AusBonsai

Just wondering i took some hardwood cuttings of some pyracantha (spelling) a few weeks ago and as i have never done this before was told this was a fairly easy plant to try....
My question is how long does it take for substantial roots to be grown....
i thought a year at least but was speaking to someone today who said it may take as little as a few weeks/months depending on the time of the year,plant etc...
As im no expert and have never done this before i was just wondering what time frame you guys have had success with....
and have i taken these cuttings at the right time...

Hello Krittas.
I'm on the other side of the world but though warmer, your August would be my February. This is a little early to take cuttings from my experience. I would be taking softwood cuttings in around five to six weeks from now and hardwood in Your March. These are optimum times for us but a limited success is always possible at other times. The secret isto take more than you need to allow for failures. When trimming material for styling purposes, I am always reluctant to waste the cut off portions and have planted these in a sandy compost at all times with reasonable success. Good luck with your endeavours and try misting the foliage of your cuttings to cut down on moisture loss by evaporation.

Stymie have you had much success with large Hawthorn cuttings, just the hardwood without foliage?

I did extend a hawthorne hedge by using the offcuts when trimming. These were pushed into the soil where I wanted the extension with no preparation apart from removing any low down foliage which would have been buried. Some were up to ¼". I see no reason why thicker ones shouldn't take. My natural soil is heavy with some clay content and slightly acidic. My Crataegus are never without foliage.

krittas wrote:Just wondering i took some hardwood cuttings of some pyracantha (spelling) a few weeks ago and as i have never done this before was told this was a fairly easy plant to try....
My question is how long does it take for substantial roots to be grown....
i thought a year at least but was speaking to someone today who said it may take as little as a few weeks/months depending on the time of the year,plant etc...
As im no expert and have never done this before i was just wondering what time frame you guys have had success with....
and have i taken these cuttings at the right time...

Krittas,

My experience with hardwood cutting from evergreens is that it takes 6 months to a year for them to start getting strong. Although by this stage they may not have strong canopy growth, you can usually see new growth or buds forming. I tend to repot after about a 12-18 months, but this is mainly because I strike cuttings in a sandy soil and they begin to suffer if you leave them too long after they have their own roots. Also if they are for bonsai I don't want them developing strong tap roots in the deep pot.

You have taken the cuttings about the same time that I would (other may disagree). You may find that many of the leaves die if you have not stripped enough of them off, but persist for a while. I have certainly had cuttings that I had assumed failed, only to have them start to bud a few weeks later.

Hope this helps.
Naym