How to grow trident cuttings...?

[Bonsaiforest]

Hi was wondering if there's any advice around of those who have successfully grown trident cuttings both hard and soft wood. I'd really like to try both yet not sure which is best. Have read that hardwood cuttings are best to be planted in late winter and soft wood in late spring early summer. Do they need to be grown in a seed tray (or are deeper pots better) covered with a plastic bag to hold in humidity...? Is the best mix sand & peat moss...? What's the best rooting hormone to use and should I be using the liquid or powder...?
When is the best time to take cuttings & what would be the ideal thickness of a hardwood cutting...how big can you go?

Oh yeh...Does a soft wood cutting need to harden off slightly be planting...?

Would really like to move on project this season ...so awaiting your experienced trident specific replies

Cheers

[Daluke]

I filled a poly box with ordinary potting mix and took hard wood cuttings through summer.

All 10 of my cuttings took root.

They were treated with Yates rooting hormone.

I also put the box underneath a shelf of my more advanced trees to pick up the Seasol excess coming out of the bigger boys.

I found them very quickly to root. 4 weeks or so.

[Elmar]

Do a search on this forum - there must be phone looks of posts on this topic.

[itsfullofstars]

I have more success with the red gel hormone from bunnings.

I havent done trident maple, but have rooted some japanese maple cuttings....only for the roots to be eaten by fungus gnats or thei larvae!

My mixture was even sand perlite and potting mix.

[Yuffie]

I have stuck a few trident maple cuttings in a terracotta pot with my own potting mix (ordinary potting mix + sand + coir) after pruning, about pencil thickness, last spring (?) before it leaf out, and they all grew... although a couple died after a few months of being shaded out by the three facing the light. I think I did put some honey on the cutting... no cover, just kept them watered....
Could have been beginners luck though... I've gave one of the remaining three away, and the two left are still alive...

[Bonsaiforest]

Hi again...Is it too late to take Trident cuttings and plant now...? Or should I be waiting for just before budburst...? Also what's best, I've read that some enthusiasts use honey and others use rooting hormone. Is it just personal preference or are the two applications used for different types of cuttings.

[kcpoole]

Take hardwood cuttings in winter. Keep them warm and use whatever rooting hormone you prefer
Red gel, powder, honey, Vegemite, they all work either alone or in mixes. Pick one and try it in your environment
I use a paste of gel and powder together on my cuttings and layers

Ken

[Bonsaiforest]

Had planted my trident cuttings just after I posted topic. Would have been mid July. In the 2nd week of August all of my smaller cuttings started to leaf out and then a fortnight later the cuttings on older wood started to sprout new growth. Out of 25 cuttings in total all seemed to be doing fine until the beginning of this week when the tips of leaves started to go black and shrivel. Only very few still look ok. They've been in a propagation box since being planted which holds a lot of moisture with little droplets inside the top of the lid. Maybe I missed something with the process but really didn't think that trident cuttings would be that hard & have heard that they take easily.
Is there anything that I can do to save them. I've had them in morning sun which is really dappled light from the trees surrounding. So today I have moved to full shade. Would misting the leaves daily with Superthrive assist & or should I be increasing the vents for more ventilation.

Hmmmm .... Thoughts

[shibui]

I also have this problem with maple cuttings. When you check you will probably find that any roots will be soft and black also the base of all cuttings will be black too. I suspect it is a fungal problem but I think it is too late when they have wilted or blackened. This year I have put in more Japanese maple cuttings and treated with fungicide. No roots showing yet but they look better than most times

[Bonsaiforest]

Would any generic fungicide be suitable or is there a particular one that you use for this application...?

[shibui]

I think I used Fongarid on mine this time. there are a few different ones work differently and treat different types of fungal problem but none specify maple cuttings so your guess is as good as mine.
Note you really need to prevent the problem. If the base of cuttings are already dead treatment will not resurrect them.

[Bonsaiforest]

Thanks Shibui will pick some up tomorrow and give it a try...!