Some maples can be reproduced by cuttings. Among those that are easy to grow from cuttings I've tried 'Orange Dream', 'Phoenix', Koto hime', and of course the plain species Acer palmatum. Others are very weak on their own roots and if they take, the usually die after one or two years, that's why they're grafted, the rootystock provides the energy that their own roots lack. I haven't tried cuttings for 3 years, but I'v' done some a few days ago. We'll see whether it works. 1/ I take twigs that have 3 to 4 pairs of leaves, preferrably at the top of the tree, where it grows the most : 2/ I leave only a pair of leaves that I partially cut, and I remove the lower leaves : (I didn't have time to complete the process, so I put the cuttings in water overnight with some "organic" hormones : Fulvic and humic acid) 3/ the next day, I used "chemical hormones" (indol 3-butyric acid) : 4/ This time I used a mix that contains perlite from garden center, but other mediums are fine too : 5/ I always put a layer of pozzolane on top, so if I move the pots, the cuttings don't move : I didn't have a frame big enough to keep the cuttings, so I just spray them once in a while with "neutral" water, the kind I use for ironing, andI keep them indoors, it was so windy lately... I made other cuttings earlier last week, and I keep them outide under a transparent plastic box, with a stone on the top because of the wind. They get only the sun about 20 minutes in the evening. I put some bamboo sticks to get them a little fresh air, but I remove them at night : I also tried Zelkova sinica. I had a pretty good success with winter cuttings (late February) of Zelkova serrata, we'll see how it works this time... To me, I think it's a bit late. Most of the cuttings I did were done in late June, mid-July. Qui vivra verra... ^_^
Thanks Otto. As I wrote before, I wonder whether it's not a bit too late. And I usually use a different mix : Akadama ansd a small amount of pine composted bark, or sharp sand (quartz) and pine bark. But we'll see... I also tried some just after my Sango kaku leafed out, and among the 8 or so, two not only kept their top leaves, but new ones are developping down the "trunk". But no roots pointing out of the bottom of the pots, so I'm not sure they'll take. I had a previous experience of cuttings that kept their leaves until the Autumn, but when they didn't leaf out the next spring, I took them out and they had no roots at all, they just "survived" for a season.
