Prunus Mume Propagation by Hardwood Cuttings During Early Winter - The Peter Adams Method

[leatherback]

the old Japanese method specified sand,

Alternative: Pure sand will not support fungal life by itself. So it might be less prone to losses by fungi?

 

[Pitoon]

I am under the impression that Prunus mume is similar to Acer palmatum in the sense that some cultivars will root from cuttings while other cultivars will not root at all.

 

[Dav4]

Look at what you all made me do! Kobai and Regular seedlings, top cut sealed with wood glue, stored upright in moist sand, one batch in the fridge and one batch outside in the shade… Do I have that right ? You can never have enough flowering apricots!

 

[Pitoon]

Look at what you all made me do! Kobai and Regular seedlings, top cut sealed with wood glue, stored upright in moist sand, one batch in the fridge and one batch outside in the shade… Do I have that right ? You can never have enough flowering apricots!
View attachment 346611

@Dav4 careful......Ume can lead you down the rabbit hole

 

[JoeR]

Whew, just got done fixing the first batch. Very tedious work, so ill be taking ones from my other trees tomorrow. This should be better.

I'm finding it hard still to get a clean cut on the larger twigs even with a new box blade. Crushes the thicker twigs sometimes, any suggestions? Probably just need to get a grafting knife...

 

[leatherback]

slide and use the length of the blade. do nut try to push the knife through

 

[River's Edge]

Whew, just got done fixing the first batch. Very tedious work, so ill be taking ones from my other trees tomorrow. This should be better.

I'm finding it hard still to get a clean cut on the larger twigs even with a new box blade. Crushes the thicker twigs sometimes, any suggestions? Probably just need to get a grafting knife...

single edge razor blade used in scraper, slice not push down, on a damp softwood surface, similar technique to cutting for scion grafts.

 

[Canada Bonsai]

Ume can lead you down the rabbit hole

Can it ever! It's a propagation mechanism built into the genetics of the species. You don't choose to propagate Prunus, Prunus chooses you

 

[JoeR]

Safe to say I've gotten better at making these, clean cuts, but still really need to buy a grafting knife. 2/4 trees done, and the good thing is they are finally blooming so I will know what color flower these cuttings will have.

These came from very vigorous trees in the ground, so many of the apex- sourced cuttings are super thick. These may root better, based on location they came from and stored reserves. Assuming my cuts are good enough, hard to get a knife through the sturdy wood. Time will tell.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Alternative: Pure sand will not support fungal life by itself. So it might be less prone to losses by fungi?

It might also be the perfect breeding ground for evil fungi and bacteria, since the only stuff they can eat are the cuttings.
It's a double edged sword.

My personal go-to recipe for sensitive stuff is either straight up peat moss or a 2:1:1 mix of coarse sand and potting soil + peat (peat has a low pH which prevents some fungi and creates a good environment for rooting). If you have "the magic touch" that makes you able to work with coco coir, then coco coir is awesome. In 15 years I haven't been able to figure coco coir out and I doubt it will ever happen. But that doesn't change the fact that almost every well done cutting I ever bought was in coco coir.

 

[Canada Bonsai]

Got the set-up stable this weekend

100% humidity
24C (75F) bottom heat

 

[JoeR]

Got the set-up stable this weekend

100% humidity
24C (75F) bottom heat

Just using the sunlight from the windows? Mine havent even started callous, but were taken much later- yours already grown callous?

 

[Canada Bonsai]

Just using the sunlight from the windows?

I took the picture before i set up the humidifier, lights, thermostat, ventilation fan etc

yours already grown callous?

This weekend I used the ones that already had callous (about 150 cuttings). I have another 450 in the fridge.

 

[Canada Bonsai]

I've heard there's no guarantee with these things, but it sure is exciting to see green emerging!

@River's Edge there are no signs of roots yet on the cuttings that are starting to open their leaf buds. Callus ranges from light to aggressive. Do you think opening the lights at this stage would cause them to grow and dehydrate faster than they otherwise would, thus reducing the time-period during which they might produce roots? They are in 100% humidity. You mentioned turning the lights on at bud-break last year. I was curious if you're doing the same this year?

 

[bwaynef]

I was reading thru a trove of old Int'l Bonsai magazines I recently acquired and there's an article in one of them on P. mume from cuttings. A lot of it is covered in this thread.

 

[Canada Bonsai]

I was reading thru a trove of old Int'l Bonsai magazines I recently acquired and there's an article in one of them on P. mume from cuttings. A lot of it is covered in this thread.

Yes! 1982.1 if anybody is looking for it! It's a great issue for Prunus Mume fans!

There is an article by Tomigoro Komari that goes over hardwood propagation and trunk development (beautifully illustrated by Kyosuke Gun, trans. Carl and Shin Young).

That issue also has the great article by Lynn Perry Alstadt which goes over the pruning/ramification techniques that @Adair M and @Brian Van Fleet have explained in this forum a number of times!

 

[River's Edge]

I've heard there's no guarantee with these things, but it sure is exciting to see green emerging!

@River's Edge there are no signs of roots yet on the cuttings that are starting to open their leaf buds. Callus ranges from light to aggressive. Do you think opening the lights at this stage would cause them to grow and dehydrate faster than they otherwise would, thus reducing the time-period during which they might produce roots? They are in 100% humidity. You mentioned turning the lights on at bud-break last year. I was curious if you're doing the same this year?

Yes, I normally reserve the lighting except for ambient room light, until leaves begin to emerge. Typically roots should be observable emerging from the bottom of small pots within six to eight weeks! That is, if individual cuttings are placed in 2 inch pots for propagation. Progress is going to be variable in every set up. Lots of variation just within the thickness of the cutting.

 

[R3x]

I am trying this as well. However my cuttings have lots of flower buds that have swelled a bit over the time in the fridge. Should I keep them or remove them? If remove, now or before planting them?

 

[River's Edge]

I am trying this as well. However my cuttings have lots of flower buds that have swelled a bit over the time in the fridge. Should I keep them or remove them? If remove, now or before planting them?

I remove the flower buds when I can safely do so without risking damage to the leaf buds that emerge just below the flower buds. Typically this is when planting or after planting the cutting. Simply on the basis that it may save a minuscule amount of energy reserve as well as prevent additional risk of fungal development as the blooms deteriorate over time in the enclosed humidity.

 

[JoeR]

For those that have had success, how long did the callous take? Someone mentioned a month earlier in the thread. These have been in the fridge for a month and a week or so. Little to no signs of callous on them yet, they are all standard pink mume. If they are a cultivar I dont know it. Really hoping I didnt waste my time with these. Not a great picture but: