ShadyStump
Imperial Masterpiece
Welp, there goes another one. Made a fistful of blossoms and then dried up and died. Read in another thread that this is common with late winter cuttings. Guess I'll just go dig one up then. Learned allot, though.
Problem with many of our cuttings over the winter has been they bloom, but no leaves. Suppose I could use more practice in selecting which branches to cut. I think I keep getting the youngest tips where the new fruit would grow this season, and I need to cut further back on the branch. Not really practical to find out until fall, so shovel it is for now. Maybe some soft wood cuttings in summer.I'm not an expert in this subject, but you know me. Flowers take a lot out of the Lady. No flowers should be allowed when trying to root cuttings. Next, the cutting should be small enough to and leaf out maybe 2, 3, 4 max leaves, and therefore pretty short, too. The roots have to support the whole, and if the roots that form can't support the whole, then everything dies. The whole has to be really small. Even when a pro like @cmeg1 who starts them in his high-tec hydroponic bath with super lights and spray system, they are very small. You need to look at his postings and steal some of them good ideas.
I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks for the tip. Humidity is definitely a struggle around here. I believe I have the right location in the yard too.Last year I managed to resuscitate some trees with too few roots in a little greenhouse that kept the humidity in as things heated up in the summer. A greenhouse that gets sun only from the east would be my approach. I got a cheap cold frame thing from Amazon for about $40. It more or less lasted through the end of summer before falling apart.
That actually reminds me, Walmart had $1 tiny thermometers but they were out of stock last time I went looking.Make sure you monitor the greenhouse temperature closely. It can get hot like the inside of a car and literally cook the plants. Steamed bonsai is a little too crunchy for my taste.