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Post by macmex on Nov 18, 2021 12:19:45 GMT -6
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Nov 21, 2021 7:06:19 GMT -6
Wow! George, thanks, for posting those videos. That was very informative. Watching those clips makes me wish it was Springtime, so I could go right out and try that. The 3rd method he showed, where he placed three cuttings in a pot and covered them with a plastic bag made me wonder if a plastic bread sack would work just as well to create the mini greenhouse for keeping in moisture and letting in sunlight. He mentioned indirect sunlight. The bread sack would also have printing on it that would filter light somewhat.
I always save bread sacks in Winter to place over my hands to keep my gloves dry while working outside. I always end up having more stored away than I can use. That might be a good way to use up some of the surplus.
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Post by macmex on Nov 21, 2021 19:08:49 GMT -6
Bread wrappers! That brings back memories. My mentor taught me to save them to use for hunting. When we'd bag a rabbit we'd slip it in the bread wrapper so as not to get blood in our hunting coat pockets.
Ron, I think we could even try doing a large cutting, burying 2-3' of a thick mulberry branch and leaving just a few leaf nodes above ground. If we did this around this time of year and keep it moist, there's a chance it will root.
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Post by macmex on Nov 23, 2021 12:51:30 GMT -6
I tried to do two air layerings this year and both flopped. Here's a great video on how to air layer a mulberry tree. I didn't use mature wood and I didn't scrape away all outer bark, exposing the cambium. I'm impressed too, with how this fellow makes his "package" for doing the air layering. Looks really efficient.
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Post by macmex on Dec 30, 2021 6:59:58 GMT -6
I've been researching on mulberry propagation, seeing as I've tried for something like 6 years, without success, to root some cuttings. One of the things I believe I've learned is that I needed to make cuttings from hard wood (thicker, more mature) than the tiny twigs I've attempted. Even my air layering attempts, last summer, were on newer, green twigs. I'm planning to take this project to a new level this coming year
Here's photo of some cuttings I made on Christmas day.
Notice that they came off a large limb and that I left a piece of that limb on their ends. The theory is that perhaps they will be more inclined to grow roots there. Also, I scraped away some of the outer bark on the end that went into the potting medium to expose the cambium. These two are now in a pot, together, out in my milking shed, where they'll be fairly protected and receive filtered light. Before Friday's arctic blast I'll probably bring them indoors for a bit.
One of the contradictions I hear from different sources is whether or not to supply heat when doing a cutting in the winter. I'll probably try it both ways.
Additionally my family got me the makings for that aeroponic cloning unit that Tucson Grower showed us. I'll probably try that with both mulberry and blueberry cuttings.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 31, 2021 10:57:15 GMT -6
I had forgotten about that aeroponic cloning unit, thanks for bringing that up.
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Post by rdback on Jan 4, 2022 8:23:29 GMT -6
Mulberry trees can be pretty in the Winter as well. Snapped this pic yesterday. It's the same tree the racoon enjoyed a few years ago.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 5, 2022 9:36:18 GMT -6
They do have a lovely shape, and even an ugly tree looks nice dressed up in snow and ice, I think. I miss those scenes from Virginia (winter snows were my favorite weather), but I don’t long for them to hit down here because of all the harm they do.
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Post by macmex on Jan 21, 2022 11:23:22 GMT -6
Here's an update on those two mulberry cuttings, pictured above. I've set them in potting soil, in a 6" pot, watering with a Clonex solution and covering with a makeshift "green house" which I made from a cut off plastic bottle. I have kept this pot in the house most of the time time, trying to keep it warm and encourage growth. At approximately 2 1/2 weeks I noticed that one twig was beginning to bug. Coming up on three weeks, it was obvious that both little branches are budding. Budding doesn't necessarily mean that they are rooting, but I take that as a good sign. I'll be pretty sure they're rooting if they begin growing significantly.
Here's a photo of the two, without the "greenhouse" over top. I can't afford to keep many of these under lights (no space) but I'm thrilled to get two new little trees.
A couple of days ago I went out and made about a dozen more cuttings.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 21, 2022 17:57:49 GMT -6
That is an encouraging sign, macmex. I needed to prune one of my olives a while back (it had died to the ground during the February freeze, then grown back from roots as a thicket of sorts). After dipping the cuttings in rooting hormone (first time I’ve ever used that!), I stuck them in one of my containers outside that has a water reservoir. I didn’t use a greenhouse because this was outside in Texas, and I didn’t want to cook them. A number of them dried up, but two of those little cuttings are not dead yet. I don’t know if they’re rooting, and they don’t have bud growth like your mulberries, but I figure “not dead yet” after a couple months is a pretty good sign. There’s something keeping them alive, and I sure hope it’s roots. It’s one of those hard parts of growing things when you want to know what’s going on down below, but you can’t peek.
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Post by macmex on Jan 22, 2022 22:39:12 GMT -6
So true. To peek is likely to kill. I won't peek at the roots on these cuttings until there is considerable growth on top and I can transplant them at a time when there is less stress.
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Post by Tucson Grower on Jan 23, 2022 10:02:45 GMT -6
macmex, That's one of the main reasons I like the cloning buckets, I can easily watch what's happening, without worries of harming my cuttings/clones. I'm just highly curious - if it is at all possible I've always gotta be watching.
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Post by macmex on Jan 23, 2022 17:04:39 GMT -6
Well, I'm about to find this out first hand. My Christmas present from the family, this last Christmas was all the makings to make two of those cloning buckets. They're setting in our kitchen, all set to go. I'll be starting them up real soon!
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Post by chrysanthemum on Jan 23, 2022 19:59:34 GMT -6
What a great Christmas present! I think you’ll need to document it (with photos) in the other thread.
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Post by macmex on Jan 25, 2022 8:19:41 GMT -6
Here's an update on these cuttings. At 26 days in a warm environment we have leaves and flowers. I'm visiting our son and his family for a couple days but Jerreth sent me this photo. I told her to pick off the flower. It's not helpful to the cutting at this stage.
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