Ume cutting (good or bad)

[Brian Van Fleet]

Could be...you’ll know in a couple months.

 

[junmilo]

Could be...you’ll know in a couple months.

This cutting is only a little bit than a year...isn't it too early to flower?

 

[bonsai45]

This cutting is only a little bit than a year...isn't it too early to flower?

cuttings taken from parent-plants that regularly flower tend to maintain the propensity

 

[R3x]

I have read many times on many places that Ume are notoriously difficult to root. Have tried it - they seemed to be alive for quite some time but no roots emerged.

I have recently (few weeks ago) done some airlayers in rooting pots and sphagnum moss on Beni-chi-dori (3) and Omoi-no-mama (1). It seems a red root appeared in Omoi-no-mama quite quickly but it might just be something else.

Also bough X-Stream aeroponic propragator for 20 cuttings and started semi-hardwood cuttings dipped in rooting gel from these varieties as well as from Japanese Maple with very small leaves. I am hoping this could work. Will keep you informed.

November's here and I have got some results - pictures say more than words (but still I'd add some comments).
I have cuttings from Beni-chi-dori (most common variety) and Omoi-no-mama (variety that has both white and pink flowers mixed on one plant). Also used some cuttings from 2 varieties of small-leaved Japanese maples (don't know the variety - lost the label, might find out later). The result is that 2 of the Prunus Mume cuttings grew roots just recently (a month ago). Rest of them created callus which gives me some hope. Interestingly the maples didn't work at all - no roots, no callus. But they still have leaves on so I will wait some more.

General setup - propagator in closed hut with growing light (2x PHILIPS TL-D SUPER 18W) shining on it nonstop from June.


The tray with cuttings:


Rooted cuttings:


Callused cuttings:


My plan is to move the cuttings to some soil/sand for the winter.

 

[R3x]

I have also started airlayering thicker (1cm+ in diameter) directly on the trees. Haven't opened them yet. The leaves have fallen a bit sooner than from the rest of the tree but the buds look finely formed. I will see in the spring I guess. Here are 3 photos of these (these are on Beni-chi-dori tree growing in my garden, I have one more on Omoi-no-mama growing in a pot):

 

[bonsai45]

I have also started airlayering thicker (1cm+ in diameter) directly on the trees. Haven't opened them yet. The leaves have fallen a bit sooner than from the rest of the tree but the buds look finely formed. I will see in the spring I guess. Here are 3 photos of these (these are on Beni-chi-dori tree growing in my garden, I have one more on Omoi-no-mama growing in a pot):

I am very very curious if this works out for you, and I hope it does! I have heard of the odd person getting a prunus mume air layer to root initially but fail when separated, and i have heard a lot more people say its impossible.

Japanese Flowering Plum Basics

First off, I apologize for the last email blast about Mr. Tanaka’s work. I accidentally hit the publish key. Sorry about the inconvenience. The good news is that you now know there’s…

peterteabonsai.wordpress.com

I wonder if the success-rate is dependent on the cultivar (like maples), rather than prunus mume in general as is often suggested. it would be amazing to learn that beni chidori and omoi no mama can be air layered!

I have made several attempts on each of 3 different cultivars and failed (despite success with many other varieties of plant)

 

[R3x]

I am very very curious if this works out for you, and I hope it does! I have heard of the odd person getting a prunus mume air layer to root initially but fail when separated, and i have heard a lot more people say its impossible.

Japanese Flowering Plum Basics

First off, I apologize for the last email blast about Mr. Tanaka’s work. I accidentally hit the publish key. Sorry about the inconvenience. The good news is that you now know there’s…

peterteabonsai.wordpress.com

I wonder if the success-rate is dependent on the cultivar (like maples), rather than prunus mume in general as is often suggested. it would be amazing to learn that beni chidori and omoi no mama can be air layered!

I have made several attempts on each of 3 different cultivars and failed (despite success with many other varieties of plant)

First of all - thanx for the link. Great article. Gonna read it.

As shown above the cuttings are pretty hard to get rooted. Only 2 out of approximately 20 did. But the callus is promising as well. Of the 2 that rooted it is difficult to say whether they are Beni-chi-dori or Omoi-no-mama or both. Now without leaves they look the same...

What cultivars did you try and what method did you use?

 

[bonsai45]

what method did you use?

i was talking about *air layers* and responding to your post about air layers - there is only 1 method to my knowledge

cultivars are 1 red 1 white 1 pink, un-named/unknown, brought from japan in the 1980's

 

[R3x]

i was talking about *air layers* and responding to your post about air layers - there is only 1 method to my knowledge

cultivars are 1 red 1 white 1 pink, un-named/unknown, brought from japan in the 1980's

Oh I see - sorry. Besides airlayering there is also this other method - rooting cuttings as suggested in this thread. The aeroponic propagator I used is a variation on that in my opinion. I'll see in the spring if the cuttings take.

