Best time to air layer azalea?

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My friend has a cool looking azalea (not sure what variety) that his parents want to propagate. They've tried taking cuttings but they have failed to take root. I live in zone 8b.
 

Bonsai Nut

Nuttier than your average Nut
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Azaleas are not hard to propagate from cuttings... but they have to be relatively small. It is difficult to get cuttings to throw roots if they are 3 years old or older (at the cut site). So you want to make sure the cutting is this year's growth (green) or last year's growth (brown but still flexible). Once they get thick and inflexible, it isn't as easy to propagate via cuttings.

Otherwise the best time of year is during the active growth season - spring to early summer.
 
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bonsaidave

Shohin
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Cuttings will work you just have to treat them right.

What I did was:
Started these late April 2017. Planted in straight perlite with gravel on top to hold them up and in place. No direct sun for a month or two. Then only light morning sun for the rest of spring and summer. Fall I let them get sun until early afternoon.
IMG_20170408_235654-1600x1200.jpg

One of the cuttings in January 2018. I had to chop some roots as they got crazy long.
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This is where I planted them in January 2018. I wish I would have placed the cutting in individual pots to begin with. A well, lesson learned.
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I lost only a couple due to my neglect between April and January. They spent most of 2017 in a large clear plastic tote. Holes drilled in the bottom to release water, water daily, let the top off for a couple minutes after watering for fresh air.

Cuttings do take a while to grow though. But it's fun. If you don't kill them you get some nice pre-bonsai in 10-15 years :)

Good luck next time!
 

Kendo

Mame
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Fall is best time for cutting in my area. We come to mark branch for cutting during the flowering, to get some best flower on new tree cut we use this branch. We keep the water on and not worry about the cold. If he the not rooting then he sleep and root in spring time. Hai Keep caring until this time. Hai

Now I make the about 100 cutting at first Mesuki. He got the rooting now and we will put in ground for the spring and come to make wiring at this time. Hai Hai Thank you.
 

shinmai

Chumono
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I have had success with ficus and Natal plum, which produce viable mame-sized material within a year. The idea of waiting 15 years to make pre-Bonsai reminds me of when I had a new roof put on my house. The young man asked if I wanted the shingles with the thirty year warranty or the ones with the lifetime warranty. I responded that thirty years was my lifetime.
 
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