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Originally Posted by Debby
Hi there, I was under the impression that japanese maples can't be started from cuttings. Could you elaborate on the refrigerator procedure that you mentioned?
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I wonder where you got that impression? I have been having success with rooting cuttings from a Japanese mountain maple I received from a friend since 2003. The mother tree is shohin size, so there aren't many cuttings to be taken in the spring (best time to take cuttings) I have 10 rooted cuttings that come from 2003 to 2007. They aren't as easy as elm or serissa are to root, but it is possible.
In early spring, I watch the buds and when they begin to swell (usually mid-March) and even open up a little bit, I take cuttings. I dip them in rooting hormone powder as soon as I prune them off. I don't let them lay around and dry out; as soon as I dip them in the hormone, I gang them up in a pot and water them in. Then I never let them dry out; watering them in the morning and misting the leaves in the afternoon/evening. The first year I tried it, I had 100% success with the 5 cuttings I took. It has leveled out to 50% and has been as low as 30%. It is definitely faster than growing from seed and cuttings develop a better radial nebari if done carefully.
I used to put cuttings in water and tried the refrigerator method. I found that mildew did the ones in the fridge in and if you aren't religious about changing the cutting water, a gelatinous goo usually does them in. I have much better luck rooting them in soil and in the spring when the tree is active and the weather steadily warms up gently taking the cuttings into the growing season.