Jap. Maple cutting

[Jean B.]

I am pleased to see my Japanese maple cutting, perhaps three weeks old, still looks good. How long should I wait until I consider it a success? Six weeks? If I am so lucky (this would be a first), how do I transplant it from the medium I have it in (ca 50-50 sand and peat) without damaging its roots?

If this actually does succeed, I will try a few more cuttings from my beloved plants. I tried some last year but didn't read up on it first. This year, I have changed the medium, cut some of the leaves in half, and put the potted cutting in a plastic bag to conserve moisture. My first attempts ended up covered with mold. This one looks fine--no mold, and the leaves look fresh and strong.

[Toni]

I would consider it a success when I saw some vigorous new growth.

[Travis]

I have a book called "Cuttings through the Year" published by The Arboretum Foundation Washington Park Arboretum. It talks about growing cuttings in flats and when you transplant from the flat to individual pots the roots should be trimmed to the drip line to encourage feeder roots and again when the cutting is put in its final growing spot. The book says cuttings may take from 3 weeks to over a month to root. Soft wood cuttings (current years growth) are suggested. It also suggests the cuttings be taken in June or July but that is for the PNW.

[B & J]

Lots of luck! I tried taking cuttings from a Japanese maple (Bloodgood) three years in a row with zero success. The cuttings remained looking good for three months but failed to root. Finally they obviously died. BTW, I use deep six packs in a peat moss/sand mixture for all cuttings and wait until roots start appearing through the bottom of the six pack before potting in ProMix.

Since then I've been advised to start Japanese maples by layering and was also told that it takes two years for the layered branches to root. I layered a number of branches a year ago this spring, and a couple that I check this spring had not rooted. I'm hoping for better luck by next spring.

A couple who raise Japanese maples for the wholesale trade in our area told our gardening group this past spring that all their maples are started from collected seeds and that most are true to the parent plant. At the moment I have a half dozen potted seedlings that sprouted around the base of one of the trees.

JPS

[Jean B.]

To the first, oh sigh. I'd better not get my hopes up. I thought I had read that Japanese maple seeds did not guarantee a tree like the parent. That being said, a) I have a number of interesting little seedlings of various ilks, which I have put into large pots (maybe a mistake), and b) I could just kill the yard workers who mow around my trees. (I am always hoping for interesting little seedlings.) I do wish the seedlings that appeared around my Moonfire maple bore some resemblance to it, but, thus far, no.

At least one of my trees would lend itself to layering, since it has low branches. Or are you doing air layering? I have such a black thumb--but I would love to propagate some of my maples.

Thanks,

[Jean B.]

It seems to me that you need a fairly deep vessel to begin with, but I must be wrong. I guess I shouldn't get my hope up. I took this cutting in June, and it was this year's growth....

[Jean B.]

Would one get vigorous new growth this year, given the fact that spring is past?

[B & J]

I read that too, but the lady doing the presentation said that was not true. Anyway, the seedling that I collected around the tree this past spring are now about 4" tall and have the same wine-red leaf color as the parent tree. Another seedling from that tree that I gave to a neighbor two years ago is now about three feet tall and I would have difficulty distinguishing it from the parent as for as leaf color and growing habits go. Perhaps this is working because I only have two maples in the yard and both are bloodgoods.

No, I am no air layering. I removed the mulch until I reached soil underneath, dug a shallow trench, scraped the bottom of the branch where is came in contact with the soil (The irritation seems to promote rooting.), covered the bottom of the branch with soil, replaced the mulch, and anchored the branch with a rock. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed. :)

JPS

[Travis]

Are you taking heel or node cuttings? In what month?

[Travis]

Don't kill the yard workers, fire them.

[Travis]

The rooting medium need only be 4" deep and the cutting should not be over 4". None of the leaves should touch the medium. Rooting hormone may help. Since Maples are hardwood "heel cuttings are especially desirable for material that is difficult to propagate and for hardwood cuttings."

Maybe Paghat will chime in here. I have never tried to propagate any trees but bought the book for reference and futere use.

[Travis]

What you are doing is called "ground layering".

[Jean B.]

Gee. None of the seedlings under my Moonfire have been at all like it, In fact, none in front of the house have even been red, even though all of the maples in front of the house are red-leaved. :-(

That's what I am thinking of doing--esp since I have some nice low branches on some of my trees. I might use big lawn staples to anchor them.

[Jean B.]

[snip] That being said, a) I have a number of interesting

[snip]

Well, honestly, they are MUCH better than the ones I have had before. And this whacking and mowing too near the trees is a new thing. I will have to talk with them, because that is something this outfit knows not to do. I think the new workers just have not been properly trained for some reason. (This company, in general and theoretically, mows high, does not whack around trees, does not bury the bases of trees in mulch, etc., etc. It is hard to find such companies here.)

[Jean B.]

I have to look up "heel cuttings". Of course, why I, with a black thumb or two would even attempt this is a mystery--except for the fact that I love Japanese maples....

[rastapasta]

Have you tried, or heard of, Clonex? I hear that's the bomb when trying to grow from clones/cuttings. Also, you may try putting the cutting(s) in rockwool cubes, & put 'em under some low-wattage grow lights, like compact fluorescents etc.

Clonex:

media:

[rastapasta]

Also, check this cloning fact sheet out:

[Jean B.]

Thanks, I've heard of Clonex and rockwool. Forgot about the former but the latter has stuck in my mind. Thank you for the sources, which I shall save.

[Jean B.]

Thanks again. There are some tidbits there that I don't recall reading. Given my black thumb, I should read as much as possible about this topic!