On 4/13/12 7:33 AM, BlackThumb wrote:
Hello. I was wondering how 'old' a cutting from a plant would be. As an
example:

Imagine you have a five year old plant, that is old enough to produce
fruit. If you took a cutting from this plant, would you have to wait
five years for that cutting to produce fruit?

The reason I am asking is because I am buying a Coffee Arabica which is
one year old. However, they don't produce beans until four-five years
and was wondering if producing a couple of cuttings from it would be
make them a year behind.

Generally, a new plant started from a cutting has its clock reset. The
issue is not the age of the parent plant. It is the extent to which the
new plant's roots and top growth have become established. Thus,
cuttings from a plant that was already producing fruit will experience a
delay in maturing.

I have seen this with rooted cuttings of grape vines. The parents had
been producing grapes for a few years already. The rooted cuttings,
however, delayed fruiting for about three years, which is what I
previously experienced from grape vines bought at a nursery.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary