The Rip-Snortin’, Rootin’ Tootin’ Advice Thread!

[Leo in N E Illinois]

So... I have taken cuttings of a few species around mid-summer.. these cuttings are all JUST sprouting roots/and callousing... A few species, I winter indoors anyways, so I know what THEIR future is..

My question is regarding cuttings of cryptomeria, juniperus, lonicera, elaeagnus.. and one or two others (colder hardy) that I am forgetting..

Could I winter these New cuttings indoors? Is there a BETTER protection method?

I root cuttings of juniper by simply leaving the cuttings I take in August and September outdoors, with their source trees to weather the winter naturally. The unrooted cuttings will have roots by the following August. No effort on my part is good.

If you have unlimited space and energy to move pots around, you can protect winter hardy species, but most often the unrooted cuttings form callus over winter and actually fare quite well being wintered in the same manner as their parent plants.

Blueberries are another that stay out in the below freezing weather to develop callus over winter.

 

[leatherback]

I root cuttings of juniper by simply leaving the cuttings I take in August and September outdoors, with their source trees to weather the winter naturally. The unrooted cuttings will have roots by the following August. No effort on my part is good.

At what point do you pot them up? If I just leave them laying around, they woudl dry out. I need to pot them up after cutting.

 

[hinmo24t]

At what point do you pot them up? If I just leave them laying around, they woudl dry out. I need to pot them up after cutting.

i think he meant he sticks them in the parent plant's soil to weather the winter. i am doing this w a kousa dogwood cutting i got to root in parent plant pot

 

[leatherback]

i think he meant he sticks them in the parent plant's soil to weather the winter. i am doing this w a kousa dogwood cutting i got to root in parent plant pot

That would make more sense. And I assumed as much. But there is something about when you AssUMe..

 

[Lumaca]

When I take them out or repot and see just one big fat root, I trim back all the way to the first 2 side-roots that have developed. I find more often than not, that a year later more roots have grown. Just keepworking the roots over the years.

This is the kind of advice that a newbie (i.e. me) will never think of for fear of killing the cutting, but I guess it does make sense that the tree will attempt another direction if one root is trimmed.

 

[leatherback]

This is the kind of advice that a newbie (i.e. me) will never think of for fear of killing the cutting, but I guess it does make sense that the tree will attempt another direction if one root is trimmed.

Yeah, what you effectively do, it turn it back into a recently rooted cutting. If the contitions were good to root and stay alive before rooting, it should be able to deal with it. But.. Being gentle with roots has a whole different meaning when dealing with seedlings and cuttings. Real damage is quickly done. As such, if you are only growing one or two, and are concerned about loosing, wait a year, then do rootwork.

 

[sorce]

When I take them out or repot and see just one big fat root

I believe this can be prevented with appropriate basket/soil use.

Sorce

 

[leatherback]

I believe this can be prevented with appropriate basket/soil use.

Sorce

with cuttings?

 

[Atom#28]

Tangent:
We spend so much time working the roots, loving the roots, arranging the roots into a nice radial pattern, trimming and oohing and ahhing over our roots....Then we put them into a pot of dry, jagged rocks and jab them repeatedly with a chopstick. Am I the only one that cringes a little during the chopsticking?
I know the purpose. I know it works. But I have a theory: maybe removing air pockets in the soils is the primary benefit of chopsticking during a repot, but perhaps the roots benefit also from the micro-damage that chop sticking surely causes. Thoughts?

also: rip snorting

 

[leatherback]

chopsticking

I try not to chopstick. I fill the pot more slowly layer for layer if you will, ensuring no airpockets at that stage and vibrating the pot at the end to compact.
I think working a chopstick to get the substrate in can be rough. If I do use a chopstick it is gently rotating instead of jabbing.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I strike cuttings in their own pots, usually with the same potting media as the parent plant, or pure pumice, or pure perlite. I keep the pots of cuttings pretty much in the same places on the bench as the parent tree. Maybe a little more shade. When I winter the pots of cuttings, they go down on the ground with the parent trees. If the parent tree gets protection because it is not hardy enough for my winter the cuttings get the same. So with junipers, which are hardy in my area, I just leave them outside.

