Shimpaku reforestation project 2015

[M. Frary]

Nice piece of stock BTW!

I'm actually thinking of removing that whole big straight branch or trunk. I should probably layer it.
I got the tree from Meehan last year after seeing shimpaku junipers at Vance's club show. And guess what? I need more! I worried about their cold hardiness because they seem delicate. Now I'm finding out that they are better than any other juniper in all ways.
Still need to learn a few things about them. But I like what I'm seeing.
Maybe a layer and cuttings are in order.
And I'll start a thread for it.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Eric, the shimpaku I received from you, were they from this batch?

 

[Eric Group]

Eric,
Is this the first year you have grown cuttings?
Ain't it a rush? Always love to take a look around
and know that there are so many new living things
that just would not have existed had I not taken
the effort. Just don't get disappointed the first
time a batch doesn't go like you wanted--happens
to all of us--good growing to you.

It is the first year I have grown them... On this scale! I have always done more layers than cuttings, and only did a few here or there periodically.. The past 2-3 seasons I have been ramping up my propagation because I started having more success I guess.... And the propagating itself becomes as addictive as any aspect of Bonsai eventually ! I kind of like having extra stock on hand at different levels of development too, so I can try all sorts of different things to get the results I am after.

Generally, when I see a variety of tree or style of tree I like, I want to grow one myself "from scratch". Yeah, it may take 10-20 years longer, but I enjoy the process more than the end result right now. Might change one day... Maybe as I get older and have more assets available to purchase better trees and less time to develop them.. I will be more focused on buying better stock that is closer to being complete. But, right now I am drawn to the challenge of taking a small piece of one of my own plants, sticking it in a rooting medium and producing my own bonsai from it!

 

[Eric Group]

Eric, the shimpaku I received from you, were they from this batch?

Nope, from last year's.

I didn't get as many roots last year because I started most of those before I started using perlite on it's own... They were done in a potting soil mix- which worked, but wasn't as fast and a I think they needed that extra time to start growing vigorously before I felt comfortable shipping them. These that I am producing this year were mostly larger branches, done in different rooting medium and some are different types... The ones I got from John look more like Kishu to me- tight "balled up" foliage, where as the ones I did last year were "regular" old Shimpaku! LOL

I don't know which ones will be "better" in the end, I guess it is more of a personal preference... But these seem to be growing faster, sooner than last year's cuttings, and this batch I tried larger branches- I always heard young growth roots better and stuck with young shoots previously, but I am not necessarily finding that to be true with Shimpaku or Maples this year.

 

[JoeR]

Nice to hear of your great success!

I cant get a cutting to root to save my life. I have a few cherry cuttings I took a few weeks ago that I think may live but thats it. I cant check it so I guess I will find out in a few weeks hopefully.

 

[Eric Group]

Nice to hear of your great success!

I cant get a cutting to root to save my life. I have a few cherry cuttings I took a few weeks ago that I think may live but thats it. I cant check it so I guess I will find out in a few weeks hopefully.

2-3 months for most trees is a minimum... You will know when they have roots because the trees will start growing again.

 

[sikadelic]

Nice job Eric! I noticed you left a lot of leaves on your JMs...much more than the Arakawas I have been trying to root. I had read somewhere to cut off all but 2 leaves and my success rate is pretty low. I think I will leave all of them on when the next time I try.

I also tried a few Shimp cuttings but they were all still green....I have no clue whether or not it will work but I thought what the hell. I love propogating too and its a nice way to burn some time when you don't have much else to do aside from water and pull weeds.

 

[Eric Group]

Nice job Eric! I noticed you left a lot of leaves on your JMs...much more than the Arakawas I have been trying to root. I had read somewhere to cut off all but 2 leaves and my success rate is pretty low. I think I will leave all of them on when the next time I try.

I also tried a few Shimp cuttings but they were all still green....I have no clue whether or not it will work but I thought what the hell. I love propogating too and its a nice way to burn some time when you don't have much else to do aside from water and pull weeds.