 

[junmilo]

November's here and I have got some results - pictures say more than words (but still I'd add some comments).
I have cuttings from Beni-chi-dori (most common variety) and Omoi-no-mama (variety that has both white and pink flowers mixed on one plant). Also used some cuttings from 2 varieties of small-leaved Japanese maples (don't know the variety - lost the label, might find out later). The result is that 2 of the Prunus Mume cuttings grew roots just recently (a month ago). Rest of them created callus which gives me some hope. Interestingly the maples didn't work at all - no roots, no callus. But they still have leaves on so I will wait some more.

General setup - propagator in closed hut with growing light (2x PHILIPS TL-D SUPER 18W) shining on it nonstop from June.
View attachment 269893

The tray with cuttings:
View attachment 269886View attachment 269885

Rooted cuttings:
View attachment 269887View attachment 269888

Callused cuttings:
View attachment 269889View attachment 269890View attachment 269891View attachment 269892

My plan is to move the cuttings to some soil/sand for the winter.

So you created something like a aquaponic tray...did you just leave the cuttings dipped in the rooting solutions?

 

[R3x]

So you created something like a aquaponic tray...did you just leave the cuttings dipped in the rooting solutions?

No, the cuttings (their bottom part) is residing in a misty environment create by the aeroponic propagator. I dipped them in rooting hormone in the beginning. We'll see if they survive next year.

 

[R3x]

Today I placed the cutting into wet sand - it will stay there during winter in non-freezing environment. This could/should further induce rooting as suggested in this thread: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/p...ter-the-peter-adams-method.36065/#post-691563 I also did cut fresh cuttings from 5 or 6 varieties and put into wet sand to test that method.
I attach picture of cuttings. You can clearly see the callusing and also what looks like roots starting to grow. I planted the two cuttings that produced roots already into normal soil.

 

[AlainK]

Thanks for reminding us of this technique R3x.

 

[R3x]

I have also started airlayering thicker (1cm+ in diameter) directly on the trees. Haven't opened them yet. The leaves have fallen a bit sooner than from the rest of the tree but the buds look finely formed. I will see in the spring I guess. Here are 3 photos of these (these are on Beni-chi-dori tree growing in my garden, I have one more on Omoi-no-mama growing in a pot):
View attachment 269894View attachment 269895View attachment 269896

Today I cut off the branches. You can see them in the photo. All of them created callus with what looks like start of roots. The 3 pink ones are Beni-chi-dori, the one with white callus is Omoi-no-mama. That one even has something like small root (but not really visible in the photo - it is turned away from the camera). I put them into common soil for the winter and hope they will sprout roots in the spring. Those containers used for airlayering are not really good I have to say. During the summer they became really brittle so some of the fasteners broke off. Will probably return to using plastic bags or plastic flower pots.

 

[junmilo]

Today I placed the cutting into wet sand - it will stay there during winter in non-freezing environment. This could/should further induce rooting as suggested in this thread: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/p...ter-the-peter-adams-method.36065/#post-691563 I also did cut fresh cuttings from 5 or 6 varieties and put into wet sand to test that method.
I attach picture of cuttings. You can clearly see the callusing and also what looks like roots starting to grow. I planted the two cuttings that produced roots already into normal soil.
View attachment 270927

I'm tempting on buying or making one of these Aeroponic cloners. The question is does that dome helped with the rooting process?

since they are just cuttings, there are no photosynthesis going on (no leaves and no roots)...

Thanks

J

 

[leatherback]

since they are just cuttings, there are no photosynthesis going on (no leaves and no roots)...

WHen shoots are green, there for sure is photosynthesis, and transpiration. When they are barked over, it is species dependent but often there is activity too.

The dome reduces drying out.

 

[arreaux]

Last spring I placed some Mume cuttings in a sand tray so far the only one that still green and was growing was one that had a bit of hard wood at the cut. Don't want to disturb it until spring. We'll see...

 

[junmilo]

WHen shoots are green, there for sure is photosynthesis, and transpiration. When they are barked over, it is species dependent but often there is activity too.

The dome reduces drying out.

So a grow light is also necessary then?

J

 

[arreaux]

I couldn't resist. So i dug it out of the sand and heres what I found. More roots than expected. The caliper was 5-6mm at the base.

 

[R3x]

I'm tempting on buying or making one of these Aeroponic cloners. The question is does that dome helped with the rooting process?

since they are just cuttings, there are no photosynthesis going on (no leaves and no roots)...

Thanks

J

The cuttings were put into the cloner in June while they had leaves. So there was photosynthesis going on for sure. I just made the photos when all the leaves were gone.