Making Japanese Maple Cuttings

[mapleman77]

Hi again Ken,
I placed them on my patio ever since I stuck them. They get shade most of the day but have a little evening sun...just enough. I'll try to post some pictures of the cuttings as well as the cultivars ASAP. Thanks again for the detailed instructions that led to my first ever success!!!!!

David

EDIT: I did not really know that it had rooted at that time (it looked like it but not sure), but as of today (5/4/09) it has definitely rooted.

 

[mapleman77]

Here are some pictures. The 'Beni Hime' is the red cultivar (first pictures) and the flesh is my fingers. I think that you can get a good idea of how small the leaves are...actually, they are bigger than they were last year. The last pictures are of the cultivar 'Garyu' that I want to take cuttings off of next year. I think that y'all will like them!

David

 

[discusmike]

I know of people taking large cuttings from trident maples,has anyone had luck with large cuttings on green or red jap maples?I have a dwarf deshojo i want to take alot of cuttings from,some could be as large as a inch if possible.I'd appreciate any info.

 

[mapleman77]

Hey Everyone!

I looked at the japanese maple (species, not cultivar) cutting that I did a couple of months back via Ken's Instructions....and I had roots!!! I really didn't know if it was going to work, but that cutting had been looking good lately, so I took it out...one branching root about an inch long! I'll post some pictures to see the new plant and root system...it's just too delicate to photograph right now. But I will ASAP.

Discusmike, I've heard a lot about large trident cuttings, but I would not attempt a 1 inch 'Deshojo' cutting. JMs (opposed to tridents) are a LOT more finicky when it comes to propagation, so I'd do 1 or 2 year old growth. The cutting that just rooted was 2 year wood, matchstick thickness (not very vigorous, but it worked!!)

Cheers!
David

 

[discusmike]

Cool,glad to hear you have roots,i have a deshojo air layer thats pushing roots,have not had the guts to pull any cuttings up yet to see if they are taking,most still have good leaves,the rest i threw out since they were wilting,they are holding but not pushing new growth.I have had this problem in the past,the first summer i get roots,but no new growth on the cutting,i might try some stuff i read on Brents article about fertilizing.

 

[mapleman77]

Hey Discusmike,

Thanks for the update. I think that you'll find that your 'Deshojo' gets better year after year. I had one for a grand total of about 2 months, 2 years ago. Didn't take care of it and it promptly died. *sigh*.

Oh well. Keep us posted on your cuttings/air layers. Hope that they continue to work!

I took a couple of pictures of my cutting (not of the roots) just to give an idea of what it looks like. It's got a plastic bag over it that I'm going to take off in about a month, or until it's really rooted well.

Enjoy!
David

 

[mapleman77]

An update on my cutting: I transplanted it into pure turface for good root growth. It's looking wonderful--it's completely out of the bag! It is no longer a cutting but a separate plant. Ken, thank you for the instructions--it's such a joy to see cuttings take root! here's a picture of the top now.

David

 

[iamdunn4]

Trident cuttings

Ken, I have several Japanese and one trident maple in my yard. I had already planned on doing several air layers on those and some other trees I have in my yard. I have been starting cuttings from several of my tropical plants with pretty good successes for a couple of years now. I use the plastic storage containers with the semi clear lids. These are about 2 ft X 1 1/2 ft and about a foot high. I put around 4" of coarse sand in them and can stick about fifty small cuttings in each one. I have been using root hormone so far but may try it without using it. I mist them in pretty good and put the cover on. I try to put them in dappled shade.This time of the year if it's nice and no more than about 60 deg. F. I'll set them out in the sun and keep an eye on them. If it gets any hotter I pull the lid up and put something to keep it open enough to let the heat out. I have to mist them again if I do that. I usually check on them nearly every day and mist again if they start to dry out. In the summer you have to keep them in dappled shade. This makes a nice compact green house.
I think I will cut and stick some maples to morrow. I noticed the pictures of your trident maple rooted cutting a couple of those are very nice. Have you pruned these already? They look like they have been being styled for awhile now. They have such a good taper to the trunk. I am encouraged to try the maples. Thanks for posting this.

 

[hcboxster]

JM cuttings and intermittent misting

I have an unheated greenhouse I use to propagate cuttings. Intermittent mist set to go off for about 10 seconds, every 5 min or so. Shade cloth over the area I do misting in.

Cuttings are taken in early summer, new growth only. I like a little thicker stem, and I try to cut about 1/2 inch below a set of leaves. I used to strip all but two leaves off the cutting, but I found that if I can leave two sets or more, they seem to root better (more photosynthesis). Dip in a diluted solution of Dip-N-Grow.

I have successfully rooted Shishigashira, Glowing Embers, Bloodgood, Seiryu, and Sango Kaku. Glowing Embers is by far the easiest to get the root, and has had the best winter survival rate. Depending on the variety/time of year, I see callousing in a few weeks, and some pretty strong root systems after 8-10 weeks. I always get excited when I can lift a flat and see the root tips poking out through the screening in the bottom of the flats!

I try to keep things as sterile as possible, but I never fail to have some moss/algae grow on the perlite. It is a VERY moist environment. I spray down the area at the beginning and end of the season with a strong mixture of bleach water or hydrogen peroxide. I clean and disinfect my tools frequently.

I used to pot the rooted cuttings up individually, but I seem to lose a LOT over the winter that way (can get 5-15 degrees at nights, even in the greenhouse). This year I kept them all in flats, with 4-5 inches perlite/peat moss/sand mixture, and the survival rate seems to be a lot higher.

 

[hcboxster]

Cuttings starting to pop

A good 10 days of warmer weather around here, and some of my cuttings from last year are starting to swell and pop. I know, the pics aren't the best, but it is so nice to see signs of life (green!!!!) after the long cold winter.