Is there any hope for these?

B0N5A1

Hi everyone.

I took 2 cuttings of red maples both from different places but both on the same day. After initially taking the cuttings I had them in water after dipping them in hormone powder. In my opinion, they were holding up pretty well as this picture shows...



After going to buy my bonsai compost, I spoke to the guy in the nursery and he recomended I get them into pots with potting compost or something similar. So I done that yesterday afternoon and now today they are looking a little worse for ware despite the fact that I think one of them was beginning to grow roots.





What shall I do or is it a lost cause?
I was considering taking them back out and getting them back into water untill some visible roots are shown.

Tim

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kcpoole

Hi Tim
Any Dissected maples are hard to strike from cuttings in my experience. Never had much luck
For Tridents I have done the following

Make a potting mix of 50/50 Course river sand (sold as propagating sand), and Peat moss.

Make a little tent over the pot to keep the moisture in and the environment humid.

Take the cuttings, and apply rooting hormone, place in rooting mix and cover with plastic. Make sure the bag does not touch the cuttings.

Place in Warm spot out of direct light and keep moist. Wait 4- 8 weeks for roots to develop.

Ken

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Concorde

After cutting at a 45 degree angle, I put them in water overnite. Then I use powder or liquid grow hormone and put them in solid pumice or perlite. In 4 to 6 weeks you should have nice roots. Make sure you water which may be quite often. I use a heating pad for warmth. If the leaves are large cut them in half which will divert more energy for growth to the roots.

Concorde

bonsaikc

Try taking your cuttings from older wood, and find an anti-fungal spray for them. I agree dissectums are probably harder than most to root. Also, use a better soil mix. Yours is far too wet.

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B0N5A1

Thanks for all the advice guy's. So I won't give up just yet.

My room is quite hot as I have a south facing window, although I have plenty of places with shade, I might try the humidity tent idea. Perhaps fabricate a tent out of cling film and straws or something to go over the top without touching the cuttings?

What do you think of using a CD spindle lid to cover instead?

Also, as bonsaikc mentioned my soil looking wet. I had just watered them in the hope that they were just a bit dry. I only have 2 types of soil at the moment, Potting and Cutting compost which I thought would be the ideal option going by the name of it, or Akadema. Should I perhaps make up a mix of the two, or just use some akadema to put the cuttings into?

Thanks again, if i get a response quick enough I will try tonight, if i need any additional material it will have to wait until tomorrow.

kcpoole

Cd Spindle Lid shoud be OK so long as it seals reasonable. Does not have to be airtight

Ken

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B0N5A1

Took some more cuttings a little over an hour ago. Took a piece of kitchen towel soaked and placed in a freezer bag as I saw mentioned somewhere. Luckily it had rained today, so the leaves were a little more perky today.

Got 3 cuttings, different sizes and from different parts of the bush and got them into the bag with the bottoms wrapped in the kitchen towel.

Arrived home, washed them to ensure no bugs. Prepared the pot: little bit of large akadama in the bottom to aid drainage and improve airing followed by filling the rest with Cutting and Sowing compost.

Stripped a bit of bark from each, dipped in water, dipped in the hormone powder and put into the soil. Misted them in with the finest spray on a pressurised water bottle and then stuck the pot ontop of a piece of kitchen towl in a warm spot which gets lots of light, but not direct sun and is quite warm.

Stuck a CD spindle lid ontop balanced on 5p pieces to allow air in so the thing can breath and hopefully avoid Fungus or mold build up.

Hopefully better results this time.

malik

First thing I noticed from the pictures is that they look like you are growing them indoors....big mistake...got to be outside. As for a mix, I have had success with 100% builders sand for maple cuttings

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