Japanese Maple Hardwood propagation - new method experiment - WAX seal on BIG cuttings!!

[@Asyakerz]

Awesome! Looking forward to seeing the results!

[@KitakuBonsai]

Fingers crossed!

[@ernsttencate6699]

Please give updates in spring 23 Did this with a thick fig trunk and it rooted. I like what you do. Nice video's with good content.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks! Ill definitely have updates next year. I appreciate your interest in our channel!!

[@jameswalker3416]

I plan on taking cuttings from japanese maple in February and planting them. It's worked with common maples in the past.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Awesome! Be sure to let me know how it turns out!! Where are you/usda zone?

[@jameswalker3416]

@Kitaku Bonsai I'm in 5 b I have bad luck with japanese maple cutting.

[@KitakuBonsai]

@@jameswalker3416 I’ve had plenty of failures myself, I know all about that. With hardwood cuttings taken in the late fall, you might have slightly better success, I know I have! I’ll definitely give an update on this method this coming spring. Fingers crossed!

[@michaelmott7402]

Interesting concept looking forward to seeing it in spring

[@KitakuBonsai]

You and me both!! 😂

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

You have definitely gone for it big! I wait and see - if it works then lots of people will be eager to try it in 12 months time. Cheers Xavier. I am trying your method from last year next week. :)

[@KitakuBonsai]

Great! I’m sure you’ll have success. And I hope that the waxing procedure pays off. Stay tuned! 😂

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@@KitakuBonsai It worked on my legs😅🤣😂

[@peterjohnson350]

It will be interesting to see if this works. I think I would have been tempted to wait a little longer and air layer them. Wishing you the best of luck.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks Peter! Air layering is certainly a standard and proven option. Mostly, I’m just trying to push the boundaries on ‘standards’ and see if I can develop a faster and reliably effective way to propagate. Hopefully it works - if so, I think lots of people would be interested in adopting the technique

[@bmwrulesforeternity5218]

@@KitakuBonsai I sooooo hope that your technique works ... but I have my doubts. But say that one or two of them happen create roots and then sprout a leaf system .. then I think it would be worth it ... The Spring of 2023 will be interesting , .. to see if they do root, and such. In the spring, i am going to air layer a whole bunch of trees .. likely in February / March when it is still very cool.

[@KitakuBonsai]

I wish you all the best success for next spring my friend!! My hardwood project last year gave me roughly a 8% success rate for ones that rooted. If I could double or triple that with the wax method, I’d be delighted!!

[@rubene4403]

Just found your channel and this is your second video I’ve watched I’ve liked them both and subscribed. Good luck with those large cuttings. It’s been about a year since you made the video so the results showed be known soon. I would have done air layers but if your method works then you can get more large trees quicker.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Welcome aboard! So unfortunately these big cuttings didn’t make it - BUT it’s still a possibility. Just about every one developed major callus tissue on the way to rooting. I had a series of issues come up in my personal life, the cuttings got neglected and ultimately failed. I think it could be a multi year process but can be successful if taken care of. I’m going to keep trying!

[@mikbonsai]

I have been off YT for 5 years and just got back and started with airlayering. I use Pertoleum jelly to seal the cuts at the top, also candle wax, both work. I tried to find a follow up video on this one and couldn't. If you have it, please post a link in reply to this comment.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Mr Iqbal!!!! So nice to see your name and face again!!! We’ve missed you!! I don’t have a follow up video on this topic but I’m glad to hear that we’re of like mind. Are you going to be posting videos again?

[@mikbonsai]

@@KitakuBonsai I have started to make and post bonasi videos again. The progvress is slow and steady. So look out for my new videos.

[@KitakuBonsai]

I sure will!!

[@TonysBonsai]

Good luck! This will be an interesting experiment. I am planning on trying something similar with several different species next year, but I will be using the technique suggested by Graham Potter. He suggests using pure pine bark and he seems to have greats success with it, but ot will be really fun seeing how your trees get along on the free draining mix.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks for the input! 😁 this setup was moderately successful for sure. I posted an updated plan for this years propagation using the same mix but waxing the tips of the cuttings. I’m hoping that will raise the success rate even further.

