Japanese Flowering Quince cuttings in training.

[cmeg1]

A week later, these cuttings are still green even though it is really hot and dry in my area. It is a good sign. I open the lid when the misty system is on for 2 purposes:
1- Let the mist come inside to resupply the needed humidity.
2- To refresh the stagnant air inside the container.
I hope it makes sense.

View attachment 206722

The misty head is in action
View attachment 206723

Thụ Thoại

Good luck with your cuttings!

 

[bonhe]

Excess oxygen = stagnant?

Good question. I really don’t know what’s the oxygen status inside the container. In the new cutting, the photosynthesis is supposed to be stop completely to reserve the little water resource. I wish I could test the oxygen concentration inside the container!
I mean stagnant air here is very minimum air movement inside the container if I don’t open the lid.
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[bonhe]

Good luck with your cuttings!

Thank you.
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[0soyoung]

Good question. I really don’t know what’s the oxygen status inside the container. In the new cutting, the photosynthesis is supposed to be stop completely to reserve the little water resource. I wish I could test the oxygen concentration inside the container!
I mean stagnant air here is very minimum air movement inside the container if I don’t open the lid.
Thụ Thoại

Transpiration isn't necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis reduces water to release oxygen and consumes carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates. Transpiration moves mineral nutrients up the tree from the roots. One wants minimal transpiration because a cutting hasn't any roots.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

I think the humidity is the most importance! The season is also a factor. With hard wood cutting, the spring time is the best.
Thụ Thoại

I have humidity on my side, so flowering quince cuttings now is a piece of cake ?

 

[bonhe]

Transpiration isn't necessary for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis reduces water to release oxygen and consumes carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates. Transpiration moves mineral nutrients up the tree from the roots. One wants minimal transpiration because a cutting hasn't any roots.

?. I know all the facts you wrote except the transpiration actually is needed for phốtynthesis. Tránpiratuon brings up the water from the soil to the leaves for photosynthesis!
Due to the fact the cutting has no root, there is a hormone related suppression for photosynthesis to avoid dehydration.
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[bonhe]

I have humidity on my side, so flowering quince cuttings now is a piece of cake ?

Excellent.
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[0soyoung]

?. I know all the facts you wrote except the transpiration actually is needed for phốtynthesis. Tránpiratuon brings up the water from the soil to the leaves for photosynthesis!
Due to the fact the cutting has no root, there is a hormone related suppression for photosynthesis to avoid dehydration.
Thụ Thoại

Water is at the leaves because of capillary action. Take away a molecule for photosynthesis increases the tension in the meniscus which is transmitted through the whole column of water in the xylem lumens. If there was a source of water at the other end (roots), a molecule of water could be added to reduce the tension. Another molecule of water consumed by photosynthesis would further increase the tension. Eventually this tension becomes so high that the water can no longer be maintained at the height of the leaves and the meniscus recedes below the leaves --> cutting fails. Having at 100% rH (or nearly so) assures that additional molecules of water are not lost to the ambient.

... for your consideration.

 

[MichaelS]

Water is at the leaves because of capillary action. Take away a molecule for photosynthesis increases the tension in the meniscus which is transmitted through the whole column of water in the xylem lumens. If there was a source of water at the other end (roots), a molecule of water could be added to reduce the tension. Another molecule of water consumed by photosynthesis would further increase the tension. Eventually this tension becomes so high that the water can no longer be maintained at the height of the leaves and the meniscus recedes below the leaves --> cutting fails. Having 100% rH assures that additional molecules of water are not lost to the ambient. This, IMHO, is the point of the humidity 'tent'.

Don't forget that cuttings take up water through their cut ends as well as leaves. Increased humidity is used to help balance what is taken up and what is lost because the cut end is not as efficient as roots, but it's not always needed.

 

[0soyoung]

Don't forget that cuttings take up water through their cut ends as well as leaves. Increased humidity is used to help balance what is taken up and what is lost because the cut end is not as efficient as roots, but it's not always needed.

That is a good point, but like cut flowers, the xylem at the cut gets plugged within a couple of weeks.

