Crepe Myrtle cuttings

[zimzallabim]

It will be a fun experiment and for only 10 clams, hey why not!

The problem I picture with the big one is that it will just be one giant stump, with no interesting movement or taper which is normally what is strived for in a bonsai trunk.

Personally I would have grown each cutting individually to make sure they all strike before binding them, in order to assure you don't get any that fail. Then once they have roots of their own, combine maybe 5 (depending on their thickness) in order to keep it at a size were a new leader can then be grown on and cut back to. Having a trunk with the sort of circumference that yours has will take many MANY years to get the desired proportionate taper people normally strive for.

Having said that this is just my opinion and nothing more. And don't read into this like you have to change anything. I am also new to this, so wait for the guidance from the more experienced before you go considering altering anything. Like I said, just my personal opinion

Good luck with the project and have fun!

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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That makes alot if sense.

I will do another big tray of cuttings. If nothing else I can give them away lol

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[shibui]

When I mentioned bundling the cuttings I only meant temporarily over winter. In spring I usually lift them, untie the bundles and inspect the base of each. The ones with good callus that I am confident will grow roots are then planted out separately to finish rooting.
As a coincidence we covered fusing at our club meeting last night. Everyone who has tried this reported that some individual trunks nearly always die in the process but it does not matter too much because the others that stay alive will eventually grow to fill the spaces. So even if a few of these don't root you can probably just slip out the dead ones and leave the rest to grow.
At this stage you are not irrevocably committed to the fusion. If some don't sprout in spring just undo the bundles and rearrange the survivors.

I also agree with Pearcy about these just ending up as big stumps. You'll need to allow some of them to grow longer to make the future leaders while controlling growth on some so the new leader is thinner than the base. Maybe it would be better to start with some cuttings longer than others - that might give some taper right from the start?

Alpine also showed last night how to twist the trunks when you put them together so the future trunk ends up with a spiral pattern rather than boring straight. Looks like you have achieved that on the smaller one Zim.

for these trials. I'll be interested to see the progress.

[zimzallabim]

Thanks shibui

I know exactly what you mean by using longer and shorter cutting, I will probably do another one like this. Plenty more left on the tree hahaha

Will probably leave them growing fir couple of years I reckon anyway before even touching them again.

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[tommytwotoes]

Hey Zim,
How'd you go with these cuttings? I've got a crepe myrtle thats a bit leggy and was thinking of doing the same.
Thanks in advance.

[zimzallabim]

They're shooting but I haven't checked fir roots yet. Might pot one into a tub on the weekend and get some photos.

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[shibui]

Leave them alone for now
New shoots does not necessarily mean roots. Lots of cuttings will make shoots with energy stored in the wood then they may or maybe not produce roots. Leave them alone to do it.
New roots are white but very brittle. It does not take very much to knock new roots right off the cutting which obviously isn't going to do it any good.

Did you hear me? LEAVE THEM ALONE for now.

[Paul W]

Yes I heard you and I am in the big smoke.

[zimzallabim]

Ok ill pot them up then he he he

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