Rooting maple in water?
- Thread starter dani
- Start date
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Depends on the tree species. Maples? Not really all that possible.
How about deshojo?
It's a dwarf and it's red. It's not going to be easier to root than other Japanese maples.
I've tried rooting red maples, Norway maples, sugar maples, and Japanese maples in water. Softwood and hardwood cuttings. The rot sets in way before roots start growing. Didn't matter if they were in running water or standing water, they rotted on me.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
That is still a maple. Species like Bald Cypress-taxodium dististichum, tropical species, will root in water only. Most temperate zone trees, including maples and evergreens, will not.
Well, damn! I tried to air layer this Deshojo, month and half later, not a single root, not even starting. I know it takes time, but my gut's telling me this will be a failure. That's why I asked about another option. I guess I'll leave it as it is and see if the air layering will work after all...
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
Don't know what your climate is like, but if the tree is outside in the cold, it has most likely been dormant --inactive and not producing roots. If the tree is inside, it could be too weak to root..
Best time to air layer (and it should be done outside) is in June around here, the most active growth period for maples. The warmer air can help air layers along. Cold air does the opposite. Freezing temperatures can kill off roots.
Right now its quite warm here - 23C / 73.4F. The tree is outside but I think I made a mistake with the early air layering attempt.
fh05
Mame
According to Bill Valavanis deshojo is hard to root.
What temperature is it at night? If it's not above ~55F, it's not warm enough to encourage root growth. How many leaves are distal to the layer? How thick is the piece you're trying to root?
It's been my experience that trees are a lot more enthusiastic about air layers and ground layers than they are about rooting from cuttings.
Speaking of ground layering... by my reading, dogwoods won't air layer well but they will ground layer pretty happily. The same may be true of your maple.
Last edited:
Victorim
Omono
You may be lucky and find different but the likely outcome would be the cuttings push all their energy into leaf and then wither. You may have more luck using sweating. Look it up.
Shun
Mame
Whats the best strategy to propagate deshojo, then? Cuttings? (Ir airlayers are hard to root)
I ask because i have one and I'm wanting to propagate it
I ask because i have one and I'm wanting to propagate it
I've had a lot more luck with air layers than I have with cuttings. If you think about it, there's a pretty good reason why.
bonsaichile
Omono
Probably, grafting
Shun
Mame
Possibly,
But I prefer maples on its own roots.. I Will try some airlayering and cuttings, then hope some of them succeed
papymandarin
Shohin
for deshojo i don't know about cuttings but it layers well, but the feeling i have from my trees is that on their own roots it's better to treat them more "gently" than you can do with regular palmatum for repotting (the same is even more true for Sangokaki, while Katsura roots seems nearly as srong as standard palmatum) and they fear more too much humidity during winter
Shun
Mame
Oh... airlayer ir is
RKatzin
Omono
The answer to this question is no, but they will strike roots in pumice fines (1/16-). I take cuttings of one and two years old shoots just after the buds begin to move in spring up until the leaves begin to pop. These are planted in six inch pots full of the fines with four to six inches of the cuttings buried, depending on the size of the cuttings. I have started up to 1/4" pieces this way, and not only maple. I have done hawthorn and hornbeam, shimpaku and cypress, birch, alder, ash, elm, and box. You name it, I could go on, but I haven't found that won't jumpstart in this stuff.
Now the trick is to keep your starts going through the first summer. They need the sun to stimulate them, but just a splash of direct morning and then bright shade.They must be flushed everyday and the hotter it gets maybe twice.
If you can't get any pumice fines let me know, I have a thirty gallon trash can full of it and I get more every time I sift out some pumice. Please, have some LOL
