Chinese Elm Hardwood Cuttings

[JuniperMasterRace]

How necessary is it to use root hormone? I am in southern California and I have 2 2 inch hard wood shoots I want to prune off and try and propagate. I plan on putting them on my kitchen window sill that gets a little light and use a heat pad to keep them nice and warm.

 

[Tieball]

I am by no means an expert, or even well-practiced, person around cuttings. I don’t have any Chinese Elms. However, I thought I’d just share my early spring, April 2020, American Elm cutting. This was at bud swelling time. I chopped an American Elm that was in a growing box down to about 5”. The top that was cut off was about 2” in diameter at the cut. I was planning to toss it out for burning. Just for kicks I stuck it in a plastic squat pot with a mix of standard potting soil and a very small amount of coarse substrate. No rooting treatment at all....just plunked, shoved, it in the soil. Put some heavy rocks around it for stability. I pushed it off to the side. Watered it when I watered other trees. Buds opened. Shoots grew. And it’s still growing wildly now....it’s like a thin density bush. I did not prune at all. I’ll wait until spring 2021. It was just weird....that flat cut top off a tree (about 12” in height and 2” diameter)....it’s growing healthy.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

anyone have success with hardwood cutting?

 

[SeanS]

Not hardwood cuttings, root cuttings, but here’s my progress this spring after 79 days since chopping off the mother tree during repotting.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Not hardwood cuttings, root cuttings, but here’s my progress this spring after 79 days since chopping off the mother tree during repotting.

View attachment 333414View attachment 333415

Hope it works. I cut off the bottom branches and cut around 2 dozen cuttings all dipped in rooting hormone.

 

[leatherback]

I cut off the bottom branches

have you reduced the top too? Trunk seems quite gentle

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

have you reduced the top too? Trunk seems quite gentle

I’m planning on it. I just picked this guy up and knew immediately that the bottom branches had to go. I’m hoping to wire him soon when the weather gets a little colder and the branches aren’t so turgid.

 

[Soup Dragon]

My approach wasn't anywhere near as precise as Riversedgebonsai - literally pushed em into the soil and left them be for a year. I think I've done corkies too in the past with similar results - they are like willow and tamarisk

This sounds like I method I could work with . What period of the year do you recommend?

 

[Paulpash]

This sounds like I method I could work with . What period of the year do you recommend?

I do mine in late Autumn when leaves drop. My garden soil is like potting compost though as I've tipped loads of old bonsai substrate in my beds over the years. I heel them in under a Buddleia where they'll get semi shade in Summer.

 

[Soup Dragon]

I do mine in late Autumn when leaves drop. My garden soil is like potting compost though as I've tipped loads of old bonsai substrate in my beds over the years. I heel them in under a Buddleia where they'll get semi shade in Summer.

Thank you. I'll give it a try.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Up

View attachment 333450
Hope it works. I cut off the bottom branches and cut around 2 dozen cuttings all dipped in rooting hormone.

update on my cuttings. Looks like whatever I did it’s working with a few

 

[Forsoothe!]

I put cuttings, etc. that need to grow-on and be protected in my bottle farm. McDonald's large Coke cups work nicely. I burn 8 holes in the the bottoms with a large nail in a vice-grips heated to red with a butane torch. I sink them half way into the garden soil and cover them with a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off and the interior painted a light color to heat up less. 2 liter pop bottles work, too, slipping over the McD cups.

 

[Tieball]

I put cuttings, etc. that need to grow-on and be protected in my bottle farm. McDonald's large Coke cups work nicely. I burn 8 holes in the the bottoms with a large nail in a vice-grips heated to red with a butane torch. I sink them half way into the garden soil and cover them with a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off and the interior painted a light color to heat up less. 2 liter pop bottles work, too, slipping over the McD cups.
View attachment 336974

Very well organized. I hope that’s not a healthy poison ivy plant in the upper middle right side. With all these trees you’re going to be quite busy.

 

[Forsoothe!]

That's a self-seeded Amur Maple sapling.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

any advice on when I should remove my cuttings out from their perlite green house and into a pot outside?

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

any advice on when I should remove my cuttings out from their perlite green house and into a pot outside?

Bump. Cuttings are shooting out new leaves. Any idea of how to check if they are ready to be transplanted?

 

[John P.]

Bump. Cuttings are shooting out new leaves. Any idea of how to check if they are ready to be transplanted?

Here in SoCal I’d wait for them to lose their leaves before transplanting.

 

[sorce]

It's my admiration for Mach5 that makes me find him all the time!

@machsorce lol!

Sorce

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Here in SoCal I’d wait for them to lose their leaves before transplanting.

So leave them in there until next winter? I have them on a heat pad inside on a window sill, so they are not experiencing winter temperatures. They are growing happily, but, I do not want to be hasty.

 

[JuniperMasterRace]

Here in SoCal I’d wait for them to lose their leaves before transplanting.

See my update from today. A lot of leaves have fallen off and there is some good new growth pushing.