Shishigashira Experiment

[MJL]

TimS kindly gave me a Shishi. I was going to keep it as a lovely garden plant but this bl@@ody addiction got the better of me. So did patience.

I was thinking of air-layering a few parts over time but this morning I saw that five branches were on one side - so why not lay it down and form a raft of some kind. Why not take advantage of any little cuttings too; I think they are hard to strike, so any that survive are just a bonus.

I am that confident the mainline tree/raft will survive. I didn't cut the root ball massively; enough on the under side and top so that I could lay it down. The moss is covering the root ball which is necessarily raised. On the underside of the trunk I striped back to the cambium and also scored it a bit. I applied liquid roots hormone and buried it. The scoring/roughing of the edges of the bark is something I learned from a Japanese Bonsai book that I have - I believe the technique may improve the look of the roots... if they do grow.

Anyway - this could be one of my many public failures; could be good. We'll see.

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I've chucked 'em under a couple of clear lids that I have - perhaps create a bit of humidity to help strike roots? Or not.

Cheers, M

[TimS]

I hope it does work for you mate! I think it's a good way to use a pretty boring stock tree (other than plant it out in the garden)

[MJL]

Thanks Tim. A week out and no visible signs of stress on with the raft or the cuttings. They seem to be enjoying life under the plastic ... that said, I know Shishi's are slow - perhaps slow to kark it too! I hope not.

[63pmp]

I've only managed to successfully airlayer shishi's. Never got a cutting to take, good luck with it. Be interesting to see your results.

[MJL]

Hey 63pm, thanks or your interest. I'll definitely keep you posted... to date, there's been little change... none dead yet. That said, I understand from this thread (viewtopic.php?f=104&t=25517&start=45) that cuttings can survive with stored energy (no roots) for months. Even if roots do sprout - it's unlikely they'll pot-on anyway! Sooo... it's probably a silly experiment. Regardless of the cuttings - I think the main raft will survive just fine - because of the intact root ball at the base ... whether the raft throws roots is yet another question. the raft is the main game and I reckon it will look good in due course.

[TimS]

I remember Bill Valavanis saying Shishi can be grown from cutting, but i’ve Never had any luck at all myself. Air layering is very easy though, so that’s why I always go with