Leaves on J. Quince cutting drying up

[Mycin]

So I took a cutting from a ~30 year old Japanese quince in September. I kept it in a Tupperware under lighting to keep humidity high. It did well, and after two months I took it out of the Tupperware to see if it had rooted. Well, the borders of the leaves started to brown up so I figured it wasn’t ready and put it back in.

I repotted it last week and found a well established, slightly root bound root ball, and repotted into coco coir/perlite. Since then, the browning has progressed.

I’ve kept up on the watering and the roots were well established so I don’t think it’s that. Could this be seasonal leaf drop?

Is there something wrong that I need to fix? Or is this just the normal life cycle of a deciduous tree?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

How fast did you transition it from high humidity to ambient room humidity?
A fast transition can cause the foliage to shrivel.

Shouldn't be much of an issue on the long run; when new foliage starts growing it'll adapt to the current conditions.

 

[Mycin]

Well, initially i made the switch to room humidity with no transition but returned it to the container after I noticed the wilting.

This second time I transitioned it by keeping it in the container with the lid ajar for three days, before removing it completely.

Being a deciduous species, does it need to be placed in the refrigerator for dormancy? Or will the cutting survive one winter season indoors?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

One winter indoors is usually fine. Quince is pretty much indestructable, I took cuttings a year ago and kept them outside in the freezing cold. They rooted just fine in spring.

 

[Mycin]

Well it’s definitely not dead as little buds started popping out. Glad this one seems to be pulling through!!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Loosing leaves in winter is nothing to worry about.

I have had good luck taking cuttings of flowering quince, Chaenomeles, in late autumn, or middle of winter. Just stuck them in peat moss. Left the pot of peat with the cuttings sit outside for the winter. Had one or two tiny leaves open in spring, then middle of summer had a nice push of new stems and leaves, a sign that roots had formed.

Taking hardwood cuttings in winter is not a bad way to go. It works for many species. In our climate - zone 6 & zone 5, cuttings taken after Feb 15 will have had enough chill to sprout fairly quickly after being brought indoors and put under lights.

Generally winter cuttings will only open as many leaves as the roots, or the lack of roots can support. So initially you will get just a few leaves, then as roots develop, there will be more growth. Often roots don't come until middle of summer.

 

[Mycin]

Just wanted to be sure it wasn't a fungus or something like that. The way the brown came on in spots had me nervous!

I've been experimenting with cuttings kept in a sealed colorless containers under lights. I got the idea from @leatherback who uses plastic bags and natural light, I believe. Between the constant light and high humidity, I'm having great results. This cutting had encircling roots in a 2" pot after three months!

Thanks for the hardwood cutting tips .. gonna mark my calendar

 

[Mycin]

These are some ficus cuttings I took January 2nd and kept in a closed container. I know these root easily but still - I’m blown away