Sprouts on cuttings are turning brown and later withered

[brp7]

Hello,

I planted some royal poinciana cuttings for bonsai and some sprouts (maximum two on each cutting} came after 6 days. After 24 days, the sprouts have stunted growth, have turned brownish, and look as if they might wither away.

I water it two times a day and the water drains within 15 minutes. There is enough sunlight for them.

Any ideas are welcome.

Thanks
brp7

 

[Shibui]

Fresh shoots does not always mean roots. The cuttings use stored energy in the stems to produce new shoots and look good but if they have not made any roots below the shoots will wither and die.
The soil you have these cuttings in does not look like great propagating mix.

 

[brp7]

Thanks for your suggestion. Yea, I am sure there would be no roots if I pull it now. Would the soil be okay if I use a mix of 25% Perlite + brick pieces, 25% vermicompost, and 50% soil from my yard? or do we need a little more aeration by adding some gravel?

 

[MaciekA]

Just use 100% perlite and leave all of the other mentioned components out of all bonsai activities forever.

 

[brp7]

Thanks for your answer. Greatly appreciated!

So that would be okay for the plant in terms of nutrients? I was under the impression that Perlite (like brick) is treated over high heat and was wondering how it could provide all the nutrients.

Just use 100% perlite and leave all of the other mentioned components out of all bonsai activities forever.Thanks for your

 

[Shibui]

Some tough customers will root in garden soil but aeration seems to be key to propagating more difficult species as cuttings.
The whole point with cuttings is to have minimal disease and minimal nutrients in the soil. Plants can get new roots started using food and energy stored in the stems. The cut ends are easily infected or damaged by high nutrient levels so we tend to avoid garden soil or composts which are teeming with pests and diseases. Time to add nutrients after they grow new roots.
Older mixes were usually coarse sand for aeration with peat for moisture retention.
Modern mixes tend to use perlite for the aeration part and some coir for moisture. If you can provide enough moisture consistently then straight perlite is OK. Different people use whatever works for them in their conditions. Just don't try having pots of perlite in windy areas. It is so light they keep blowing away.
The perlite and brick might be OK as a propagating medium but depends on how you can keep moisture levels consistent. Add some coir if it dries out too quick.
Propagating mix should be available in bags at your plant nursery to make it really simple.

 

[MaciekA]

What @Shibui said. Keep cuttings moist but airy and avoid complications for root formation or water uptake that stem from adding fertilizer— worry about that stuff much later.

 

[ShadyStump]

Something not mentioned yet is humidity.
With no roots yet, your cuttings will be susceptible to drying out quickly. An easy enough fix. It could be something simple, like cutting the bottom off a plastic bottle and removing the cap, then placing the bottle over the cuttings like a tiny greenhouse. Or just a plastic storage bag set over them.

 

[brp7]

Something not mentioned yet is humidity.
With no roots yet, your cuttings will be susceptible to drying out quickly. An easy enough fix. It could be something simple, like cutting the bottom off a plastic bottle and removing the cap, then placing the bottle over the cuttings like a tiny greenhouse. Or just a plastic storage bag set over them.

When you cover it with a plastic bag, would it make any hindrance to sunlight needed for the cutting?
Thanks!

 

[brp7]

Some tough customers will root in garden soil but aeration seems to be key to propagating more difficult species as cuttings.
The whole point with cuttings is to have minimal disease and minimal nutrients in the soil. Plants can get new roots started using food and energy stored in the stems. The cut ends are easily infected or damaged by high nutrient levels so we tend to avoid garden soil or composts which are teeming with pests and diseases. Time to add nutrients after they grow new roots.
Older mixes were usually coarse sand for aeration with peat for moisture retention.
Modern mixes tend to use perlite for the aeration part and some coir for moisture. If you can provide enough moisture consistently then straight perlite is OK. Different people use whatever works for them in their conditions. Just don't try having pots of perlite in windy areas. It is so light they keep blowing away.
The perlite and brick might be OK as a propagating medium but depends on how you can keep moisture levels consistent. Add some coir if it dries out too quick.
Propagating mix should be available in bags at your plant nursery to make it really simple.

when you say coir, do you mean cocopeat? Thanks.

 

[ShadyStump]

When you cover it with a plastic bag, would it make any hindrance to sunlight needed for the cutting?
Thanks!

You would use clear plastic ideally, and then it shouldn't. You also want to keep them out of direct sun until you know they've struck.

Coco coir is the ground husks of coconuts. I believe coco peat is the same stuff that's partially decomposed, similar to sphagnum peat is sphagnum moss that's been decomposed. There's nothing I've seen sold here in the States as coco peat, just coir.

 

[queenofsheba52]

I am by no means a cutting expert, but I have the best luck by keeping my cutting tray in 100% shade.

 

[Shibui]

when you say coir, do you mean cocopeat? Thanks.

That's the stuff indeed.
Moss peat used to be the ingredients but as that seems to be a finite resource that takes many hundreds of years to form cocopeat has taken over as a much more environment friendly alternative.
As mentioned, different growers have success with different ratios of cocopeat, others use none and still get good results.

I have the best luck by keeping my cutting tray in 100% shade.

Shade can be OK but cuttings still need some light so the leaves will produce food to fuel root growth. The trick is getting the correct balance of light and not drying out the cuttings. Again the balance will differ in different places and with different setups.

Take note of the humidity comment above. Maintaining humidity around cuttings is paramount to allow leaves to function while not dehydrating the stem. There are lots of different ways to keep high humidity around your cuttings depending how many you have and what sort of setup you can provide.