Propagation ~ High success rates

[Lucca Jeanne]

How would you get high success rates (90%+) on a semi large scale (6000-10000/year) propagating cuttings? Current set up is indoors (sun room), pots filled with pure, fine, washed pumice, covered in glad wrap and sat on top of heating pads. Getting high success rates with the usual suspects but struggling to push past 50% with some others like maples and completely failing with others like black pine.

Will need to move outdoors at a larger scale also, so what would be the best way to provide bottom heating in that scenario?

**Timing of cutting different species also greatly appreciated

 

[dbonsaiw]

Those questions are a mouthful. Mike Kincaid has some interesting YouTube videos on the topic. I think this is well past beginner level and more like a commercial setup. Personally, I would get all the info first (especially when to take the cutting themselves) and make sure I knew what I was doing outdoors on a small scale before moving to 10,000 cuttings. I know folks use ambient heating in the ground, perhaps under concrete, in these types of setups, but again these are larger commercial setups with many 10s of thousands of upfront costs, including the greenhouse, ventilation system, watering systems, ground heating etc.

 

[penumbra]

We have a master of propagation here, several in fact. But when you want to harness all the technology and such, cmeg1 is on top of his game. I have huge respect for him, and many others as well.
Ifyou stay here and follow us, you will learn so much. One of the most important things you will learn is that plants and people are different. It is an odd relationship that is formed between certain people and certain plants. And those group minded people/ plant combinations form broader communities. And so forth.............

 

[Tieball]

You don’t identify where you live in your profile, however, if possible and practical, it would be interesting to apply solar technology for the heating. Just thinking. And I know nothing about doing this. So I’m simply talking out loud.

 

[cmeg1]

1:1 N:K ratio fertilizer…can be clonex solution…….ec less than .6 ……low strength light(200-400 ppfd)…amino acids Lglycine/L glutamate( increases calcium uptake 1000x).
A bit of pure blue light added…..

TAKE CUTTINGS AT THE END OF YOUR LIGHT CYCLE BECAUSE THEY ARE PUMPED WITH ENERGY…IF TAKEN IN THE BEGINNING OF LIGHT CYCLE THE ENERGY IS IN THE ROOTS FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE AND WILL TAKE 50% longer to root.

Use Dip&Grow

 

[Lucca Jeanne]

Better results with rock wool?

1:1 N:K ratio fertilizer…can be clonex solution…….ec less than .6 ……low strength light(200-400 ppfd)…amino acids Lglycine/L glutamate( increases calcium uptake 1000x).
A bit of pure blue light added…..

TAKE CUTTINGS AT THE END OF YOUR LIGHT CYCLE BECAUSE THEY ARE PUMPED WITH ENERGY…IF TAKEN IN THE BEGINNING OF LIGHT CYCLE THE ENERGY IS IN THE ROOTS FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE AND WILL TAKE 50% longer to root.

Use Dip&GrowView attachment 484248View attachment 484251View attachment 484253View attachment 484254View attachment 484256View attachment 484257

 

[cmeg1]

Better results with rock wool?

I like it……heat mat set at 85f,but only if they are elevated on a smart tray insert….stonewool can be ran a higher temp for rooting a good week earlier ……then when you see roots just lower to the normal 75-78 so there will be no anearobic activity.
Also put a dome on the tray and put 1/2” of water in bottom…….the smart tray insert keeps everything out the water…

 

[Paradox]

@cmeg1 have you ever done azalea cuttings? Would you be willing to share info if you have? I'd love to get some successful cuttings from mine

 

[Shibui]

Humidity seems to be the single most important factor in successful cuttings. Commercial cutting propagation uses intermittent misting either on timer or a sensor. Most are in a protected area which your current glad wrap provides on a small scale. Plastic domes or covers on a medium scale and a glasshouse on a larger scale.
Rockwool is a good cutting mix provided you don't need to bare root. Otherwise coir/perlite is also used commercially.

Some species are known to be more difficult than others and both the species you mention fit in that category. I suspect that 50% success with maples is a good result. Pines from juvenile shoots are very easy, nearly 100% but from mature shoots success is way down around 10% even with the best conditions and technique.

I find azaleas very easy. Late summer cuttings of half hard or hard shoots and treat as for other cuttings.