[@Steviejapanesegarden]

Very interesting stuff

[@DianePahl]

Looking forward to see how this experiment works! Crossing my fingers for you.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks Diane!!!

[@jasonstegall5257]

Did you get any root growth here? Im about to take some cuttings from broken maple from storm but curious how thick of branches will root. We have one branch in water since 8-9 days when the storm cane through. Hoping to cut it until cuttings and propagate as much as possible using thin and thick cuttings. any feedback or advice from your experiential? My thickest branch is a little thicker than thumb, almost 1" in diameter and Im not sure what size will propagate for sure, do you know?

[@KitakuBonsai]

thanks for asking! simple stuff first - just do it! lol. take any size cuttings you can and stick them in a really well draining inorganic mix, some of them can likely make it, thin or thick. if it works, you win, if not, oh well.... the longer story is this - i did in fact get a TON of callus tissue on the big ones last year, it was working.... but then i had some major life issues pop up, i neglected them, they dried out and died. i failed to keep care of them but the process was working - BUT i think for the really big ones, it'll be a 2-year rooting, not the usual 1 like for pencil sized cuttings. so TRY! don't know what zone you are, but if its not too crazy hot just yet, id think theres a chance to get something out of it. if there's no growth in the next 2-3 months, they're probably toast. ill be making a series of videos towards autumn on how to get max results with overwintering your cuttings, so if nothing else, thats coming soon. please let me know what type of results you get with your cuttings, id love to hear back from you!

[@jasonstegall5257]

@@KitakuBonsai Great thanks for replying. we will give it a shot at different sizes and document success and share with you! we in NC zone 6-7 so hopfully we have a chance..

[@987654ok]

I think this method would work better in spring, with misting 2-3 times a day. in general, I would reccomend looking into air layering as you can airlayer below the forks and create interesting future bonsai, already mature, quick and easy. Good luck with experiment anyways. I am also in the middle of similar try with a very thick maple without roots, so cannot wait for spring ... hopeful, but having my doubts

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks for chiming in! I’m hopeful too. I’ll definitely be posting the results next spring - good or bad.

[@sidvicioux]

cool! please keep us updated!

[@KitakuBonsai]

For sure!

[@bachngoctranthi7808]

Hi Kitaku, Thank you very much for the video, I am interested very much and would like to propagate the Japanese maple tree, but my zone is 4B and 5A. Please let me know which zone you are, is it possible to apply the same method shows in this video to my zone?

[@KitakuBonsai]

Hey friend! My zone is 6b/7a. I think the method would still work fine for you, the only major difference would be your colder temps and shorter growing season. Hardwood cuttings need a period of cold winter dormancy, but I would suggests keeping them from an extended deep freeze in the elements. An unheated garage or shed could probably give you good protection. I’m very pleased with how this project is going and I’ll have more vids coming up about it. What I’ve learned though is the wax on top helps a lot, and you must have at least one small branch with a a few nodes, and that the branch terminates at an intact node, not a cut end. With that, my success rate is really high and I think you could do it too!

[@purohitsharad4601]

Did you closed the box. Was the box kept outside. What zone you are in. The only infor i gleaned is aomewhere in early fall you chopped the tree, the wax method is great. But A lot of the key info are missing for others to be successful

[@ronnietidwell5381]

My suggestion would be to bury the branches up to about and inch or so shy of the top. I tried this with Crape Myrtle branches and did not have any success- if I did it again I’d burry the branch to almost the top… it would give more exposure to the soil, moisture, and nutrients. The roots may bud from the sides…🤞

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks for chiming in! Makes sense. When did you take your cuttings?

[@ronnietidwell5381]

@@KitakuBonsai early spring, May I believe.. I live in SC.

[@shanewatson8581]

New to your channel Liked and subscribed Will be interesting to see if this works 🤞 Cheers from down under

[@KitakuBonsai]

Nice to have you aboard Shane! I’ll certainly let you know either way next year!

[@kennethstensrud669]

Will be exciting to see the result of this. Just a couple of tips, the saw is very blunt, and are in need of a good sharpening. The next is that you should take a sharp knife to clean up the cut ends, it is in these ragged edges that fungi etc can enter the cutting and ruin your experiment. I have experienced that large cuttings make better, and more, roots when the cut is at a slant, not straight across.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks for the input!! Makes a lot of sense!

