Deciduous cuttings advice

[joelham]

Hi guys.
I'm on the far north coast and was wanting to know the best time to take cuttings of trident,elms and so on.
Was cruising the forum but couldn't find the time of year.
If I had a guess it would be in spring when the buds are swelling. Or maybe it's earlier. Any help greatly appreciated.
Joel

[MattA]

I have most success with hardwood cuttings taken during the dormant period (ie now)

[Mojo Moyogi]

Good morning Joel,

Far north coast of where? I assume NSW, could you edit your profile please mate, to help us help you .

Tridents: Earlier as a general rule for your location, the idea being that they would come out of dormancy in the cutting bed or whatever you have them planted in. If you have misting or some kind of humidity protection, late spring after the growth has hardened should also work.
Chinese Elm: Most of them would behave as evergreens or semi deciduous where you are, you could start them anytime from mid winter to mid summer.

Cheers,
Mojo

[joelham]

Thanks guys for that help, that Is great, I can get busy with that. Any suggested maximum thickness for both species?

[shibui]

I also tend to take dormant cuttings earlier rather than later on the assumption that this allows time for callus to form slowly over winter and the base is then ready to sprout roots when they are needed as the cuttings begin to sprout in spring. Sometimes dormant cuttings planted upright and outside in the elements are liable to dehydrate before they can absorb moisture through callus or new roots. I was told to tie them into bundles and lay the bundles horizontally and bury them completely until the parent trees start to bud in spring (this stops the cuttings from drying out but still allows them to callus in the moist ground) then dig the bundles up and plant them individually upright as normal. Works well for apple cuttings. If you have good humidity control the above method is not needed.

I fing cuttings (deciduous included) strike just as well, often better, in spring after the leaves have hardened as long as you can keep the humidity high while they root.

Elms are easy but I find maples a bit harder to get good strike rates.

Any suggested maximum thickness for both species?

In theory there is no maximum size for cuttings but 1/2 to 2 cm diameter seems to be the usual size as younger ood strikes better. The older the wood, the worse the strike rate?
note that elms are quite easy to strike as root cuttings. the results can make excellent small sized bonsai.