--couldn't hoit'

[shibui]

No need to apologise mate. I was referring specifically to deciduous trees where cuttings are taken in dormancy with no leaves, have you had success in taking deciduous tree cuttings in winter? Usually for me, there's a flush of spring growth from stored energy followed by a quick death. Would the plastic bottle method work in this circumstance?

Because I have automatic misting I don't need to use the bottle but it should still work, even with deciduous cuttings. With many winter deciduous cuttings the humidity is not really needed because the cuttings slowly callus over winter and the callus can absorb water so even if the leaves arrive before the roots the cutting can still absorb enough water to support itself so many species can be grown without any added humidity. Dormant cuttings taken late may not have had time to callus properly before the bud hence the rapid dehydration and death after leafing out - humidity should help in this case. I strike plum cuttings (very easy) in pots of potting mix on the outside benches or even direct in the ground. Some species are more difficult so any help adds to the success rate. Even dormant cuttings can dry out if the air is too dry. An old tip was to bury the cuttings entirely over winter then dig up and plant normally in spring (works well)
I currently have grape, Dawn redwood, maple, swamp cypress and chinese elm cuttings on the mist bed. The dawn redwoods are showing first roots out the bottom of the pot today so will be potted up in the next week or so.

I do have difficulty with some species but i think that is due to fungal infection rotting the stems before roots can form. I will be trying fungicide treatment to try to improve success.

When i have used the plastic bottle I do as Bodhi and use the top part so I have the option of removing the cap and allowing some air circulation.

Willow (as suggested by Guy) is high in natural rooting compound so is used as a natural rooting hormone substitute.

[Anth]

Last year I had a peach branch develope roots in a bucket of water accidently. Out of 6 that had roots only one survived the transplant to soil and is going gang busters now. I have tried to take willow cuttings in the past and they developed heaps of roots in water but have never had success transplanting them over to soil. I now have a small 4 shelve greenhouse that I put my cuttings into . Cut them on the largest angle possible so I get maximum cambium exposure and put them into seed raising mix. I have had cuttings in there since start of winter and none have died so far. So fingers crossed they all survive.

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[MoGanic]

No need to apologise mate. I was referring specifically to deciduous trees where cuttings are taken in dormancy with no leaves, have you had success in taking deciduous tree cuttings in winter? Usually for me, there's a flush of spring growth from stored energy followed by a quick death. Would the plastic bottle method work in this circumstance?

Because I have automatic misting I don't need to use the bottle but it should still work, even with deciduous cuttings. With many winter deciduous cuttings the humidity is not really needed because the cuttings slowly callus over winter and the callus can absorb water so even if the leaves arrive before the roots the cutting can still absorb enough water to support itself so many species can be grown without any added humidity. Dormant cuttings taken late may not have had time to callus properly before the bud hence the rapid dehydration and death after leafing out - humidity should help in this case. I strike plum cuttings (very easy) in pots of potting mix on the outside benches or even direct in the ground. Some species are more difficult so any help adds to the success rate. Even dormant cuttings can dry out if the air is too dry. An old tip was to bury the cuttings entirely over winter then dig up and plant normally in spring (works well)
I currently have grape, Dawn redwood, maple, swamp cypress and chinese elm cuttings on the mist bed. The dawn redwoods are showing first roots out the bottom of the pot today so will be potted up in the next week or so.

I do have difficulty with some species but i think that is due to fungal infection rotting the stems before roots can form. I will be trying fungicide treatment to try to improve success.

When i have used the plastic bottle I do as Bodhi and use the top part so I have the option of removing the cap and allowing some air circulation.

Willow (as suggested by Guy) is high in natural rooting compound so is used as a natural rooting hormone substitute.

Ahh, I think then that I took the cuttings too late - will try again earlier in winter next year as I have a flowering apricot and nectarine I'd love to strike cuttings from.

Thanks for the info, appreciate the time you took and I'm sure I'm not the only one who learned from it.

[shibui]

I have never heard of nectarines grown from cuttings - doesn't mean it can't be done but is certainly not usd commercially as far as I know.

I don't know anything about flowering apricot so best of luck

[time8theuniverse]

Cut them on the largest angle possible so I get maximum cambium exposure and put them into seed raising mix.

I was taught to flat cut at the bottom and then scratch a thin strip of the bark of and angle cut at the top of the cutting. The flat cut at the bottom is meant to reduce rot and then the scratch in the cambuim is to stimulate a calius wheree the roots form.

I have heard of bruising the cutting hitting it on a bench but it wasn't a recommened.

If yoj strip the leaves of the cutting where there is enough bark exposed to photosythesis to still grow roots you can slow down water stress. But it also slows down growth and increases the chance of rot setting in.

I think moving the cuttings into soil now they have roots starting to form is a good idea.

[Naimul]

I have currently taken them out of water and into some free draining, very small gravel stuff. The nursery was out of sand, and i didnt have time to look around nor did the cuttings look like they could last any longer in just water. I have also made a make-shift greenhouse out of a plastic bag, placed over and around the cuttings, with a hole at the top for air circulation.

[jadecuphey87]

Hi mo,
While not commercially viable nectarines and apricots readily strike roots from cuttings and layers. I strike them in a fine Styrofoam peat mix works great for all my cuttings, that's the mix me use at work very good success. Good luck namui

[shibui]

Thanks for the heads-up Jade. I'll have to try some this year to see how they strike here.
It is amazing how many species we do not regularly grow this way will actually strike quite easily.

[Naimul]

its been a while since ive moved the cuttings into a gravel mix. The zelkova cuttings died a while ago. they put out some new growth then dried up. the Chinese elms cuttings though are still alive, and one of them pushed out a new set of leaves, though it hasnt grown much since.

[shibui]

Are they just in that Gravel or is that just on top? No wonder they are not growing much. You would need to feed and water them all the time in that sort of mix. Some decent potting mix would see them growing madly by now.

[Phoenix238]

Been trying to get Mulberry cuttings to shoot for 3 years, this year was my first success with 2 taking root. You have to make sure they don't dry out at all.

[Naimul]

At the moment, yes they are just in that gravel. i water it every day, sometimes twice so they dont dry out. i haven't put them into soil just yet because i fear the usual thing will happen. i have picked them out of the gravel to have a look, but theres no sign of roots yet. that said, since i have 4 cuttings, ill throw 2 into some soil, and leave the other two in the gravel and see what happens.

[shibui]

I had assumed they already had roots Naimul. If no roots you should leave them in the gravel mix though I would mix a little peat with it to help hold moisture. A cover over the top will keep the humidity high around the leaves and will improve strike rate and time taken. A plastic bag will do or get another plastic bottle, cut the bottom out and fit it over the top of this one to make a mini glasshouse - cutting the bottom off allows you to regulate humidity and air by taking the lid off or putting it on.