When to pot cuttings

[Jrhudson]

Hello,

About a month ago, moving a nursery shin deshojo tree i broke off a branch accidentally. So i took it and turned it into 2 cuttings. Now they have some new leaves growing. One of them is starting to develop mold on it. The other one seems to want to grow. My question is, when should i pot them? I know they likely dont have roots but when should i check them for roots? The end of spring?

Also have a few prunus mume cuttings doing the same thing. Same question.

Ive tried to do so in the past with other cuttings and they would just die out. Just not sure when to take these out of the mini greenhouse i made.

 

[liltrees]

I'd like to hear from some others on this topic but I personally leave all of my cuttings alone until the following spring to allow the roots to harden off.

After an entire growing season you'll also know which ones have roots and which dont based on those that are still alive. They generally wont survive on stored energy for too long.

 

[Jrhudson]

I'd like to hear from some others on this topic but I personally leave all of my cuttings alone until the following spring to allow the roots to harden off.

After an entire growing season you'll also know which ones have roots and which dont based on those that are still alive. They generally wont survive on stored energy for too long.

Yea i kinda had some citrus tree cuttings die last year when i did not have any clue about stored energy. I saw the leaves and thought they grew roots. I took it out of the mini greenhouse and put it outside. Yea it died like a week later.

So when i see leaves growing im just not sure when to take them out of the mini greenhouse or take them outside now. It’s still cold out so for now i left them inside. Just dont want them to shrivel up like last year’s citrus cuttings

 

[liltrees]

Im not sure where you are located but to play it safe, I would leave them inside where you have a bit more control on the temp and humidity.

New roots, if there are any, will be very tender and susceptible to changes in temp or even movement from then wind. When the weather is consistently nice, I like to introduce them gradually into "real world conditions"/slowly giving them more direct sunlight.

You mentioned mold. From your pictures it appears those cuttings are a bit wet (specifically the JM). I would start easing up on the watering and making sure the water has a way to drain so it doesnt stand. Roots need water AND oxygen.

 

[Jrhudson]

Im not sure where you are located but to play it safe, I would leave them inside where you have a bit more control on the temp and humidity.

New roots, if there are any, will be very tender and susceptible to changes in temp or even movement from then wind. When the weather is consistently nice, I like to introduce them gradually into "real world conditions"/slowly giving them more direct sunlight.

You mentioned mold. From your pictures it appears those cuttings are a bit wet (specifically the JM). I would start easing up on the watering and making sure the water has a way to drain so it doesnt stand. Roots need water AND oxygen.

Im in California. Zone 9b. Its been raining so its cold

Yea i dont water them often. But good point, i guess since i used whatever potting soil i had they're more wet than substrate. Ill check the drainage in them. Hmm okay ill unzip the baggy should be fine humidity-wise since i have a wrap over the tote, along with black towel and wrapped in a black trash bag lol.

Thanks for the pointers.

 

[Shibui]

I leave most cuttings alone until I see roots coming out the bottom of the pot. That's when I KNOW it has rooted V hoping. Some species with small, fine roots don't show up at the drain holes so they need to be checked when there's some new shoots. If I leave azaleas and some other fine rooted species too long the constant moisture can cause root rot. I can usually slide the soil mass gently out of the pot and check for roots around the sides of the pot. If no roots, just slide it gently back into the pot and return to the propagating area.
Rooted cuttings can be unpotted and potted on whenever they have some roots, regardless of time of year. Sometimes leaving them too long is detrimental.