At 02:34 AM 4/12/03 -0700, Tony Busko wrote:
How long will the cuttings take to root?. Couple weeks ago, there was a
Bonsai show at my local botanical garden here in So. Redondo Beach, and the
speaker was using a cork tree. I took some cuttings(8) from him and I have
it in a pot now, waiting for roots to come. He did tell me it will take
some time. I didn't use any rooting hormone, but you say I'll be ok...so
what about the watering. Is it the same, wait till its dry or do I keep it
moist. Your answers are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Tony

Many of your questions will be answered by reading the Cutting Propagation
article at my website:

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/cuttings.htm

I can think of several species that might be called "cork tree". I would
need to know the botanical name to give you more information on the species
that you have. If it is cork oak, Quercus suber, you can pretty much forget
it. The difficult to impossible to root from cuttings.

Cuttings can root in as little as ten days to as much as three years
depending on the species.

I think you misread my previous post. I said that cuttings _can_ be rooted
without hormone, but it depends on the species. Most species _cannot_ be
rooted without applying hormone.

Watering of course is the hardest part of starting cuttings. You are
dealing with plant tissue that has no roots, no way to take up water except
through capillary action at the base of the stem and through the pores of
the leaves and stems. If you keep them in a normal plant environment, they
will usually die before rooting.

They are two major ways of dealing with semi hardwood cuttings (cuttings
taken during the season of hardened new growth). The first is a mist
system. This is different from getting out the spray bottle once or twice
day. That will do virtually nothing. A mist system is a timed spray that
typically will come on for about seven to ten seconds every fifteen minutes
(during the day, it is off at night). This keep the leaf surface nearly
continually wet.

The second method is the cloche system. It involves keeping the humidity at
near 100% by covering the cuttings with a plastic or glass frame. It should
receive no direct sunlight and should be kept cool, as on the surface of
the earth or under a bench. Various ingenious methods such as large plastic
bottles cut in half work well. You should check daily to make sure the
medium is staying wet.

Hardwood cuttings are taken in winter. They are usually stored until late
winter or early spring in cool damp cellars, packed in a medium like moist
sawdust. They are taken out a few weeks before typical budbreak time and
planted in the earth, although pots may work. Since there are no leaves to
transpire, the elaborate systems above are not necessary. However, success
depends greatly on your local climate. If you live in an area that can get
hot and dry fast, you are going to have problems. If you have long cool,
wet springs, you will have more success. The idea is to have the callused
cuttings root before the buds break or at about the same time. Not all
species can be rooted this way. In fact, the limitations of this system is
what fueled the research for mist and cloche systems.

Brent in Northern California
Evergreen Gardenworks USDA Zone 8 Sunset Zone 14

http://www.EvergreenGardenworks.com

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