Itoigawa Shimpaku from cuttings?

[Gsquared]

Hi all, new to the forum. I have a couple of wonderful itoigawa shimpaku that I bought as raw material from Boon way back when. They are now healthily residing in the PNW. Going to do some maintanence pruning this spring and was wondering about rooting the clippings. I've always heard that kishu and itoigawa are not known for their strong roots and hence are usually grafted onto something like San Jose root stock (like all the kishu and itois in my collection are).

So, the question is, is this true? Should I just toss the clippings like I always have? Or, now that I have some more space on the benches (I moved from San Diego to Portland earlier this year and got rid over half my collection so have a little extra room in the yard) try them as cuttings?

 

[leatherback]

I am growing clippings with no issues. My big ittoigawa is on own rootstock too. This is the first I hear about root issues..

 

[bonsaidave]

You got nothing to lose by trying. I say go for it.

 

[Adair M]

They have perfectly good roots! The reason they’re grafted onto other Juniper trunks is their foliage is better.

I think you have this mixed up with JWP. Their roots are weaker compared with other pines. And they generally will not grow from cuttings.

But your Junipers should take from cuttings, no problems!

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Take cuttings. They take fast but grow slow.

 

[sorce]

I pushed my cutting quite haphazardly in the garden, considering only a bit of wind protection...

They're all green (well, maybe bronze now!)and I expect them to grow in spring.

Even a tiny half inch 2fork of juvenile growth stayed viable till I pushed it out of the soil.

Quite amazing.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Eric Group]

Cuttings are super easy- do them NOW! January trough early March is best for Juniper. 100% perlite, keep it wet.

 

[Dav4]

Yep, they should root and grow just fine, and mid winter thru spring is optimal timing for striking them. Put them in a pot with either straight bonsai soil, perlite, or potting soil (I use soil conditioner) and most will take.

 

[Vance Wood]

I am growing clippings with no issues. My big ittoigawa is on own rootstock too. This is the first I hear about root issues..

I have been growing Kishu for more than forty years and I don't have trouble with them. I know of no one who does??

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have had no trouble growing them on their own roots. I find them quite easy to strike cuttings from - in fact they will root off pretty big cuttings.

The only reason I know to graft them on San Jose juniper is that San Jose develops big gnarly trunks a lot faster - and you can sometimes find big San Jose bushes in landscape that can there by be converted into bonsai with tighter foliage.

 

[River's Edge]

Hi all, new to the forum. I have a couple of wonderful itoigawa shimpaku that I bought as raw material from Boon way back when. They are now healthily residing in the PNW. Going to do some maintanence pruning this spring and was wondering about rooting the clippings. I've always heard that kishu and itoigawa are not known for their strong roots and hence are usually grafted onto something like San Jose root stock (like all the kishu and itois in my collection are).

So, the question is, is this true? Should I just toss the clippings like I always have? Or, now that I have some more space on the benches (I moved from San Diego to Portland earlier this year and got rid over half my collection so have a little extra room in the yard) try them as cuttings?

Both grow easily from cuttings in the PNW area. I generally provide protection from freezing for cuttings in the first two winters though. As others have noted Kishu and Itoigawa are usually grafted on to other stock because they have more compact foliage.

 

[Vance Wood]

They have perfectly good roots! The reason they’re grafted onto other Juniper trunks is their foliage is better.

I think you have this mixed up with JWP. Their roots are weaker compared with other pines. And they generally will not grow from cuttings.

But your Junipers should take from cuttings, no problems!

I believe that's the absolute truth. I believe that a lot of San Jose Junipers that have developed great trunks are tuned into grafted Shimps just for that reason.

 

[MichaelS]

I grow 3 kinds of shimpaku. Itoigawa seems to be the fastest to root from cuttings.

 

[Gsquared]

Great, I will strike some. I knew that JWP is usually grafted on to JBP, but had heard so many times about how some of the cultivars of juniper had similar "weak" root issues. My trees are going through their first "real"winter freeze in the 20+ I've had them (moved from San Francisco to San Diego to Portland... don't laugh New Englanders). Ryan from Mirai did a club seminar on winterizing in Oct. He advised leaving foliage thicker for trees to have more winter resources and protection, so I've got a lot of cuttings I can make from that excess. I've had great success with Kingsville Box by letting them callous up in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week or two before planting. Would you recommend that treatment?

Thanks for the info, folks.

 

[Eric Group]

Great, I will strike some. I knew that JWP is usually grafted on to JBP, but had heard so many times about how some of the cultivars of juniper had similar "weak" root issues. My trees are going through their first "real"winter freeze in the 20+ I've had them (moved from San Francisco to San Diego to Portland... don't laugh New Englanders). Ryan from Mirai did a club seminar on winterizing in Oct. He advised leaving foliage thicker for trees to have more winter resources and protection, so I've got a lot of cuttings I can make from that excess. I've had great success with Kingsville Box by letting them callous up in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week or two before planting. Would you recommend that treatment?

Thanks for the info, folks.

No root problems for healthy mature Juniper. What you may have heard is that CUTTING GROWN Juniper can be kind of weak sometimes. They commonly throw roots on just one side of a cutting and grow realllllllll slow the first couple years after being struck. The roots develop a bit slower than faster growing trees like Maples for instance. Not ALWAYS, but it seems much more common in juniper cuttings...

 

[drew33998]

Great, I will strike some. I knew that JWP is usually grafted on to JBP, but had heard so many times about how some of the cultivars of juniper had similar "weak" root issues. My trees are going through their first "real"winter freeze in the 20+ I've had them (moved from San Francisco to San Diego to Portland... don't laugh New Englanders). Ryan from Mirai did a club seminar on winterizing in Oct. He advised leaving foliage thicker for trees to have more winter resources and protection, so I've got a lot of cuttings I can make from that excess. I've had great success with Kingsville Box by letting them callous up in a plastic bag in the fridge for a week or two before planting. Would you recommend that treatment?

Thanks for the info, folks.

I would just cut them right where the one year old growth meets the two year old and strike them. You can dip in rooting hormone if you so like. Or not. I have no problem getting them to root without it pretty much anytime of the year except mid summer

 

[sorce]

mid summer

Mid summer might be ok for OR!

My midsummer joins are still seemingly groovy! Not groovy like shrunken dead, groovy like shrunken head!


Sorce

 

[drew33998]

Oh yea. For oregon i would prob try for it year round. With the mild summer and higher humidity

 

[leatherback]

@Gsquared , how did you go?

 

[Gsquared]

Well...did a flat of cuttings of various sizes, then went on a trip and the house sitter missed watering them, so they gave up the ghost. I will try again, but make sure they are with the rest of the plants when I travel.