Haoleboy
Mame
I took some red maple cuttings about two weeks ago. The buds were swelling and some had even leafed out on the branches. I cut the bottom at an angle, at two nodes, then took my knife and made three vertical scrapes just to the cambium layer around the base. Put them in a commercial mix that appears to be bark, sand, perlite and peat. I used a tan/Brown plastic grocery bag as a tent and a chopstick to prop it up. Some have leafed out but all seem to have roots. They are very snug in the soil. I tried pulling one out and it didn't budge (not pulling very hard obviously). I also took some Chinese Elm cuttings on the same day. They have buds and appear to be rooted as well. They were all placed in my lanai that receives about 4-5 hours of filtered light this time of year. I just checked on them last night and I was very surprised of their progress. I've never tried cuttings of maples or elms before. I was just bored one day and snatched them off of trees at the bank. The cuttings range from pencil to about 1/16" is size. I may go for larger thickness next year being these rooted so easily. Oh...and I only water them with collected rain water and only watered (very lightly) once in two weeks.
This is pretty much how I do all of my cuttings and have great success. As long as buds are just beginning to flush out, I find is the best time.
This is pretty much how I do all of my cuttings and have great success. As long as buds are just beginning to flush out, I find is the best time.
