One of the secrets of this technique, a very sharp cut without squishing or you get nothing but cowboys. I use sterile play sand in the middle, the fine grains keep more moisture and less air from the cutting contact area, then it grows out into Perlite & Peat. After doing close to 1000 cuttings, I am amazed at some of the results, I use grow lights and heat mats too, that helps with the success and speed that the cuttings root.
Thank you for the request. I have not done a video but you will find this article I wrote helpful: www.bonsaitree.co.za/blogs/tree-talk/japanese-black-pine-from-seed-year-1
Great video Terry, I've seen it like 5 times to get every detail, but there is a detail that is not clear to me and maybe is the reason of my failures, does it matter in what season do I make the cuttings? I live in Barcelona Spain and now is melting summer and maybe is too hot for amnipulating those stems, when is the best season (or conditions) to make them? and BTW, I have done exactly the same with some other species and they are working great, so it works not only for pines :)
Thanks Jon, appreciate the feedback! I do it when the stems have changed colour in spring only. It’s about a month or so after germination when the “needles” have hardened a little. I have no idea if you can do it later in the season but I’d not advise it as i think the aftercare will be quite intense. I also mist mine every couple hours and keep them in the shade till you can see them growing and when you tug on them they resist.
Nice video Terry! Never knew this was possible with young pines like this! Can the same be done with white pine? I've planted 80 or so Japanese White Pine seeds. Keep up the great work!
What a great video thanks Terry. I have some JBP and scots pine seedlings that I germinated in the spring here in the UK. they are doing nicely, but I'm wondering if I could use this technique on some of them next spring when they will be just over a year old?
That’s a great question Tony! I don’t know for sure. I would try it on a couple and learn from it. That’s how I learn too much of the time, sometimes things work and other times it fails.
Hi, thank you for the video but forgive me if this silly question for I am quite new to propagation. I don’t quite understand the purpose of this technique. Why do you cut off roots from a a seedling to try and re-root them?
Hello and thanks for the question. Please watch the video again as I do explain why and use an example of a tree grown in this method. If you still have a question then feel free to ask.
Hi Ben, thanks for the question. To be honest I’ve not grown any of those species you mention. However I cannot see why you would not be able to use the same process on them. The benefits would be the same.
Thanks for the question. Yes within that period for sure. Depends on how strong the seedlings were when you did the cuttings, the rooting hormone used and how they were cared for. Movement of the cutting by wind will greatly retard any development or even kill the cutting.
I water them thoroughly after inserting them to ensure there are no gaps between cutting and media. I’m using liquid hormone so it’s absorbed and not washed away. I also mist them as often as I can.
Hi Terry, I just have a question regarding the medium you used in this video. Would a Silica fine grain of 0.5mm - 1mm in size be appropriate for adding in to the center of the pot? Thanks
Yes it will Alex. The sand I used was too coarse. It still worked but I needed to be super careful to protect the cuttings from wind which could spin them. Finer sand provides more resistance so this effect is less.
i had the best looking roots so far sifting a perlite/vermiculite mix below 1mm. particle size matters. the roots were able to extend freely without too much resistance through the light substrate, which i thought made a big difference from heavier substrates ive used in the past.
Thanks Jimmy, I use the dilution for hardwood cuttings actually and leave them in longer than suggested. I do a bunch and let them soak in the solution for up to a minute. It does not burn the cuttings.
The technique of making cuttings of seedlings should work on most plants in my opinion. You’d just need to figure out when the best time is to do this, perhaps you will see a change in the bark colour and texture too although just different to the pines. I have done this with Celtis sinensis and Chinese maple. Yes I use fungicide every 2 weeks to prevent “damping off” of the seedlings. I also spray foliar feed to make the seedlings nice and strong before doing the cutting procedure
Hi @@TerryErasmusbonsai , is there a fungicide you’d recommend? And what color of trunk should I look for when performing same technique on red pine? Thank you in advance
Mmmm. Good question. To be honest I don’t work much with non grafted white pine. However in theory I suppose you can do same. In fact you should be able to do same with all species of plant provided you do at the right time.
Hi Terry I am confused, not hard to do, you uprooted a healthy seedling, cut off its roots, dipped it into hormone solution to create another seedling? am I missing something? Alan
Hi Alan, great question. Please watch the video again as at 1:18 into the video I explain why you may want to consider performing the procedure. This technique is not reserved for JBP only either, it can be performed on any/most plant species.
Hi, nice Video, i found Out that watering after placing the cutting into the medium can be very important. By doing so you eliminate any air pockets in the area of the Cut where the roots will then come Out.
@komorebi bonsai za, it did not display the super thanks when I replied to you before. Just wanted to thank you so much again for the support. Have a great day further!
