AusBonsai

Hi i was wondering if everyone covers their cuttings when they try to strike them. is this essential? is there a good strike rate if left uncovered?

I have read a few methods of propagating via cuttings. it seems some people have success one way and others have success another way.

wondering if anyone has time, if they would like to share their successful methods?

Covering them just creates humidity and retains moisture so it doesn't evaporate, this can aid propagation and help new growth.
I am lazy so instead of covering I generally just plant out cuttings in trays and leave them uncovered. If I want 10 plants I'll plant out 25-30 cuttings or more, then just chuck the extra if they take too.

what type of trees do you take cuttibngs from and what time of year do you do this to get most success?

i tend to get a better strike rate when mine are covered depending on what im striking, it's all trial and error bud. i did a bunch of bougys today left them uncovered shall see if they strike or not.

To quote a smart man "Diversity is essential"

I'm not really one to run with do's and don'ts in regards to when to take cuttings, I suspect most would say early spring, but I try whatever whenever.
Over this winter, i've struck PJ figs, radiata pine and some magnolia cuttings.

I would decide what you want to take cuttings of and go with early spring. Once they take, they boom through spring.

This is my first season of propagation as i'm still new to this, and i only acquired all the know-how from this very site a couple of months ago. But I've commandeered my girlfriend's mini-greenhouse and stacked it with cedar, juniper, what i assume is about 10 maple shoots, and just last week discovered a Chinese Elm growing in the park so went and grabbed a big curvy inch thick log from it and stuck that in some hormone too.
Too early to tell definitively but the cedar and juniper seem to be still alive despite the coldest Perth winter in memory, probably aided in preventing them drying out.
Oh and there's more elm and maple in the garden bed from the other day. gonna be in trouble if they all take

I have propogated numerous plants in my quest to overload the yard with works in progress. I have had great results with Serrissa and Ficus. I have recently taken cuttings of Pyracantha (all have struck..so I am in trouble here) and I took a number of Azalea cuttings recently (all are looking healthy...so I am in trouble again). Don't bother trying to propogate Fukien Tea...just get a couple of plants...they will produce seeds that will sprout EVERYWHERE...I have literally dozens of little ones all over the place (if anybody wants some baby fukiens let me know). I haven't used any type of covering with cuttings...i think it depends on taking the cutting at the right time (I usually do mine now)...a touch of rooting powder and into a sheltered spot for a few weeks....I want to attempt a clero propogation to make a forest next..any tips would be welcome

I have built a 4m long x 1.2m wide polytunnel with an automatic fogger which can be set for any humidity from 40% to 95%. During winter I set the fogger to 55% and have the shade cover off, it gets about 3 hrs of sun a day which works well for hardwood cuttings. There is no heat bed in the tunnel yet but when there is it will be set to 21 degrees celcius. By mid spring I have cuttings of Junipers and other conifers in the tunnel and have raised the humidity to 65-70%, this is where the fogging really comes into it's own. In December I'll add Tridents, Elms, Zelkovas and other broadleaf deciduous and evergreens, maybe Black Pines and Cedars as well, by that time will have the humidity at about 80% and the tunnel will have the 50% shadecloth cover on.

My propagation media is 0.5-2mm Maidenwell Diatomite, I use a hormone gel made by a friend of mine who is a retired chemist.

The polytunnel when full holds about 2500 cuttings, could potentially yield 4000+ cuttings per year and cost me about $1000 to build. I plan to add a heat bed before next winter and ventilation fans to regulate summer temperatures a little better, they will set me back another $750.

Cheers,
Mojo

Hey Astroboy, Are you talking about taking some cuttings from your prunus mume?

I dont have the knowledge to say , Yes do this or no dont do that,But I did read on this site, that someone made a small hothouse out plastic,
Then put a dish of water with a fish tank heater and small pump to keep the water moving as not kill the heater.

This would keep the temp stable.

I am into reef tanks so i have the heater and the pump, but you could score one form any pet shop for about $20,
You could also buy a small green house from Bunn*&%$% for $20, Or turn an old fish tank upside down to act as the greenhouse.

The greenhouse from Bu has a tray with lots of holes for the bottom so its made for this setup , It also has vents that you can open and close to adjust the humidity

Adam

I do most of my propagation from semi ripe wood in early summer and seem to have a pretty good strike rate. The only exception to that regime is the corky bark chinese elms which I propagate from root cuttings taken during the late winter root pruning, I find the later I leave them the better strike rate.
Craig

craigw60 wrote:I do most of my propagation from semi ripe wood in early summer and seem to have a pretty good strike rate. The only exception to that regime is the corky bark chinese elms which I propagate from root cuttings taken during the late winter root pruning, I find the later I leave them the better strike rate.
Craig

I find that 99% of any cuttings I stick in a pot will grow. Azaleas are about 100%, as are ficus. My problem is I end up with too many! When I first started Bonsai I took cuttings of everything, and every time I went to a club meeting I would come home with about 10 cuttings and they would all take. Now I only take cuttings of things I don't have

Glenda

I dont normally cover cuttings, I do know it can help, but I usually have enough material that I can live with a lower strike rate.
My shadehouse doesn't get watered if it has rained, or everything is damp enough, I would have to specially remember that covered things dont get natural rainfall!
I do have a small coldframe which is covered with perspex and humid. I use this mostly for seeds in winter, but have some cuttings in there now.
I do cuttings all year round, but certainly they take less time and strike more readily in warmer weather. The best professional setups I have seen have constant misting and temp control.
Wishing for a poly tunnel!

This morning I went out and checked on about 30 Fukien tea tree cuttings I had put in one big pot of diatomite, and placed in a shallow tray, and covered with a clear plastic dome. I cut them off a tree I had that had grown about 5' tall but was still no thicker than my thumb at the base, but was just wild and straggly. Put a little root hormone on them, and stuck them all in the pot. The Fukien was just about to flower when the cuttings were taken (remember we are in the tropics). When I had a look today, every single cutting has new shoots, new flowers, and even some berries forming - one is almost ready to colour.

Glenda

Hey Adam,
Yeah I took about 40 cuttings from my apricot. Have had some great advice from Matt and a few other forum members but I like to get as much advice as possible. Different things seem to work for different people in different places. Most of the cuttings I took are now growing so hopefully that's a good sign. Gonna air layer some of the big branches off my stock tree too. Also have some crimson weeping cherry, dark pink double flowering apricot, red hawthorn, and double flowering crabapple cuttings. Hopefully I get at least one of each strike. Watered with some plant starter today to kick em on a bit.
Reef tanks? I used to have a 6 footer. Had to limit hobbies due to work tho

WOW you have some stock ther ,, i only have some figs and juniper cuttings going and i just planted some of my Japanese Apricot yesturday(making a greenhouse today).

Yea reef tanks take up alot of time, i just sold my setup aswell, Just when you think you have the tank perfect, somthing fails or you find a mantis shrimp from a new coral, The list is endless.
then i went to nano reefs , i had a sweet setup for such a small tank but did my head in with calc levels.

Are you going to sell any of your cutting later on?