J-Bog

Hey guys,

I have a sugar maple in my yard, It is over 35 years old and this year it has a REALLY nice little shoot growing from the base of the tree. I want to collect it and root it for bonsai.

I am unsure about how I can go about harvesting that little shoot, its been growing all summer and is around 6 inches in size and has it's own leaves and everything.

Can I simply cut it at the base and put it into some water? What should I do?


Thank You!!

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"It is said that you should never leave anything to chance; but, in operating like that, chance never leaves anything to you."

Mattbonsai

Not knowing the tree (Acer saccharum) personally, I can not guarantee which method would be best used, but there are 3 potential methods to choose from.

1: Semi-ripe cuttings

-Now is the perfect time to take them

-Remove the top of the stem down about 6 inches, cutting just below a node

-Then remove leaves from the bottom 2 - 3 inches of the stem which has been removed

-Cut the remaining leaves in half

-Dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone powder (spitting on the end is also rumoured to work as an alternative)

-Insert into a moist gritty compost

-Keep the compost moist and place in an unheated, humid, greenhouse / coldframe, or place a clear polythene bag over the top ensuring that the plastic doesn't touch the plant.

- Can take between 6 - 12 months to root.

2: Hardwood Cuttings

-To be taken later in the year, just after leaf drop.

-The stem is removed from the parent plant, and pruned to a maximum of 10 inches long, ensuring it is cut below a node.

-Dip the end of the cutting in rooting hormone powder, or spit on the end.

-Insert into the ground, providing you are on a well drained site, or into a pot of gritty compost.

-Place in a sheltered spot in the garden, or in an unheated greenhouse / coldframe.

- Normally takes a maximum of 1 year to achieve

3: Layering

- To be done any time of year.

- The leaves on the lower portion of the stem are removed along with any debris and weeds.

- The stem is damaged slightly, in equal spacings around the stem at the level where the nebari is wanted, being certain that the stem is NOT ring barked. and a rooting hormone powder / spit is applied to the damaged areas.

- A gritty compost or garden soil is mounded up to a couple of centimeters above the wounded area and firmed down.

- The compost is kept moist, and the stem allowed to grow.

- Can take up to 2 years to work. But may work by next spring, depending on the plant.

Hope this helps, and someone chimes in who will know which method is best.

-Matt-

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