Creating bonsai from tree cutting

[Ozzy Koshi]

Hi guys,

I am planning to take a branch cutting from a Japanese Flowering Plum tree and hoping to make a bonsai out of it. What are some precautions and tips for me to successfully do this? I will be posting up photos of the development later on. Thanks guys!

[shibui]

Most plums root quite easily so chances are good.
Cutting mix should be inert, well drained but still hold moisture. I use 50/50 coir peat/ perlite. Sand/peat is also ok or just buy a small bag of propagating mix at the garden centre.
Rooting hormone does help so get some and dip the base of the cutting.
Humidity is important so the cutting does not dehydrate while it has no roots. Cover the pot with a plastic bag or keep the pot in a larger plastic tub with a lid. Automatic misting is used by commercial propagators.

Keep your cuttings damp but not too wet. Place in a well lit area but not full sun or you'll cook them.
and wait until you can see new roots coming out the bottom of the pot before potting them up in proper potting mix.

Good luck

[Ozzy Koshi]

Thanks for the tips Shibui! I have a Scotts Osmocote bonsai potting mix that I use for most of my bonsais. Would that soil do the trick instead of using perlite sand? I am kinda nervous but excited and I think I will use three different pots for the cuttings just in case some dies..!

[shibui]

Some species will root in potting mix - plum cuttings may tolerate it but propagation mix is better for cuttings. Potting mix is full of fungi and bacteria - ok for plants that already have roots but ready to invade the tender cut tissues of a cutting. I usually put many cuttings together in pot. They are easier to look after until they have roots but you can put them into individual pots if you like.

[Ozzy Koshi]

I see... Also since the Japanese Flowering Plum flowers during winter, it is now in full bloom. Most of the time it is best to do cutting during spring but since this particular tree flourishes during winter, do you think it would it be a problem to do it now?

[kvan64]

Hi, cuttings from deciduous species are best done near the end of winter and before the leaf/flower buds open. As the tree is in full bloom, it has used majority of the stored energy to develop flower, this may not be the best time to take cuttings. What you could do is use a "toothpick" or similar methods to improve the strike rate. With the toothpick method, use a sharp knife to make a short vertical cut right through the branch just below and bud. Then insert a toothpick right through it and leave it there. Wait a few weeks for the wound to develop scallus then cut the branch off just below the wound and do what Shibui said.
Cheers

[Ozzy Koshi]

That toothpick method sounds interesting. So from what I have read, I will have to drill holes to the bottom of the cutting and insert a toothpick in to encourage root growth?

[shibui]

Flowering is not the best time to strike cuttings because the tree will divert energy to try to keep the flowers alive and set fruit. You can cut off all the flowers and flower buds and still get a good strike rate though. You can also wait until after flowering is finished and try then. Cuttings root faster during growing period but leaves will have started and so keeping humidity up is more critical at that stage.

What you could do is use a "toothpick" or similar methods to improve the strike rate. With the toothpick method, use a sharp knife to make a short vertical cut right through the branch just below and bud. Then insert a toothpick right through it and leave it there. Wait a few weeks for the wound to develop scallus then cut the branch off just below the wound and do what Shibui said.

There may be confusion between 2 different toothpick methods. Drilling holes around the stem and putting toothpicks in is for layering. Ken is suggesting a way to get callus started while the cutting is still attached to the parent. Roots grow quicker from callus so that can help. Another way is to tie wire tightly around the branch where you want roots and wait for it to swell then cut off below the swelling and strike as a cutting. Any sort of wound to the branch will start to heal and form callus and may help but I think these should strike easily enough without all that. Just take some cuttings, cut off any flowers and flower buds and put them in.

[Ozzy Koshi]

First two batch of cuttings are now planted in my mix of perlite sand and bonsai soil mix. I have left some with flowers and buds on em and some are completely removed. Let's see how they will grow out!

[GavinG]

Looks like P. cerasifera or P. nigra to me - they can grow well from cuttings, maybe pick the stems that have leaf buds, not flower buds. They can make good bonsai, but shaping branches and ramifying can be a bit tricky. They won't ever look like pine trees or "proper" bonsai. They bark up very well with age.

Gavin

[Ozzy Koshi]

I think you're right, it is prunus cerasifera. They look very similar to prunus mume except that prunus mume tend to have more than 5 petals on its flowers

[shibui]

Your cuttings will need humidity so they do not dehydrate before roots grow. For best results they should be enclosed in plastic bag or a plastic box until new roots come out the bottom of the pot.