AusBonsai

Hey all, I'm hoping someone can help me with some information on propagating cuttings...
I have had numerous attempts with no luck and would love to know your methods in detail

So..
I assume the best time for cuttings to take is from the beginning of spring to summer? Can they take at other times of the year?
Planting mediums?.. I've tried propagating sand, sphagnum moss and mixes with bonsai soil..
Humidity wise I've kept them under a plastic container in a shaded area.. And also tried it out in the open.
Should the cuttings be defoliated?
I've also been using the hormone gels to promote root growth.

Eager to hear some methods!
Many thanks

I normally remove most of the leaves and dip the end in honey before planting.
The mix I use is coco peat and seed raising mix, but depends on what you're growing.
The plants go into a portable green house.
I've had success with hard wood fig(fruitings) cuttings, ficus and other non bonsai stuff...

Chinese elm root cuttings strike almost 100 % but you need to take them when repotting in late winter. I think they are great because they're bendy and you can wire them into groovy shapes.

Awesome! Thank you, yes I'm mainly working with Chinese elms, trident maples and junipers..
The first two I've read should be the easiest to get to take... I will follow your methods
Any other info is also appreciated, thank you!

Cuttings can be taken at any time of year but will often be more successful at certain times of year depending on the species. if you tell us what species you are trying to grow there may be specific hints for that species.

Some species are easy (willow, pelargonium, many herbs, etc) while others are nearly impossible (Eucalyptus, Santalum and others) Best to start off with easy ones to get practice and confidence.

Most plants will grow from SOFTWOOD cuttings - these are fresh growth that is still actively growing. If you bend it it does not break. Softwood cuttings root quite quickly BUT they also wilt and die quickly unless the humidity is excellent so softwood cuttings are difficult for most home propagators. Find softwood on plants in spring and early summer.

Most plants grow from SEMI HARDWOOD AKA medium cuttings - these are half hardened growth usually found mid - late summer. Not so prone to wilt so easier to succede than softwood but will take a couple of weeks longer to grow roots. Still need to maintain humidity but not as critical as with softwood. Semi hard cuttings do best for me with my setup and are used by many growers.

Also strike HARDWOOD cuttings. These are older wood that is not in active growth. If you bend hardwood shoots they will snap. Hardwood cuttings are used for many deciduous plants and are taken in autumn and winter. With no leaves humidity is not a problem and hardwood cuttings can often strike just pushed into the garden soil.

Root inducing substances do help cuttings strike more quickly and graeter percentage. Honey is reputed to be effective but I prefer to use a rooting gel. Powder and liquid formulations are also available. My tests show these substances do work.

Cutting mix: Anything that hold both moisture and air will work but inert, sterile media is best. I use 50/50 coir peat and perlite. Coarse sand/ peat is also good. you can purchase small bags of propagating mix at most nurseries. Non sterile mixes with soil can have fungal and pests that can attack the cuttings. Only very hardy species will do well in that sort of medium.
Cuttings from healthy, vigorous plants will strike better than from sick or stressed plants. Cuttings from plants in the garden will usually strike better than from plants in the wild. Take cutting early in the morning while they are full of moisture. The plant may be stressed by heat later in the day. I have struck many cuttings from plants with flowers but cuttings without flowers or developing seed seem to strike better so if you can avoid flowering season it is better.
Store cuttings in plastic bag so they don't wilt before you can prepare the cuttings.

Remove around 2/3 of the leaves from leafy cuttings to reduce transpiration. Leaves on the cutting will help it root so do not defoliate cuttings entirely. Some species will die if they have no leaves.
Size of cuttings depends on species. I prefer cuttings about 5-15 cm long but some species grow from longer pieces and I often put in shimpaku cuttings that are 30-40 cm long in order to grow plants that can be wired and twisted sooner. Cuttings need several nodes - at least one below ground where roots will form and one or more above the mix where leaves are.
Cuttings about pencil thick seem to do best for me but many species don't have thick shoots so use thinner pieces where necessary.

Hope some of this helps.

Trident maples are difficult. I have trouble striking those.
Root cuttings and stem cuttings of Elms should be easier. Should be some threads on striking root cuttings somewhere and they do make great material for bonsai.
Junipers are not hard but do take a long time. Now is a good time for juniper and Chinese elm stem cuttings.

Wow, that is a detailed post from shibui, it should be added to the wiki!

I took some heel cuttings from a juniper in April (heel cuttings are when you peel the semi-hardened growth off where it joins the main branch, Google can give a better description) and I'm still getting some taking root 8 months later, so they definitely take a while! My simple set up is a shallow (about 2-3 inches deep) plastic tray with a couple of drainage holes cut in it, filled with seed raising mix and with a larger, deeper plastic tub placed over the top, leaving enough room that it doesn't touch the cuttings, then kept moist and in the shade. After trying many different approaches this is the best one I've found so far. Everything else I've tried has either turned green or dried out.

Once the junipers have started rooting I pull them out and pot them up individually, placing half a plastic bottle over the top to keep the humidity up. Usually I leave these on until they blow off or I need them for another one lol

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Shibui you always come up with the goods!
That's all the information I've been trying to find for ages, thank you very much
Was kind of hoping something like this would have been stickied in this section of the forum *hint**hint* mods
Really appreciate your advice guys

When growing things different people will get the same result different ways so whatever works for you is ok and my methods may not be best for all places.
Heel cuttings were the standard, esp for conifers but the industry has found that even better results come from a smaller, clean cut. The heel is usually torn from the main stem and is a bit ragged. It is also a larger wound than a clean cut so possibility of infection is higher. This is not a technique that is encouraged in commercial propagation now. It would be interesting to see what results you get making clean cuts on the stem Phoenix.

