Mountain mahogany cuttings

[JoeWilson]

I've had good luck growing mountain mahogany in the ground here, so I figured I would attempt to propagate them. These are the "Harry" and "Curl-leaf" varieties. I've got some "Littleleaf" as well that I'll try if these work out (though I may need to wait a year or two for a growth spurt). The smaller tray is all fresh, new growth. I was giving Harry a hard pruning and didn't want the cuttings to go to waste, so many of the sticks in the bigger bin probably aren't ideal, but I figured if only a small % work, I will be glad to have this many (there are about 100 here total).

I am pretty new to cutting, but I found some good research on this species, so hopefully I'm on the right track. A couple of questions:
1. I have them in full shade at the moment, on a bench under my carport. The opening of the carport is directly to the left in the photo, so they get indirect light, but no sun. Will they need more light than this?
2. How much water should I be giving them? I have another bench with a misting system, but I think that will be far too much water, and it's in the sun for half the day. I have a little misting can and plan to mist them lightly once a day or so, but I'm not sure if that is too much as well? I just misted them before taking the photo, if that helps. We have a warm, dry climate here. The soil is roughly 1:1 potting soil and pumice.

 

[August44]

I've had good luck growing mountain mahogany in the ground here, so I figured I would attempt to propagate them. These are the "Harry" and "Curl-leaf" varieties. I've got some "Littleleaf" as well that I'll try if these work out (though I may need to wait a year or two for a growth spurt). The smaller tray is all fresh, new growth. I was giving Harry a hard pruning and didn't want the cuttings to go to waste, so many of the sticks in the bigger bin probably aren't ideal, but I figured if only a small % work, I will be glad to have this many (there are about 100 here total).

I am pretty new to cutting, but I found some good research on this species, so hopefully I'm on the right track. A couple of questions:
1. I have them in full shade at the moment, on a bench under my carport. The opening of the carport is directly to the left in the photo, so they get indirect light, but no sun. Will they need more light than this?
2. How much water should I be giving them? I have another bench with a misting system, but I think that will be far too much water, and it's in the sun for half the day. I have a little misting can and plan to mist them lightly once a day or so, but I'm not sure if that is too much as well? I just misted them before taking the photo, if that helps. We have a warm, dry climate here. The soil is roughly 1:1 potting soil and pumice.

View attachment 606233

I am interested in about anything that is cutting grown as I am trying to learn how to do that. Are your cuttings this years growth or is last years growth on the bottom part. Did you, or do you have to include a node in the part going in the ground? Did you use hormone, if so which one works best for you? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[JoeWilson]

I am interested in about anything that is cutting grown as I am trying to learn how to do that. Are your cuttings this years growth or is last years growth on the bottom part. Did you, or do you have to include a node in the part going in the ground? Did you use hormone, if so which one works best for you? Any advice is appreciated.

The cuttings are a mix of new and old growth. All of the ones in the smaller tray are fresh growth that has come out in the last month or two. The cuttings in the larger tray are a mix of fresh growth and growth from prior years. So far, the new growth cuttings look better, but it’s only been a few days.

The root hormone I am using is Dip N Grow, I picked this one because you can vary the concentration for different types of plants. The studies I read showed that higher concentrations are more effective for mountain mahogany. From what I understand, most of the root hormones on the market are basically the same stuff (auxin), but at different concentration levels.

It’s too early to have any conclusions yet, but as they start rooting or dying off, I will try to remember to post updates.

 

[JoeWilson]

Oh and yes, I try and make sure there are 2-3 nodes in the dirt and I try to have a node near the end of the stick (not sure if that is necessary though). I do a scrape cut as mentioned in this paper too (page 3): https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2030&context=psc_facpub

While that paper is specifically for mountain mahogany, there's some good general information about taking and processing the cuttings.

 

[August44]

I've had good luck growing mountain mahogany in the ground here, so I figured I would attempt to propagate them. These are the "Harry" and "Curl-leaf" varieties. I've got some "Littleleaf" as well that I'll try if these work out (though I may need to wait a year or two for a growth spurt). The smaller tray is all fresh, new growth. I was giving Harry a hard pruning and didn't want the cuttings to go to waste, so many of the sticks in the bigger bin probably aren't ideal, but I figured if only a small % work, I will be glad to have this many (there are about 100 here total).

I am pretty new to cutting, but I found some good research on this species, so hopefully I'm on the right track. A couple of questions:
1. I have them in full shade at the moment, on a bench under my carport. The opening of the carport is directly to the left in the photo, so they get indirect light, but no sun. Will they need more light than this?
2. How much water should I be giving them? I have another bench with a misting system, but I think that will be far too much water, and it's in the sun for half the day. I have a little misting can and plan to mist them lightly once a day or so, but I'm not sure if that is too much as well? I just misted them before taking the photo, if that helps. We have a warm, dry climate here. The soil is roughly 1:1 potting soil and pumice.

View attachment 606233

Joe, thanks for the great reply. Good information. I have some of that Dip And Grow around but it's been around for a year or 3 and probably froze several times as it was hidden behind stuff. I wonder if that makes a difference? Please let us know how that is going and any more tips. Thanks again, August

 

[JoeWilson]

Joe, thanks for the great reply. Good information. I have some of that Dip And Grow around but it's been around for a year or 3 and probably froze several times as it was hidden behind stuff. I wonder if that makes a difference? Please let us know how that is going and any more tips. Thanks again, August

Yeah, I'm not sure about the shelf life or what conditions it needs to be stored at. But I've got mine in a drawer in my potting bench, so I should probably figure that out before winter hits, or bring it in to be safe.

 

[JoeWilson]

I've got some crispy leaves, but some new growth too! Some of the worst-looking ones have new growth. Hopefully, that's a good sign. It's taking all of my will power to not pull each one up and look at its roots (or lack thereof).