AusBonsai

Morning forumers and happy Friday!
Few quick questions re maples: (I've had a look at the wiki and also forum searched but couldn't find answers)
1: when is the best time to air layer a Japanese maple
2: how thick can I take cuttings rather than layer?
3: any tips to help with my success rate for maple cuttings? I have trident, Japanese and also to dissectums.
Any help and advice appreciated.
I am in western Sydney-buds are bursting on some but a little slower on the others.
Cheers
Angus

Hi Isitangus . ready set go for the layers now on any deciduous , i'm about to set a few myself .Ornamental maples like the dissectum don't produce a strong root mass and usually dont make it passed the first couple of years same goes for seed grown ornamentals , very few go the distance .I have had success to about -5 years then they die so to me its a waste of effort . Others may find it different but i don't waste my time anymore .

Cuttings well i have never had much success so i don't bother on any maples , although when i trim Tridents down i simply push the off cuts into damp fine mulch and they dont get sun period . More seem to grow that way than dibbing and dabbing the old fashion way .The off cuts can be from 300mm to 1.2m long and up to 20mm diameter depending on the tree collected .

Give cuttings a go , just keep moist but no wet and smaller 4-8mm cutting 150mm long with plenty of buds would be a good start and cut the bottom on an angle bigger area more chance of root's and just below a node to give the best result .No direct sunlight and keep them in a warm place on the cooler side rather than heat and out of the wind .

Good luck . Cheers Alpine

[quote="alpineart"]Ornamental maples like the dissectum don't produce a strong root mass and usually dont make it passed the first couple of years same goes for seed grown ornamentals , very few go the distance .I have had success to about -5 years then they die so to me its a waste of effort . Others may find it different but i don't waste my time anymore .

Interesting! I found a very small leaf Palmatum at a Rare plant nursery in Monbulk a few years ago. It had an ugly graft but at the time I wasn't worried because I was going to get tip cuttings off it. I haven't had any luck to date. Have you tackled an arial layer with any success?

Maple,

Do you have a name for the cultivar maple from Monbulk?

Some cultivars will grow well from air layers, and others will just die. Shishigashira will take to air layering, but not so good for cuttings (At least I've had no success with cuttings), okushima only by grafting. Kashima and kiyohime will grow from cuttings, but tricky, though they layer well.

It really depends on the cultivar, so you have to be specific and hope someone has tried to propagate it.

Regards

Paul

Mikawe Yatsabusa wont strike from cuttings but i have layered two now with good success.

Hi Isitangus , mate i'm one of many and my success is less than most . I have tried numerous different maples and find layers to be the best method , but its each o his own . Give both methods a go and you never know you may just have a little success .

Cheers Alpine

Thanks for all of the answers/feedback.
Sounds like layers are the best bet, will be easy to manage in the ones in pots but the garden tree may prove more difficult-oh well if you never try you never know! At least ill get good practise with my layers!!!
Thanks again

63pmp wrote:Maple,

Do you have a name for the cultivar maple from Monbulk?

Some cultivars will grow well from air layers, and others will just die. Shishigashira will take to air layering, but not so good for cuttings (At least I've had no success with cuttings), okushima only by grafting. Kashima and kiyohime will grow from cuttings, but tricky, though they layer well.

It really depends on the cultivar, so you have to be specific and hope someone has tried to propagate it.

Regards

Paul

Hi Paul,
Kiyohime, I'm pretty sure. I'll try a layer this year. I think I may have kept the cuttings soil too moist in my attempts so I might experiment if you have had a go.
Thanks.

Hi Maple,

It took me a few years to work out a procedure. Cuttings were tricky in that timing of taking the cuttings was important. I took softwood cuttings, timed when growth stopped at end of spring, stuck into pure perlite (I found any organic material in the potting mix quickly rotted the ends of the cutting), using 3000 IBA powder and used a humidity controlled environment with bottom heat, had 18 hour/day artificial flouro grow lights, only had about 50% success rate.

I had no success with sticking them into a pot with a hood in the back yard, but probably someone will chime in and say they've had success doing them differently.

Regards

Paul

That sounds like a lot of work/setup for 50% success-well too much work for me! I think my approach will be-later anything that appears to be worth keeping, and anything I cut off, hormone powder and perlite in the greenhouse and see what happens.

I have had success with roughbark maples and red maple (sp?) cuttings. I tried sphagnum and pumice / and sphagnum with akadama and pumice. I found that more rooted with the higher proportions of sphagnum, but the akadama pumice mixed made better roots...maybe a coincidence though, probably not enough to show a significance?

I didn't have an option for layers but i'd try both.

63pmp wrote:I had no success with sticking them into a pot with a hood in the back yard, but probably someone will chime in and say they've had success doing them differently.

Very, very little success with cuttings. Much better with layers - if you're not in the alps or tasmania, start your layers as soon as the leaves have shot and you should be potting on in November. Maples like cool, still environments with dappled light. And seriously good drainage - not a common occurance in .au