Shimpaku reforestation project 2015

[Eric Group]

Since I began bonsai and started paying attention to such things, I have been constantly disappointed by the complete and utter lack of decent Shimpaku growing in the forests around South Carolina! Went for a visit to my friend John G's place this morning, and he must have been thinking the same thing as we made a few plans to take some cuttings from some of his trees- started with a few Koto Hime Japanese Maples (I turned the branches I took into only about 30 or so probably)

and while I was doing that, he went to work "getting me a few Shimpaku cuttings". This few turned out to be a shopping back stuffed with large chunks of shimpaku! Since I am not a whole sale producer of small bulb pots and Perlite (my normal rooting medium), I decided it was time to use the rim of a large plastic pot I saved... to produce a small raised bed. Having heard stories from a recent customer of mine at the bank about how he produced over 1,000 Juniper cuttings when he was younger by just sticking them in the ground, I figured this was a great time to try it myself. Not quite a thousand... but well over 50 I'd say! Should be enough to repopulate the forests around my state with some decent Juniper right? no? Ohh well.. I guess I will just have to make my own army of mini-trees then, right?
here are a few of the koto hime cuttings:

 

[JoeR]

I guess that my cue to take some koto hime cuttings too huh? Your climate is very similar.

I have some perlite to use.

So do I use a dome? How often to mist? What are the light requirements? You told me before but I didn't have the perlite yet or something.

Thanks

Joe

 

[Eric Group]

I guess that my cue to take some koto hime cuttings too huh? Your climate is very similar.

I have some perlite to use.

So do I use a dome? How often to mist? What are the light requirements? You told me before but I didn't have the perlite yet or something.

Thanks

Joe

Well... I don't use a dome, or mist on a schedule, or give bottom heat... I just keep them in a spot that gets partial shade and is right on the edge of the range for my garden sprinkler... Which is kind of close to misting on a schedule I guess. Maples are generally around 50% success rate or a little lower for me. Azalea, Shimpaku, Firethorn, Crepe Myrtle, Elm... Seem closer to 75%+ success rate... I tried a dome on a few last year but it just seemed to get too hot too fast.

Koto Hime is supposed to be the easiest of the JM to root... I expect a high success rate with these!

One thing you might try- if you add a little sphagnum moss to the top of the Pearlite it helps keep it from drying out. All depends on how often you water. Hey man, if you have a misting system, go for it!

 

[JoeR]

Well... I don't use a dome, or mist on a schedule, or give bottom heat... I just keep them in a spot that gets partial shade and is right on the edge of the range for my garden sprinkler... Which is kind of close to misting on a schedule I guess. Maples are generally around 50% success rate or a little lower for me. Azalea, Shimpaku, Firethorn, Crepe Myrtle, Elm... Seem closer to 75%+ success rate... I tried a dome on a few last year but it just seemed to get too hot too fast.

Koto Hime is supposed to be the easiest of the JM to root... I expect a high success rate with these!

One thing you might try- if you add a little sphagnum moss to the top of the Pearlite it helps keep it from drying out. All depends on how often you water. Hey man, if you have a misting system, go for it!

So as far as Sun, treat it almost like the plant it came from?

Only 50% or less? Expected it to be higher.

I'm home all week on spring break so I can check my cuttings often and mist them when I'm not shopping or camping or whatever.

I am worried about them drying out so I will use moss.

 

[sorce]

So as far as Sun, treat it almost like the plant it came from?

Only 50% or less? Expected it to be higher.

I'm home all week on spring break so I can check my cuttings often and mist them when I'm not shopping or camping or whatever.

I am worried about them drying out so I will use moss.

If you are worried about them drying out you could throw some peat in.
I had mad success at almost 50/50 perlite/peat.

Sorce

 

[drew33998]

I have had success watering them very well in a container with many holes, filled with play sand. Place them in a white trash bag and before you close it water them well again. Close the bag and place in shade. I haven't tried this method with junipers though. I heard the ideal time to strike cuttings is in the winter when they are dormant. Given that they don't freeze.

 

[JoeR]

I have had success watering them very well in a container with many holes, filled with play sand. Place them in a white trash bag and before you close it water them well again. Close the bag and place in shade. I haven't tried this method with junipers though. I heard the ideal time to strike cuttings is in the winter when they are dormant. Given that they don't freeze.

So you've done this with kotohime or just maples? I am trying both of the methods mentioned today. Can I place the bag under my bench?

 

[drew33998]

I haven't done this with kotohime so I can't tell you what the success rate will be for that variety, only standard jap green maple, Acer Palmatum "Glowing Embers", Crabapple, Water Elm, and Red Jap Maple seedling host that no cuttings took(air layers also didn't work out). The water elms didn't make it as I believe they got too cold during a freeze we had. Currently I have 10 more elm cuttings in this method and I plan on taking tridents, maybe Acer Palmatum Shishigashira, Chinese Quince, Japanese Quince, Yatsabusa Chinese elm (If I get enough new growth this year on the host), crabapple. They will all be under the shade of a large oak tree I have. Also will be air layering most of the plants just mentioned. The biggest concern is keeping the leaves from drying out. If you have a misting system or something that can mist it frequently, several times an hour, then you can put them under shade cloth. I do not have the luxury of using one so I use this method. Direct sun of the leaves of a cutting will kill it, unless the leaves are constantly moist.