I do recommend removing a good many leaves... It is hard to tell from that pic, but those were much fuller before I put them in the pot. Unfortunately the pot in that picture- pretty much all died! LOL

I did wind up getting a few koto Hime to take though! I was worried for a bit that I had 100% mortality with them! I was poking around in my cuttings yesterday though and found a couple in perlite that were actively growing, and with a little prodding, got them out their pots and sure enough- two out of the three I pulled up had SUBSTANTIAL root systems developing! So, I repotted them into real soil and that makes about a half dozen JM cuttings I have already successfully rooted and repotted, two pretty good sized layers, and about a half dozen or more Shimpaku already rooted and repotted just this season- with 3-4 times that many still in the works, and I cannot even count how many of other species!

Azaleas- about 6 different types, probably 15-20 cuttings of each.. They are just too easy, and I cut back so many this year... I just couldn't throw all those branches away!

Chojubai, I planted about 15 cuttings and at least 3-4 seem to be growing now.

Elm... 5-10 I guess, and about the same number of root cuttings have already shot out 6inch+ growth...

Trident Maple- maybe 6-8 in rooting medium... Recently planted most of them, not sure of their status yet...

Zuishio (sp?) Japanese White Pines- two pots of them planted... Heard they are fairly easy from cuttings compared to other Pines... We also put a couple layers on my buddy's tree...

I guess that describes most of what I have working. They are blanketing my back patio in a see of green!

 

[JoeR]

2-3 months for most trees is a minimum... You will know when they have roots because the trees will start growing again.

2-3 months until they start to grow?

I think that its because I take them at the wrong time.

Ibam surprized your kotohime isbt rooting so well, Bill V. Said they were one of the easiest of japanese maples to root!

 

[Eric Group]

2-3 months until they start to grow?

I think that its because I take them at the wrong time.

Ibam surprized your kotohime isbt rooting so well, Bill V. Said they were one of the easiest of japanese maples to root!

I am surprised by it too, but in the end, it was just two pots of them that didn't take... When I planted the cuttings, I did two main pots with just the Koto Hime cuttings, and stuck the rest in perlite and a few in the ground separate from those two main pots. It seems the ones outside of those two pots were about a 75% success rate... Not sure what I did wrong there, but I need to dissect those two and try to figure it out so I can avoid it in the future.

I have heard estimates of when is best to take cuttings from Maples and they seem to vary wildly from early Spring prior to leaf break all the way up to summer and I can't say I have noticed a big big difference myself. As with most things plant health related- timing is not as important as the care you give the plant.

 

[Eric Group]

probably the largest LM cutting I have ever had take. I never thought this one had a chance! Checked it the other day and it had roots coming out the bottom of the pot!! Instead of doing a repot, I just dropped it into a little pond basket that is a little larger than the pot with some Bonsai soil and set it in a humidity tray with some water in the bottom because that is what it was in before. It is A couple days after I took this pic and it is really taking off now!

I had a few other large ones that took, and I have repotted them, but this is the thickest I think... Probably a little over 2 inches across.

 

[AboveBeyond]

Nice! When did you take the cutting?

 

[JoeR]

Lol and I cant get a small cutting to root!

Awesome. Looks like it has good potential for a sumo/shohin maybe.

 

[Eric Group]

Nice! When did you take the cutting?

These large ones were taken from my progressive Maple challenge tree when I collected it the first week of March... So, About 3 months ago.
http://bonsainut.com/index.php?thre...allenge-my-first-jm-that-i-ever-bought.18265/

 

[Eric Group]

Lol and I cant get a small cutting to root!

Awesome. Looks like it has good potential for a sumo/shohin maybe.

Sometimes larger is easier with cuttings... More stored energy in the cut piece means it stays alive longer on it's own which gives you a better chance of it throwing roots. They still fail sometimes- that is why I took a LOT from that big tree when I cut it. Most ranged in girth from about an right of an inch probably to a little over two inches.. Left a few leaves on them and stuck them in a mix that was predominantly pure perlite. I have found mixing a little bonsai soil, or maybe some oil dry/ turface into the mix helps it retain moisture and it seems the ones in large humidity trays did the best.

With azaleas, I like to add something organic like peat moss or coconut peat... Only about 5-10%, but I have read people using more like 50/50 peat to perlite and having big success as well. I think Brent from evergreen Garden Works said that is what he usually uses and he has literally built a business off of making great cuttings it seems!

 

[AboveBeyond]

These large ones were taken from my progressive Maple challenge tree when I collected it the first week of March... So, About 3 months ago.
http://bonsainut.com/index.php?thre...allenge-my-first-jm-that-i-ever-bought.18265/

That long already? Well, 2 months and 2 weeks to go for me.