Little Juniper that won't root.

[milkmanv1]

Ok guys, so I figured I might as well sign up, and post here to ask the question that since the other day has been burning me.

In march I took (or I should say pilfered) a small softwood cutting off a home depot chinese juniper. It was just a spur of the moment attempt at starting bonsai. (since then I've been to a bonsai nursery and paid for everything, so no criticism please haha)

Anyway, over these past few months the softwood green stem has turned brown and become semi-hardwood I guess I'd call it. I misted the plant atleast once or twice a day for the first few months I had it, and just recently brought it outside because it's been so humid. In the week or two it's been outside It seems as if one piece closer to the base of the cutting has snapped up towards the sun.

I was repotting a schflerra a few days ago, and I figured I should check the roots of the juniper to see if there was any progress....well there were absolutely no roots at all. I'm a little disappointed, but not without hope!

I basically came here to ask if the little guy has any hope for survival. It's been a few months since I took the cutting, and It's been in regular potting soil the whole time with no activity, the softwood has turned into semi-hardwood of the main trunk/branch, but all the needles (except for the ones I pruned away) are still green and healthy which is why I still want to believe that it could be saved. My best guess as what to do to save this cutting would be to take the little piece that seems to be responding to the sun, cut it off and stick it into a better soil mix (perlite and sand)

But I'm here for advice, let me know if this cutting is dead and should be thrown away or if I could still save it.

Now for some pictures so you guys know what I'm talking about:
This is one of the cutting as a whole


and here is the little piece that has snapped upwards towards the sun

 

[tmmason10]

If you've taken it out and looked at it, I doubt that it will root. Plus, Im not sure going around taking cuttings of other people's plants or stores merchandise is recommended. You can easily find a small shimpaku at any nursery that you should start with.

 

[milkmanv1]

Like I said I know thats not exactly the most admirable course of action, but it's not like I hurt the plant, and it was a home depot, not a local bonsai nursery who actually puts a lot of time and effort into their plants.

Regardless I kinda know by now that if the original cutting hasn't rooted it's trash, but I'm just wondering if I took some cuttings of the cutting, and propagated them in something with a cover to give high humidity, if that would work?

 

[Martin Sweeney]

milkman,

Cuttings off the cutting are less likely to root than the original cutting. I would look to put the cutting in perlite or perlite and sand, maybe hit it with a little rooting hormone. Other than that, leave it alone.

Do you know what variety it is? It might not even be worth the effort.

Regards,
Martin

 

[milkmanv1]

Common chinese juniper, Juniperus Chinensus.

I had rooting hormone on it previously, but like I said no roots. So I guess the last ditch effort would be to throw it in some perlite and sand, with one last dose of rootone and let it sit for the rest of the summer to see if there is any hope?

 

[october]

If you lifted it out or disturbed the soil/roots. If it was going to live, you may have decreased it's chances.

I am curious what you want to do with this. If you are planning on this little cutting becoming a bonsai, this is going to be a minimum of about 10 years.

Rob

 

[Nybonsai12]

Milkman, your cutting is dead. Next time buy the whole juniper.

 

[Vance Wood]

For future reference: Hardwood cuttings of Junipers can take up to two years to root using a rooting hormone. If all of this stuff is foreign to you cutting culture is not the way to start. Of course you have already found out how people feel about someone taking something off a tree or the whole bloody tree, this is a particularly sensitive subject in the bonsai community.

 

[susieq14114]

juniper cuttings

I used to make cuttings of junipers all the time....some green stem and some more woody stemmed. Prepare a container of good rooting medium with mostly pearlite and a very small amount of dirt... take your cutting and dip the end into rooting powder/hormone and push the end well into the rooting medium. I then would take a wide mouthed glass jar and put it upside down over the cutting, pushing the edge of the jar mouth into the soil slightly. Keep it moist but not soaked. A spot with filtered sun but mostly shade always worked for me.

I finally was doing so many cuttings of all types, that I graduated into several nursery flats full of rooting medium and ten gallon aquariums tipped upside down over them. Cheap finds at yard sales.