 

[Paradox]

You do realize that there are no good shimpaku growing in SC because they are not native to the U.S.??

Were you really joking and the translation got lost in the text?
Wouldnt be the first time.

 

[Eric Group]

You do realize that there are no good shimpaku growing in SC because they are not native to the U.S.??

Were you really joking and the translation got lost in the text?
Wouldnt be the first time.

Ummm yeah... That part was a joke...

 

[Eric Group]

Well, the Shimpaku are doing great! The Maples... Not as great.. Probably 75% or so of the Shimps are green with bright green growing tips.. A small percentage have gone brown.

The Kotohime... All lost their leaves, a couple leafed back out and looked like they we re going to make it only to lose their leaves again! They mostly look dead now. I have a few that are doing fine- the ones I out in pots, perlite and babied like I do all my cuttings are the ones that died. The ones I just stuck in the dirt in a grow bed next to the a Shimpaku cuttings - maybe 4-5 small ones- never dropped a leaf, not even the new growth and seem to be surviving Like nothing happened! All the other maples I stuck in that grow bed this season seem to have croaked but those little Kotohime might just make it!

I cannot wait until next year to dig up a few of these Shimpaku and twist them into insane little shapes. My plan is to corkscrew the Hell out of some, twist a couple together and stick most of them right back into the ground to get fat and gnarly looking!

 

[Eric Group]

The Shimpaku seem to have taken the exact opposite route.. The Maples in perlite in little pots all seemed to die, the small ones I stuck haphazardly in the ground and ignored- doing fine. The Shimpaku I put in perlite and babied- roots insanity! The ones I put in The ground? Not so much... Most are still green, but I even checked one today, and there were no roots- Not a good sign! Funny how different the two trees are reacting to the same exact treatments... A pic of one of the perlite Shimpaku:

 

[Eric Group]

I am just in free plant heaven right now! I was starting to think I had failed this year... As of yesterday because of a cross sampling of a few plants I checked, I just knew that most all of the MASSIVE number of JM cuttings I took this year were crapping out and not rooting. NOT TRUE! Checked a few today... One that has good movement and about a half inch diameter- roots, but only on one side so far. So, I checked another one of a comparable girth next to it that seemed to be growing, and the entire pot was Full- roots that had already hardened off! Then, I lifted up the pot of the biggest cutting I took this season- probably 2- 2 1/2 inches across at the widest part- roots were coming out the bottom of the pot already! The successful ones seem to be more of the "regular" green Japanese maple variety.. Specifically taken from the large one I dug early this year.. The Koto Hime I got from John... I only found one in perlite still going. Two or three in the ground look to be ok.

Then.. I had decided- because of checking ONE CUTTING- that the large Shimpaku cuttings I planted in a raised grow bed to root were not taking and I had wasted a bunch of good branches by trying to save space. Again, NOT TRUE! The one I pulled today had a perfectly formed root base! A little mass of roots that fits perfectly into a little bulb pot came up with it! This is easily the largest Shimpaku I think I have rooted, and it is one of the smaller ones from this group That was showing some moving growth tips... I think the rest in that batch are rooted and will do fine.

So, all told I have dozens of JM hardwood cuttings, and dozens of Shimpaku sprouting roots all over my garden right now! I know nobody else will be as excited as I am, but This for me is where I can easily track the time it rooks for roots to develop, so I can use these posts as my little plant log to keep notes on what worked and how long it took! Keep on growing everybody- I know I will!

 

[M. Frary]

How large of a shimpaku cuttings Eric?

 

[Eric Group]

How large of a shimpaku cuttings Eric?

Most are around 6-10 inches tall... "Whips" is how I would describe them as the branches aren't super thick, but much bigger than the little pieces of a branch I was rooting last year. Should be great for twisting up into crazy shapes once they are rooted and well established in new pots!

I took some pics, but they are on my PC and the site we as glitchy as Hell for me last night when I was on the laptop- keeps telling me I am not logged in, makes me log in again then tells me I am not logged in again!?!? It doesn't do that on my iPad...

 

[M. Frary]

Diameter wise Eric. How fat were they. I have one that I'm tearing into this weekend and was wondering how fat of a branch I could get to root.
They will be coming off of this thing.

 

[Eric Group]

Mike, if you are removing a branch any way, I say GO FOR IT! Most of mine are smaller diameter wise- 1/8th of an inch maybe... But Shimps are easy to root! I am hitting on about 75% success rate when using perlite it seems! a little lower in the "ground" (made a raised bed just to root cuttings...)

I know air layers can be successful a s well, so if you see a big branch you really want to turn into a new tree, do a layer- bet you get roots in a couple months!

 

[Eric Group]

Nice piece of stock BTW!

 

[armetisius]

Eric,
Is this the first year you have grown cuttings?
Ain't it a rush? Always love to take a look around
and know that there are so many new living things
that just would not have existed had I not taken
the effort. Just don't get disappointed the first
time a batch doesn't go like you wanted--happens
to all of us--good growing to you.

 

[AboveBeyond]

Nice Eric! I just started a handful of JMs last week. I failed miserally last year (I think I started too late because I took the cuttings in around July). Seeing that Shimpaku root easily, I'll try some too.