Propagation Strategy Tips

[BonsaiLoudon]

This is my first growing season in Bonsai and something I'd like to become proficient at as soon as possible is propagation. Turning 1 of my trees into 5 new seedlings for free sounds like a great way to have plenty of trees to work with for the next few decades.

Unfortunately, my efforts so far have not been great. I propagated some wondering jew cuttings in one of these seedling containers over the winter in essentially the same setup and all 10 cuttings rooted. That houseplant is insanely easy to propagate and different, but I thought the same process would work. I've taken cuttings from a local Eastern Cedar, my boxwood, Coastal Redwood, and Giant Sequoia and so far I have not gotten anything to root. I take my cuttings, dip them in an IBA powder, then plant them in this tray in a mix of peat moss and perlite. Then I mist them. I keep them under grow lights mostly for warmth. It appears they are rotting from soil up, so maybe the mixture is retaining too much water? I make sure there isn't every water at the bottom of the drop tray, but the soil does seem to hold water like a sponge.

I would really appreciate any tips on how to get cuttings to root. I was hopeful I'd get a few, but it's looking dim at this point.

 

[Paradox]

First look up the species you are thinking about taking cuttings from and research whether those species are ones that are able to be propagated with cuttings. Not everything is.

Learn on the easy ones first and get the techniques down.

Get yourself a shimpaku juniper. Those are fairly easy to get cuttings to root. However you might need to let it grow some before you start taking cuttings depending on how big of one you are able to get.

Another easy one is willow leaf ficus but you'll have to provide indoor protection during the winter.

Too wet is bad. Every time I tried cutting under a dome like you have, they rotted
Try without the dome and be more careful about watering.

 

[penumbra]

Rather than waste time attempting to propagate plants that are difficult at best, get a copy of this book

Amazon.com

 

[Paradox]

Yes that book is awesome for looking up if and how many plants can be propagated. I own a copy myself

 

[BonsaiLoudon]

Rather than waste time attempting to propagate plants that are difficult at best, get a copy of this book

Amazon.com

Thank you for the resource! I'll probably end up picking that up. It seemed just from google searches all these species should be capable, just need to get better at learning the types of cuttings, soil, moisture, etc.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

@leatherback has good propagation videos. I take my cuttings, put them in a pot with well draining soil with some organics to hold moisture, and then cover them with an opaque bucket. I place them in the shade. I have decent success. I slowly shift them into regular humidity and sunlight.

 

[BrianBay9]

Air layering is often more reliable than cuttings, and can be done on thicker material. Check that out here:

The science of air-layering

Because of the number of questions regarding air-layering on the site, I have attempted to pull together an overview of the science behind air-layering which will directly lead to a list of "best practices" and "frequently asked questions". I am going to try to keep the science really simple...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[leatherback]

@leatherback has good propagation videos. I take my cuttings, put them in a pot with well draining soil with some organics to hold moisture, and then cover them with an opaque bucket. I place them in the shade. I have decent success. I slowly shift them into regular humidity and sunlight.

Thx for the shoutout.
SOme 30 propagation videos on my channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLci6b9GxmP3Vzga7YLxnXinR0N61ERl9X

 

[Shibui]

Then I mist them. I keep them under grow lights mostly for warmth. It appears they are rotting from soil up, so maybe the mixture is retaining too much water?

This would be my reading of your symptoms too. The mix appears to have a high proportion of peat. Did you buy it or mix your own? I use 50/50 coir peat /perlite for cuttings here but I also use deeper containers and still sometimes get cuttings and/or new roots rotting because they are too wet. It might even be better to go 30/70 coir/perlite in those shallow containers.

I would not base cutting proficiency on being able to strike Tradescantia. Pieces will root if you drop them on the ground. Some of the species you are attempting are difficult, even for experienced growers. Many conifer cuttings can take up to 12 months to produce roots and some have such low success rates as to be virtually impossible to root as cuttings. I find boxwood relatively easy but it is susceptible when kept too wet.

I also found that too much rooting hormone can cause problems. It is another one of the cases where a little bit is good but more is not, especially when using the powdered form.