Lazylightningny
Masterpiece
I've never propagated cuttings before. Could someone instruct me on how to propagate malus cuttings? Time of year? Media? Method? Etc.
Sorry to hear that. Bonsai is full of well-intended failures, isn't it?I did it once. Don't know what type of apple though.
Took a couple of cuttings in spring during the final days of dormancy. The branches were somewhere in between 1 and 3 years old. They were powdered with rooting powder and I put them in sphagnum in a humidity dome.
They callused pretty fast and sent out roots just after producing some foliage (6-8 weeks? Around that mark).
Then the wood lice came, they reduced the roots to zero in a couple of days and the project was over.
Oh boy, it sure is! And some of them would've been success stories, IF IT WEREN'T FOR THOSE DAMN WOODLICE!Sorry to hear that. Bonsai is full of well-intended failures, isn't it?
That’s what I thought. I’ve got some apple cutting started right when you and guy wires suggest above which still look healthy, but no roots showing yet. Same with some maples. Guess I’ll just keep waiting a while.I usually leave cuttings in the pots until roots appear at the bottom. That means there is roots, not just random shoots on top and also allows the roots to gain some strength before you start knocking them around with repotting.
Occasionally when it seems to be taking far too long I'll carefully knock the whole mass out on the other hand and gently slip the pot off to check around the edge of the cutting mix. If I do this carefully enough the whole thing stays together like a sand castle and the pot an be carefully slipped back into place and returned right side up and back on the propagating bed again.
Best not to be tipping them out just to check because new roots are really brittle and can just drop off really easy. Be patient and wait for roots to appear.
Do you change the water often or put any hormone in it or anything? I’m going to try a few things.That's the advantage of starting it in water. Wait until you see strong roots.
I thought about doing this.That's the advantage of starting it in water. Wait until you see strong roots.
I saw a youtube experiment where a guy took cuttings from the same parent plant and put them in 4 glasses: one with plain tap water, tap water plus rooting hormone, plain hydroponic solution, and hydroponic solution plus rooting hormone. He checked results after 9 days. The two with the rooting hormone grew zero roots. The plain hydroponic solution grew weak roots. The one in regular tap water grew strong roots. We don't know what his variables were in this experiment, and it was only one plant in each category, but the results were clear.Do you change the water often or put any hormone in it or anything? I’m going to try a few things.
Good to know. I saw @Leo in N E Illinois mention about putting willow stems in the water releases hormones which aids in root growth sometimes. As long as you change the willow stems when they start to root themselves. I keep meaning to give it a try.I thought about doing this.
I saw a youtube experiment where a guy took cuttings from the same parent plant and put them in 4 glasses: one with plain tap water, tap water plus rooting hormone, plain hydroponic solution, and hydroponic solution plus rooting hormone. He checked results after 9 days. The two with the rooting hormone grew zero roots. The plain hydroponic solution grew weak roots. The one in regular tap water grew strong roots. We don't know what his variables were in this experiment, and it was only one plant in each category, but the results were clear.
There's someone here who keeps one of his bonsai in his pond, thus dispelling the myth about roots standing in water getting root rot. I think it's more that the standing water in a pot becomes oxygen depleted and contributes to anaerobic respiration, creating alcohol, and killing the roots. The water itself won't do this. That supports changing the water on a regular basis, as oxygen will dissipate from the water in a glass.Good to know. I saw @Leo in N E Illinois mention about putting willow stems in the water releases hormones which aids in root growth sometimes. As long as you change the willow stems when they start to root themselves. I keep meaning to give it a try.
Hmm, I may go buy something at Home Depot and give it a try.That certainly is an interesting theory. I wonder if it has any scientific credence. As in, has there been any extensive research into the idea? By that extension, I wonder what would happen if you bare rooted a plant and kept it in a bowl of water, changing it daily.
Yay science! Sounds like fun, but I’m sure one of the lab techs will put us right.Hmm, I may go buy something at Home Depot and give it a try.
Plain water. I've used water to root shimpaku, and of course ficus. Change the water if it gets too much algae.Do you change the water often or put any hormone in it or anything? I’m going to try a few things.