With rooted cuttings, they can be transplanted into pots soon after delivery while unrooted cuttings need to develop roots first before transplanting.
Rules followed so as to obtain mother stock are as follows; first, the cuttings should be roughly the thickness of a pencil. Cuttings should have at least two nodes since roots will grow from the nodes in the rooting medium and leaf system from the upper node. Also, use rooting hormones to encourage faster even root development. Cuttings should be at least 10 cm tall with one set of leaves at the terminal end and lastly stick your cuttings as soon as possible after taking the cuttings.
Root development and transplanting
Transplanting of cuttings is done once a healthy root system has developed and cuttings have hardened off. The cuttings are first left in the mist bed for 4 weeks. Two cuttings are placed in a single bag to ensure the likelihood of survival.
Transplanting to larger pots of 10 litres and topiary is done approximately 14 weeks later. These pots are filled with high quality mixture of composted bark and manure.
Key steps
When sticking cuttings , it‘s important to make sure that leaves of the adjacent cuttings do not overlap and touch each other since fungal and bacterial growth will be encouraged. Also remember to dip the bottom nodes into powdered hormone before sticking them in the rooting medium.
Best time to take cuttings is during the cool periods and store them in a humid warm environment to encourage root growth and prevent dehydration in the mist bed.
Pot mixture
Pots mixture consists of composted bark mixed with sand and perlite. Slow release fertilizer is included to supplement new root and leaf developments. These pots are kept under a shade net to prevent damage from excessive rain or hail and shields young plants from harsh sunlight.
Irrigation of pots is done once a day with s sprinkler system. To sum up, as new growth flushed from the base, it must be continually pruned to maintain standard form.