It took some adjustment in my thinking when I was new to this, to realize that cuttings might be "just fine" even if they take more than 3 weeks to produce roots. Once I realized junipers were happy taking a full year to get around to rooting I developed a lot more patience with cuttings and air layers.

 

[sorce]

@leatherback certainly from cuttings. I am 98%sure DE and an appropriate air pruning basket freezes any growth from becoming too large. Simply because the environment is too ripe for feeders.

Constant wet has been reported to aid as well, I see it true. Makes sense because there is no need to grow long and away if everything needed is present.

Once this feeder matt has been established, it's nearly impossible for a tree to break it, as there is no need. So a regular pot is then safe.

I try not to chopstick.

Amen.
I have been soiling (furnt) submerged, this settles soil around the roots well with a little shaking and some top watering.

Chopstick only where safe and necessary.

Sorce

 

[Elihatt]

I dig this holly in the middle of June and removed al foliage, cutting it down to just two or three trunks. It has since become this dense green bush. I’ve left it alone since then but it’s so dense now that inner branches and leaves are being shaded out. All my trees have started to push growth the past couple weeks and I was wondering if now would be an okay time to do some thinning just to make sure light is getting to the branches I know I’ll want to keep

 

[HorseloverFat]

I dig this holly in the middle of June and removed al foliage, cutting it down to just two or three trunks. It has since become this dense green bush. I’ve left it alone since then but it’s so dense now that inner branches and leaves are being shaded out. All my trees have started to push growth the past couple weeks and I was wondering if now would be an okay time to do some thinning just to make sure light is getting to the branches I know I’ll want to keep

Very nice.. I enjoy Ilex.. although.. have never owned one.. so can speak nothing of their growth habits...

I do know that it’s getting cold... there’s yellows, reds and oranges by me already.. I’m unfamiliar with Arkansas... how cold does it get by you?

 

[Elihatt]

Very nice.. I enjoy Ilex.. although.. have never owned one.. so can speak nothing of their growth habits...

I do know that it’s getting cold... there’s yellows, reds and oranges by me already.. I’m unfamiliar with Arkansas... how cold does it get by you?

Its zone 7b where I am, Currently bouncing between 50 at night and 80 in the day. It won’t get below freezing until November but it only crosses into freezing a couple times til December and January. Thanks for the response!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Ok! So do your trees normally go dormant? I know zone 7 is tricky like that... also I know very little of Ilex (Holly).. but I DO know that there are deciduous AND evergreen plants classifying in this species. Do you happen to know which this might be?

(Any second now someone will swoop in with some REAL direction for you.. I’m sure of it)

. Thanks for the response!

Not a problem at all, friend.

 

[Elihatt]

Ok! So do your trees normally go dormant? I know zone 7 is tricky like that... also I know very little of Ilex (Holly).. but I DO know that there are deciduous AND evergreen plants classifying in this species. Do you happen to know which this might be?

(Any second now someone will swoop in with some REAL direction for you.. I’m sure of it)





Not a problem at all, friend.

I’m fairly confident it is a yaupon holly, an evergreen according to Wikipedia. Until this year I have only had juniper and collected privet which lose many leaves but throughout winter rather than in the fall like most deciduous

 

[Jluke33]

I've got one! So, I have a blue Spruce I applied cutpaste to in anumber of spots, but the sap seems to keep seeping out. Is this normal, or do i need to remove, cut a littel deeper and reapply more generously? its the tube/more liquidy style cut paste

 

[leatherback]

I've got one! So, I have a blue Spruce I applied cutpaste to in anumber of spots, but the sap seems to keep seeping out. Is this normal, or do i need to remove, cut a littel deeper and reapply more generously? its the tube/more liquidy style cut paste

cut paste does not really stop sap from dripping; the intent is more to facilitate faster closing of the bark. Pine and picea are known for the amounts of sap they can drip, which is normal. It is the trees own cutpaste

 

[Jluke33]

cut paste does not really stop sap from dripping; the intent is more to facilitate faster closing of the bark. Pine and picea are known for the amounts of sap they can drip, which is normal. It is the trees own cutpaste

Ok great! thanks!