Taking a cutting of a bonsai tree

Bonsai Pictures – Taking a cutting

This article will try to explain the creation of a Serissa Foetida by cutting. This article may in a general way explain the process of reproduction by cuttings.

In this article I will show you how to produce a bonsai from a cutting. In this case we will see the cutting being taken from a Serissa. We are lucky here in this case as we have a particularly leafy tree-type. This should be done in late spring or early summer.

To start with cuttings are taken from the mother plant.
Here I have chosen my unsightly shoots that the Serissa made at the base of the trunk. But you can also take the cuttings on the branches.

I have used scissors but a well sharpened knife is also fine, preferably a scalpel as the cut needs to be as clean as possible. The cut should preferably be made obliquely or at an angle.

Once cut, remove most of the leaves that are on your cutting. Before installing your cuttings in the pot, be sure to put a few stones at the bottom to facilitate drainage. Your new cutting will need water, but will also need to breathe. Thus, soil remaining wet too long will have the effect of drowning your plants.

Now fill your bosai pot with a good well draining saoil and prick a small hole with a small stick. At this stage i ussually dip my cutting in a rooting compound, something like clonex will do. Noow place it in the hole, taking care to properly pack the soil around it gently 

I like to now  gently water them in using rain water and keep them in a warm place, not in direct sun as they will dry out too quickly. Monitor them closely for the next two weeks and after excercising a bit of patience your cuttings should take.

It’s a good idea to do a few at a time because not all of them may be successful, ussually there is around a 50% success rate. 

Just for added info, some people advise to mix the water with a fungicide, which in effect is to prevent the growth of fungi. I have not done this before so i cannot comment on how it works but it makes sense.