Hello, I am a newcomer to Bonsai gardening. However, I am an avid gardener and have experience with propagation and rooting (rose bushes, succulent plants, etc.) so I am mostly going to start my Bonsai stock from cuttings.
I have taken cuttings of Maple and Ornamental Cherry trees. I have lightly shaved off bark and scarred the cuttings gently where roots will potentially appear. I have applied RootTone, placed in a growing medium, and am currently keeping them in a temperate, humid environment to root. It has been a week since I have prepared them and placed them in the growing medium.
My other current cutting was just taken from an ornamental indoor shrub (I do not know what it is), and has a few roots already on it. I have trimmed the cutting down to about 6 inches, and there are no leaves on it, as the shrub was too tall and almost vine-like. I have placed the rooted part in a glass of water with a tablet or crushed-up aspirin. However, I am rather unsure of what to do next to better insure success.
Any tips/advice are warmly welcomed, as I am new to this art. Also... for Bonsai... Is it advisable to take cuttings in spring instead of winter? In the past, I have rooted some cuttings in winter, but they died shortly after they sprouted (I believe this was because I kept them in the humid environment a.k.a. plastic bags for too long).
Thank you
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poultryduk
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Gnome
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poultryduk,
Hello and welcome to THG and to bonsai.
There is a more fundamental concern though. Newcomers often have the misconception that bonsai are grown up from small plants, and this indeed can be done. However that method is just about the slowest way to approach bonsai there is. Many will fail at this and be dissuaded from pursuing bonsai, and that is a shame.
There are other avenues open to the hopeful bonsai grower. Some purchase what are sometimes referred to as mallsai, or mass produced bonsai. This is a viable way to enter the hobby and many have taken this path but know that this material is not always healthy or offered for sale at the correct time of year. The dreaded 'Christmas Juniper' comes to mind.
Another way is to buy nursery stock and work from there. Actually this is a pretty good way to get started but you seem to have gotten the bug 'out of season' and you may have a hard time finding any decent material now.
Another approach is to keep an eye out around your neighborhood for landscape material that is being replaced. Excellent plants are often discarded and if you are lucky you may find something exceptional for free.
Don't limit yourself to propagating, this will greatly slow your journey. Cultivate an open mind and a sharp eye. Research the species in question before you act. And realize that we all kill plants, don't give up when you do, it comes with the territory.
Norm
Hello and welcome to THG and to bonsai.
Propagation is the same for plants intended for bonsai as for any other application. Seedlings, cuttings and layering all have been used to obtain new material. Don't worry about bonsai while propagating, instead focus on good cultural practices. For instance, with the Maple cuttings I normally take semi-hardwood cuttings in early summer. Maples are not the easiest to root and the only success that I have ever had came by keeping them under glass. Hardwood cuttings are also possible this time of year but it is my understanding that this is usually accomplished in a cool greenhouse with bottom heat. The point is, research the species in question before you act and you will have more success.Also... for Bonsai... Is it advisable to take cuttings in spring instead of winter?
There is a more fundamental concern though. Newcomers often have the misconception that bonsai are grown up from small plants, and this indeed can be done. However that method is just about the slowest way to approach bonsai there is. Many will fail at this and be dissuaded from pursuing bonsai, and that is a shame.
There are other avenues open to the hopeful bonsai grower. Some purchase what are sometimes referred to as mallsai, or mass produced bonsai. This is a viable way to enter the hobby and many have taken this path but know that this material is not always healthy or offered for sale at the correct time of year. The dreaded 'Christmas Juniper' comes to mind.
Another way is to buy nursery stock and work from there. Actually this is a pretty good way to get started but you seem to have gotten the bug 'out of season' and you may have a hard time finding any decent material now.
Another approach is to keep an eye out around your neighborhood for landscape material that is being replaced. Excellent plants are often discarded and if you are lucky you may find something exceptional for free.
Don't limit yourself to propagating, this will greatly slow your journey. Cultivate an open mind and a sharp eye. Research the species in question before you act. And realize that we all kill plants, don't give up when you do, it comes with the territory.
Norm