My simple set up is a shallow (about 2-3 inches deep) plastic tray with a couple of drainage holes cut in it,

I used shallow squat pots for cuttings for a while thinking drainage would be better but full depth 7 cm plastic pots seem to give me better results but as above, if it works, use it.

As mentioned above, junipers can take quite a while to strike. I just potted up some more from a batch taken almost 12 months ago. A few were still green and healthy but still no roots so I threw them away. Juniper cuttings taken now will strike quicker than the same cuttings taken in autumn, probably because it is warmer and the plants are actively growing now.

shibui wrote: Heel cuttings were the standard, esp for conifers but the industry has found that even better results come from a smaller, clean cut. The heel is usually torn from the main stem and is a bit ragged. It is also a larger wound than a clean cut so possibility of infection is higher. This is not a technique that is encouraged in commercial propagation now. It would be interesting to see what results you get making clean cuts on the stem Phoenix.

Interesting, I hadn't heard that, was only going on what I had read online. Unfortunately the donor plant was a garden plant and I have since moved, but have rooted enough of the cuttings to keep me occupied once they start growing properly. I guess I got lucky with avoiding infections this time

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Maybe we should start a post on what works best for different species with attention to size of cuttings, timings, rooting hormone, location etc

Add to the wiki would be an excellent idea

Phoenix238 wrote:Wow, that is a detailed post from shibui, it should be added to the wiki!

Already done
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... m_Cuttings

Was kind of hoping something like this would have been stickied in this section of the forum *hint**hint* mods

There are so many good ideas and posts, if they were al made stickies then the forum would show only them!,
that was why the wiki was created to host them all in and easily searched and logically laid our form.

If I am after any knowledge or links, i always check the wiki as the search works and usually comes up with what i am looking for, and most pages there have links back to relevant threads here so they do not get lost

Ken

kcpoole wrote: Already done
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... m_Cuttings

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kcpoole wrote:

Phoenix238 wrote:Wow, that is a detailed post from shibui, it should be added to the wiki!

Already done
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... m_Cuttings

Was kind of hoping something like this would have been stickied in this section of the forum *hint**hint* mods

There are so many good ideas and posts, if they were al made stickies then the forum would show only them!,
that was why the wiki was created to host them all in and easily searched and logically laid our form.

If I am after any knowledge or links, i always check the wiki as the search works and usually comes up with what i am looking for, and most pages there have links back to relevant threads here so they do not get lost

Ken

Ahh sweet, thanks ken, I shall make use of the wiki I'd forgotten about it actually :S

Hi I have a Ficus Retusa... I am wanting to propagate some cuttings from a sacrifice branch that I've been growing to thicken the trunk of my tree. If cuttings are successful, I'd like to grow them out until their strong enough to then graft to base to create a wider nebari.

I'd like to know if it is still ok to take ficus cuttings at this time of year...? The sacrifice branch is about 70cm long(pencil thickness) now & time to be removed. I was wondering if I can cut this into smaller sections and then plant. Or is it best to only use only the side shoots of sacrifice (9 of which are 3-4mm thick) which range from 6-12cm long.

I have not been successful with my trident cuttings (as Shibui said were difficult) and have been using 50% peat moss + 50% propagating sand. Really not sure if this is the best medium to be using for cuttings (found on the net) as I've noticed that it stays quite wet ...which I think would create an environment for fungal infection to set in. So if there is another medium that is best worth trying with ficus then I'd to here your thoughts & recipies.

Also because ficus cuttings bleed that milky sap is there special preparation necessary...? Can ficus cuttings be planted straight into the mix or is the use of rooting hormone still required...?

#1. I use rooting hormone on all cuttings. I have done trials and even with easy to root species they root faster, grow stronger and more success with hormone treatment than without. Figs will root readily so you could do without and should still have success.
#2. Growing season is a good time for cuttings to root quickly so now is a good time for ficus cuttings.
#3. Your cutting medium does need to hold some moisture. It should be damp at all times and 50/50 sand peat is usually a good mix however not all sand is the same. Propagating sand is quite coarse. Fine brickies sand or beach sand is not good. Particles should be around 3-6mm I think. If you are convinced the mix really is too wet try more sand - say 75/25 sand peat to get better drainage and more air in the mix.
#4. You should be able to strike all parts of ficus. Use some of the side shoots from your sacrifice branch but also cut the main branch into 20-30 cm pieces, each will need some leaves or a side shoot still attached toward the top to improve rooting chances. When you cut the sacrifice branch into sections cut just above a side shoot, cut off any lower side shoots and use those as cuttings. Leave the upper shoot attached to the section of main branch but cut it short leaving just 1 or 2 leaves and use that section as a cutting too.
#5. No need for special treatment for ficus sap. Dipping the fresh cut base into water should stop any latex bleeding but shake off excess water, maybe set the cutting aside for a minute or so to dry a little before dipping?, esp with powder dip. Too much powder on the cutting can cause rot. Should not be a problem with liquid or gel hormones.

Always cut the base of your cuttings just below a node (where leaf or side shoot grew). Rooting hormone penetrates best on fresh cuts so if you cut the pieces off the tree a few minutes ago just trim the base a little shorter so you have a fresh cut just before dipping the base into the hormone mix.