 

[bonhe]

Water is one of the most important factors for the living subjects in the world. In the plant, stomata is the main organ which has the survival (to keep the water balance) and productivity (in photosynthesis and respiration) roles.
Stomata regulate gas exchange water vapor and carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange between the plant and atmosphere. Its opening will let CO2 get in from the air and let water vapor escapes from the plant. It means it control photosynthesis and water balance of the tree. This balance is most important in dry, hot and high level condition.
Stomata control transpiration which is movement of liquid water into the tree from the soil via the roots, through the xylem up to the leaves, and out of the plant via stomata. Adhesive characteristics create the capillarity, which allow the water to rise up against the gravity force.
Which factors can affect transpiration?

• Water availability of soil
• The area of leaves and/or stems
• Boundary layer (the stagnant air right next to the leave and stem surface).
• Air humidity
• Light
• Hormones: abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene.

Transpiration is increased if the light, temperature and wind are increasing. Transpiration is decreasing when air humidity, boundary layer, ABA or ethylene are increasing. ABA is a stress signal that induces stomatal closure in response to drought. ABA is produced in terminal buds and roots. Ethylene is produced by intrinsic factors or injury, stress.
What happens with the cutting?
Unrooted stem cutting is facing a severe water shortage due to loss of water supply from the root. The stomata will have a big role in the cutting survival. Prior to root initiation at the stem base, the cutting is switched into survival mode, not in productivity mode. The cutting is trying to survive by keeping its tissue from loss of water turgor. The tree dies fast if it does not have enough water in its tissue. Its stomatal conductance (means photosynthesis and transpiration) is deeply declined and gradually recovered after the root initiation. The cutting is going through 3 phases: fresh cutting, callused cutting and rooted cutting. The freshly cutting is a critical period for the cutting because the severe dehydration can happen.
With the fresh cutting, due to the vacuum effect produced by stomatal conductance, the air might be sucked into the xylem through the basal stem surface. This air amount may cause air embolism. It is almost similar to the air embolism or fat embolism in the human. This air embolism may cause the blockage of water conduction and cause severe dehydration which leads to the death of cutting.
How to avoid that? One should put the cutting right into the water or dip the basal stem end into the melt candle wax.
However, xylem embolism may be due to micro-organism, or other vessel plugging materials such as resin and latex produced from the wounds of some plant species. (Burdett, 1970, Parups and Molnar, 1972)
In the cutting, water availability is an important factor for activating root development. The cutting has to maintain a favorable water status during the root development, otherwise it will die.
Here are some more tricks:

• Best time of the day to make cutting is early morning (because plants have more moisture)
• Cover with plastic bag or place on a mist bench in a warm area away from direct sunlight.

By the way, I am planning to do an experiment with hydrogen peroxide for cutting in the near future.

*Reference:

1. Unrooted stem cutting physiology, water use and leaf gas exchange of severed stem cuttings. Peter Alem. 2010
2. Compound stress response in stomatal closure: a mathematical model of ABA and ethylene interaction in guard cells. Mariano Beguerisse-Dıaz, MercedesC Hernández-Gómez, AlessandroM Lizzul, Mauricio Barahona and Radhika Desikan. BMC System Biology 20126:146
3. Other sources from internet.

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[my nellie]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing with us, Thụ Thoại.

 

[bonhe]

Very interesting. Thank you for sharing with us, Thụ Thoại.

]
Anytime, my nellie
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[bonhe]

I think the neighbor cat jumped on this container!!! Its lid came down and pressed on the cutting down. Few of them have the lower end out of the soil completely. However, I am able to see its rooting out


It is almost 5 weeks old cutting. I believe the succeed rate will be 100 %


Some have new leaves.



Because the lid is too low for the cutting, I have to use 2 wire to lift the lid up. I hope the cat will not jump in any more


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[bonhe]

One of my friends just gifted me 2 kinds of Chojubai: white and salmon flowers.
The salmon one already let me enjoy it’s flower ?


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[bonhe]

White Chojubai is blooming this afternoon.


And red Chojubai , too.


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[bonhe]

Red Chojubai is still having scattered flower at this time of the year. My pink and white Chojubai are having a lot of flower buds at this time!!!


All of red flowers are deformed at this time!.


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[bonhe]

It is interesting that these white and pink Chojubai have a lot of flowers at this time !
I also noticed that they have horizontal branch development! !!


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[bonhe]

The white Chojubai continues blooming profusely at this time ?

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[bonhe]

The Unryu quince is having flower buds at this time. This quince has flower almost 2 months prior to Nichi- Getsu Sei- quince. I let it grow freely to get some cuttings in 2009.

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