Now...having said all this, I don't know how old you are but when you try to grow bonsai from cuttings, it's going to take a while. I did have one San Jose' juniper that I had started from a cutting 35 years ago and it was awesome at age 30. I was young and stupid back then. When you are young, you think you have all the time in the world. Even starting with a nice piece of nursery stock that has a developed trunk, you are talking a minimum of 5 years work before you have anything resembling a decent bonsai. I'm in my 60s now. I want to have something to show for my effort. Always on the lookout for a nursery plant with potential, even an air layer for that perfect little formation at the top of an otherwise limited plant..... and rooting that may take a couple of years.

 

[fore]

For future reference: Hardwood cuttings of Junipers can take up to two years to root using a rooting hormone. If all of this stuff is foreign to you cutting culture is not the way to start. Of course you have already found out how people feel about someone taking something off a tree or the whole bloody tree, this is a particularly sensitive subject in the bonsai community.

Vance, do you have to have the cuttings under a dome for incr. humidity, or can you get by placing in filtered sun and freq. misting? Thanks.

 

[Vance Wood]

Vance, do you have to have the cuttings under a dome for incr. humidity, or can you get by placing in filtered sun and freq. misting? Thanks.

I just keep my cuttings out doors with everything else. If they root that's good, I don't do this professionally to the point my life depends on it so it is not such a special efforts I go through.

 

[Ris]

Junipers do take some time to root, I had set 1little cutting in a pot and after months when curiosity got the best of me went poking into the soil. It did root but the roots was very fine more like hair and yes I did pull to closer investigate, but after seeing how it works(first try at rooting) I set up like 40 cuttings mostly hinoki cypress. Out of all those I got just 1 and its been about 2years now and it's still alive. As for your cutting am not sure if you had roots that went unseen but next time if it looks green it's alive but don't bug it till its actively growing out.

 

[Vance Wood]

Ok guys, so I figured I might as well sign up, and post here to ask the question that since the other day has been burning me.

In march I took (or I should say pilfered) a small softwood cutting off a home depot chinese juniper. It was just a spur of the moment attempt at starting bonsai. (since then I've been to a bonsai nursery and paid for everything, so no criticism please haha)

Anyway, over these past few months the softwood green stem has turned brown and become semi-hardwood I guess I'd call it. I misted the plant atleast once or twice a day for the first few months I had it, and just recently brought it outside because it's been so humid. In the week or two it's been outside It seems as if one piece closer to the base of the cutting has snapped up towards the sun.

I was repotting a schflerra a few days ago, and I figured I should check the roots of the juniper to see if there was any progress....well there were absolutely no roots at all. I'm a little disappointed, but not without hope!

I basically came here to ask if the little guy has any hope for survival. It's been a few months since I took the cutting, and It's been in regular potting soil the whole time with no activity, the softwood has turned into semi-hardwood of the main trunk/branch, but all the needles (except for the ones I pruned away) are still green and healthy which is why I still want to believe that it could be saved. My best guess as what to do to save this cutting would be to take the little piece that seems to be responding to the sun, cut it off and stick it into a better soil mix (perlite and sand)

But I'm here for advice, let me know if this cutting is dead and should be thrown away or if I could still save it.

Now for some pictures so you guys know what I'm talking about:
This is one of the cutting as a whole
View attachment 36724

and here is the little piece that has snapped upwards towards the sun
View attachment 36725

I'm sorry I should have paid more attention to this thread in the beginning. The kind of growth that you tried to root will never root. You need really vigorous tight growing growth to have any chance of it rooting. The kind of growth I see you trying to root hear is very weak and probably undergrowth with little sun.

 

[fore]

Junipers do take some time to root, I had set 1little cutting in a pot and after months when curiosity got the best of me went poking into the soil. It did root but the roots was very fine more like hair and yes I did pull to closer investigate, but after seeing how it works(first try at rooting) I set up like 40 cuttings mostly hinoki cypress. Out of all those I got just 1 and its been about 2years now and it's still alive. As for your cutting am not sure if you had roots that went unseen but next time if it looks green it's alive but don't bug it till its actively growing out.

wow Ris, 1/40...not so good Maybe a humidity dome would improve those stats?