How to grow roots from a cutting?

[JohnnySolo]

Hi,

I've posted in another forum about starting my first vegetable garden this coming spring and have been moving along building a 4’x8’ raised bed (8â€

[JTred]

Rooting depends on the bush you took it from. Some cuttings do well in water, others do well in a growing medium. As for chemicals to try to make it root faster, I've never heard of aspirin (though it may work I have no idea), but you can try commercial rooting hormone. Fertilizer won't help any because the plant requires roots to absorb fertilizer. Getting a nursery plant in the meantime is a great idea. Be on the lookout for a strong trunkline, a trunk that is as thick as you would like, a good surface root structure and an interesting shape. don't be afraid to get something bigger than you ultimately envision. Often big material is drastically cut back in bonsai.

[Marsman]

I picked up some rooting hormone at Home Depot. I was at a bonsai workshop a few weeks ago and took home some cuttings. I made fresh cuts on the trunks and dipped them in the hormone, then plugged them into small nursery pots. Come Spring, I'll see it they took or not.

[maveriiick]

I would think at this time of the year (November) that only tropical or subtropical trees would respond as cuttings in a warm (indoor) environment with high light and humidy. Temperate trees are going into dormancy and therefore not metabolically active in putting out roots. It therefore would appear to be common sense (although I am not sure) that non-tropical cuttings placed in rooting hormone would fail given the long winter season ahead (I.e. moist soil could cause cuttings to rot, or the rooting hormone would become less active with time).
My 2 cents.

[Marsman]

Mav,

I agree. I don't have great hope for my cuttings, but they were available and I'll take a shot at them surviving. If they don't, no loss. They were going to get thrown away anyhow.

[JohnnySolo]

lol, not common sense to this newbie without a green thumb. it's clear enough now to see though, pretty obvious even.

[JTred]

IMHO, if you've got a cutting that would otherwise be discarded, dip it in some hormone and put it in a mix. Regardless of season or cutting type. Most cuttings will die, so if you have lots of attempts, eventually you'll get a few. If you end up having more than you really want/need, you can put them in the ground, give them away, or just discard them. Either way it's not like you're losing anything. The only exception to this is if you just physically do not have the room/supplies.

[Marsman]

Here are the cuttings. Still way too early to tell if they will take or not. They are in a south facing window in my unheated bonus room over the garage.

[img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Bonsai/Black%20Dragon%20Workshop/DSC_0077.jpg[/img]

Click for larger view.