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How to pot pine seedling-cuttings

May 25, 2012 by Jonas Dupuich

When making cuttings of young pine seedlings – seedling cuttings – it’s important to use a potting medium that retains moisture. An easy way to achieve this is by using a potting medium like sand. Its small particles retain moisture and enough air for new roots to develop.

Although fine sand particles are good for developing new roots, they don’t provide the drainage the cuttings will need once new roots are established. For this reason it’s common to use several grades of soil when planting seedling cuttings.

In the past, I’ve used a solid cylinder to make a crater into which I pour sand that will keep cuttings moist. At a recent Bay Island Bonsai meeting, I learned a crafty technique that makes the process easier. I begin by filling a small plastic pot about half way full of bonsai soil. I then set an open cylinder, a section of 3/4″ irrigation pipe in this case, on top of the soil.

Cylinder resting on bonsai soil

Plastic pot, bonsai soil, PVC cylinder

I then add more bonsai soil around the cylinder.

Bonsai soil around cylinder

Pot filled with bonsai soil

Next, I fill the cylinder with sand and then remove it.

Sand inside cylinder

Cylinder filled with sand

After removing cylinder

After removing the cylinder

I’d prefer to use a larger grade of sand, but fine is all I have right now. As an experiment, I replaced the sand with very fine akadama particles, the result of sifting through akadama “dust” with a very fine sieve.

Very small akadama

Fine akadama particles

Using akadama instead of sand

3″ pot with fine akadama

After filling the pots with soil, I watered them and poked a very small hole for the cuttings. I made the cuttings, applied root hormone, dropped them into place, and then watered them again (see “How to create seedling cuttings” for details).

Seedling-cutting planted in akadama

Cutting in fine akadama

To preserve additional moisture, I added a little sand on top of the akadama.

Sand sprinkled atop akadama

Sand sprinkled on fine akadama

I used individual pots for my red pine seedling cuttings because only a few were mature enough to make the cuttings. Far more of my black pine seedlings were ready. Instead of planting these into individual containers as I usually do, I planted them in rows in a larger pot. Two of the rows are planted in sand and two in fine akadama covered with a little sand.

Seedling-cuttings planted in rows

Seedling cuttings in terra cotta pot

Once the cuttings root, I’ll repot them into individual containers and start fertilizing. Until then, I’ll keep them under shade cloth with my other cuttings.

Seedling-cuttings placed under shade cloth

Cuttings in the shade

The first time I made seedling cuttings I created a mini-hot house to maintain humidity while the cuttings rooted. It was essentially a plastic box I set over the pots with the cuttings. Now that I have a watering system, I leave the cuttings in the open so the system can keep them moist. In the future, I may create a box with a mister inside to keep the humidity even higher.

✕

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Filed Under: Bonsai Care Tagged With: Black Pine, Red Pine, Repotting, Seedling Cutting

Previous Post: « Japanese plum cutback
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Daniel Dolan says

    May 25, 2012 at 4:43 am

    Jonas:

    I have asked many expert Bonsai folks this question about root hormone application and so would appreciate your response.

    Most folks relate that they apply root hormone……..in many different applications…….and water.

    Doesn’t the water completely wash the root hormone powder off of the area to which it was applied….in the first watering much less successive waterings?

    The response of many is…yes. So how does it actually benefit the plant?

    Thank you for all your work.

    Best regards,

    D/D
    Chicago

  2. tmmason10 says

    May 25, 2012 at 4:51 am

    Great idea, thanks for sharing Jonas. In a few weeks I have a few cuttings to make so I will probably use this technique.

  3. Rusty says

    May 25, 2012 at 9:22 am

    Jonas, I hope you are not sick of all my questions – I feel like this post was written especially for me 🙂
    I really appreciate you sharing the knowledge!
    Thank you.
    rusty

  4. Jonas Dupuich says

    May 25, 2012 at 10:18 am

    Thanks – everyone – for the questions. They’ve helped me learn a lot over the years.

    Daniel – I don’t know enough about root hormone application to provide a good answer for this. I’ve used root hormone on the recommendation of others without looking into how it works or learning about optimal application methods. It would be fun to hear from an expert on the topic.

  5. Rui Marques says

    June 2, 2012 at 8:43 am

    IMO, better than hormone powder is a Rooting Compound Gel named clonex

    • Jonas Dupuich says

      June 2, 2012 at 9:13 am

      Hi Rui – thanks for the recommendation. I’d love to try the gel and will keep my out for it.

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