Yoshino cherry - good for shohin?

[Tiny Tree Enthusiast]

I have a couple young-ish Yoshino cherry trees (Prunus × yedoensis) that were planted in my yard last spring and I am planning to take some hardwood cuttings sometime in the next few weeks before the buds open.

How suitable are these trees are for the shohin size class? I can't find much information about Yoshino specifically. Does anyone have insight to share about how Yoshino compares to other cherries, and/or whether these trees are suitable for smaller styles like, for example, a shohin semi-cascade?

Thanks so much!

Also, while not my main reason for posting, I would welcome any tips on Yoshino propagation from cuttings. I tried taking a semi-hardwood cutting last summer from a fresh sucker at the base of the tree (still green), but it didn't take and wilted spectacularly. I suspect that I did a few things wrong: the cutting was too long (about a foot and a half), I didn't remove any leaves from the stem, I had it in full sun, and I didn't use rooting hormone. I had stuck it into potting soil that I did a good job keeping moist. This time around, I'm trying to do it from hardwood while the weather is still cooler and the sun isn't so intense. I'll be taking cuttings that are about six or eight inches. I'm also equipped with Dip N' Grow rooting hormone. I'm planning to stick the cuttings in bonsai soil. Advice welcome!

 

[Maiden69]

I really doubt it because of the size of the leaves. I know some prunus are ok for shohin, especially when you get a chunky trunk and carve the heck out of it, but I don't think that yoshino would be one of those.

The tree in the back right is my yoshino when I bought it as a 1 gal bare root tree in Dec 2020.


In Nov 2022


Aug 2023


The internodes at the canopy this spring


I have not experimented cutting back on it yet, it is getting replanted this weekend. Maybe a small cutting that has been grow in a pot all the time will give smaller internodes? Could be worth a try... if the leaves reduce substantially as well.