[@armanmirk]

Hey I live in Australia where we are about to enter summer time. In this past winter I experimented with hornbeams along a bunch of other plants like witch hazels and various prunus with a bottom heater. The hornbeams are very strong and they seem to be taking but the rest kinda didn't really go anywhere even though they developed callus at the bottom (I think bottom heating makes a huge difference in terms of callus production) but following that point the after care becomes very important - i.e. how much moisture should be in the medium and how much sun to expose the new leaves to. I suspect keeping them inside a greenhouse should help and that's what I'm going to experiment with this winter.

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks for sharing! A greenhouse can do wonders for sure. I let my cuttings get morning sun and afternoon part shade through the summer. They’re still babies! 😂feel free to post some pics of your set up if you want!

[@petrvranovsky5662]

Hello. I'm thinking about that maybe two years ago and it's possible. Jerome from bonsai supplies doing same thing and it works. He has nice video here in KZbin. 👍👍

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks for letting me know! I’ll check it out!

[@lobo11141]

It’s been over 2 months now. Did it worked?

[@KitakuBonsai]

Thanks for asking Mr Nutz!! I just opened the bins and took a look. No growth yet, it’s still been fairly cold here so I don’t expect to see much until March really. However, there’s no sign of death or die back in any of the cuttings, which is huge! By this time last year, I probably lost 25% of the cutting I took just from desiccation.

[@Mushroom-x1y]

期待成功😸

[@TorreyWork]

So....What happened?

[@KitakuBonsai]

Long story short, this can and does work. But it’s a 2-year process for the really large ones. They all developed lots of callus tissues at the base and rooting was starting, but I ran into some job and personal crises that took my time and focus away, the cuttings got neglected and ultimately failed. I’m going to try again though. In about five or six weeks, I’m going to do a start to finish video on hardwood cutting propagation, using a 7ft Japanese maple that I’m going to completely piece into cuttings.

[@abcertweld]

Airlayering that is what you want to do. Research airlayering in this way you save the main trees and can continue to take from it for years.

[@KitakuBonsai]

I’m very well-versed in air layering. This particular episode was an experiment to see if new methods might bring more consistent and expedited results.

[@donalddunn8222]

I guess neither of you Maple tree cutting test turned out. I looked for an update but found nothing.

[@KitakuBonsai]

I’m going to make a follow up video to show the tree, where it was cut and how it healed. Yes it was a failure, but that’s because squirrels kept chewing through the container and destroying my work. I still think it could work on such a large branch.

[@kestane123chesmo]

dude its called air layering, and you could use cut paste instead of wax

[@KitakuBonsai]

I hear you, I’ve done plenty of air layering. But in this technique, I’m exploring two specific aspects: production capacity/scalability, and lowering cost of materials. Dialing that in gets me towards an enterprise rather than just a hobbyist.

[@epicname1549]

Your intro and commentary should be the same volume. Please and thank you!

[@jonathanaristone2468]

My money is on traditional Air Layer in early spring. The biology in your theory does not compute with science. What advantage is this idea over A/L the same wood? Any large cuts are best done for the tree in early spring. Willows yes, Maples No. I'm open to your thoughts but not at the cost of deadwood ! Good Luck !!!!

[@KitakuBonsai]

I hear what you're saying my friend. My experiment here is more about scaling up production for quantity. Personally, i think the biology is comparable to A/L, in removing a section from the parent root system, but obviously this method is much more drastic. But also, in the name of science, if it works for me, and can be recreated and confirmed by others, then we'd really have something cool going on right? 🤞

[@FuckThisSiteNow]

I believe it's more of a chance convenience over purpose driven propagating.

[@thenaturecreater8906]

You need to do somthing about the sound. Its very bad.

[@KitakuBonsai]

I’ll try to get better on it!

[@thenaturecreater8906]

@@KitakuBonsai and looking forward to see if the big cuttings take! Fun Greetings from norway

[@mattss7886]

I like you until you pulled out that battery powered Milwaukee saw