Quality Bonsai from Cuttings

Of the three basic bonsai propagation techniques, seed, air layering and cuttings, I personally find creating bonsai from cuttings to be the most rewarding. Grant it, bonsai from seed is traditional and plants achieved by air layering are very fast, but cuttings is where its at for me.

Old nursery men have been using this trick, planting young branch cuttings, for 100's of years. Its fast, efficient and always gives me a unique starter, well almost always. As with any other propagation technique there is still a small lose factor. But all of my cuttings were FREE and abundant. Just look at the floor after you have a trimming session in the spring, 100's of possible bonsai starters just laying there. A bit of rooting hormone and some cheap soil and finished.

What kind of tree should I use?

Almost any juniper, elm, olive or maple will make an excellent candidates for cutting propagation. Some are better than others but you can decide that as you learn. Generally, Spring is the best time for working with cuttings. We do cuttings March through late May here in southern California and sometimes as late as July. After that it gets to hot and dry and late season cuttings need to be in hot houses or get special attention. I tend to go by the  "tough love" method, if it can't survive outside on its own I don't want it. Propagating in hot houses opens a whole other can of worms when it comes time to expose your new creations to the Cold, Cruel World and we have just to many plants to worry about already.

When I am trimming these types of plants I usually have a tub of water with a mix of Dyna-Gro K-L-N Concentrate next to the bench. Super Thrive or B-101 also work fine for this application. As I remove new growth or unique redundant branches I just toss them into the K-L-N mixture. The cuttings will soak up some of the vitamins and hormones and the water helps keep them hydrated.

At the end of the trimming session, or sooner if my helper is available, I mix up a batch of  cutting mix  and place it in 2" cups. I don't like to use group plantings with my cuttings. I want to plant them one time and give them a place to root and grow for at least one year, maybe longer without bothering there new roots. I will sometimes even use 4" cups if I have some very nice large branches that I want to work with. Maple and olive work great with larger cuttings so don't hesitate to try it.

I like cuittings of at least 3-5". Prepare your cuttings by removing leaf and needle formations from the bottom 1 1/2" and cut the end of the branch at a 45 degree angle. Use a sharp grafting knife for this because the cutters will crush the cambium layer. After you have prepared your cuttings let them remain soaking while you get your cups ready.

For a cutting mix use something light and well draining.  I use a modified version of our Perfect Drain but a 1/3 mix of sand, peat and commercial potting soil will work fine or use a mix of commercial cactus soil. Lightly tap the soil down and poke a hole in the middle of the mixture using a chop stick or wooden dole. You will need a rooting hormone. We use the Dyna-Gro Root-Gel. Root-Gel seals the cutting and acts as an artificial root system during root development. Just dip the cutting in Root-Gel and place it in the hole. Avoid rubbing the Root-Gel off as you do this. With your fingers firmly press the soil around the cutting closing the hole. After you get all of them done you will need to water (drench) the cups. We suggest using the remainder of the K-L-N mixture in a watering can for this application.

Place the trays of cuttings under a bench, inside a hot house or just in a shaded area and let them grow. Be careful not to let the cups dry out even for one day. Better to wet in the beginning then dry for even one day. Your success rate will vary depending on size of cutting, type of tree, weather and your attention span but even if you only got 25% ( my 5 year old could get that) They were ALL FREE!

Happy Cutting . .