Propagating Carmine Jewel Cherries

Transplanted some of my cherries to garden today from flats, also moved some outside that were growing under lights, not gonna bother transitioning them, they might not survive but whatever, I planted them deep and once the ground freezes I plan to layer chopped leaves on top of them and cover with some white fabric stuff, held down with wooden boards.


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Again, why are you putting them so close together. Won’t you end up with a tangled mess?

Same answer, let them grow for a year and then Ill dig and transplant them… They wont get too tangled with just 1 year growth.

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@TheDerek, Have you tried stooling the cherries?

not sure what that is!

A stoolbed is a propagation method Making a pear stoolbed for propagating rootstocks - #6 by clarkinks

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@TheDerek Here is a great video from one of my favorite youtube channels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbxC6L2Gg7k

Edit: Here is a video showing the result: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeHl7LMEg5o

@clarkinks Thanks!

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Ok, ive seen that and tried it myself once, not with CJ tho. I didnt have great luck but I think its due to the medium I chose. I might give it a go this spring again…

For those interested in CJ cuttings, I think my main problem has been nutrition of the cuttings while rooting. Some plants dont require additional nutrients while rooting, but these cherries seem to. I found this when doing a little searching about propagation that some might find interesting. Next year I think Im going to try adding .4-.5 oz osmocote + / gallon of rooting medium as suggested in this pdf I found…

PROPAGATING PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS

Thoughts and suggestions from Carl Whitcomb PhD.

Beyond the obvious of having good water pressure, mist heads, time clocks, etc. Here are my top

10 factors that can improve the rooting and / or subsequent performance of cuttings:

  1. Increased light intensity generally improves rooting, plant growth and minimizes production

problems. Cell division requires energy; the more energy the more rapid root growth occurs.

2. Adding modest levels of slow-release nutrients during propagation aids rooting of some

species and accelerates growth on all species. As soon as a new root is little more than a bump on

the base of a cutting, it can absorb nutrients and aid plant development. Osmocote 18-6-12 at a

rate of 4 to 6 pounds per cubic yard plus Micromax micronutrients at a rate of one pound per

cubic yard has been the safest and most effective of the many things I have tired.

  1. Direct sticking of cuttings helps improve performance and reduce transplanting stress. Bulk

flats and ground beds are antiques and should be avoided.

  1. Proper care and nutrition of the Stock / Mother plant plays a big role in cutting success. In my

research that lead to the creation of the micronutrient fertilizer Micromax, it became clear that

improved levels and proportions of the six micronutrients influenced many aspects of plant

growth. Advantages of cuttings taken from parent plants grown in containers with Micromax vs.

other micronutrient fertilizers or none, were dramatic. Nutrition of field grown stock plants can

also influence rooting and subsequent growth.

  1. Rooting of softwood cuttings, rather than semi hardwood or hardwood cuttings often improves

plant performance. As mist systems and timers have improved, softwood cuttings have become

the preferred method of propagation of many species. Crapemyrtle plants in September from

softwood cuttings taken in late May or June typically are larger and of better quality than plants

from hardwood cuttings taken in Jan, or Feb.

  1. Deeper pots allow better drainage. Oxygen is a key factor in the initiation of roots on cuttings.

With the technology to produce deeper pots, rooting has improved and root rot diseases have

decreased. Cuttings stuck in containers four inches deep consistently outperform those in pots 2

or 3 inches deep.

  1. Water chemistry affects not only rooting but subsequent growth. Years ago I became

intrigued by the comments of nurserymen and their success and frustrations in rooting of cuttings.

What was the difference? Why the variation? At one point, I took many cuttings from a block of

dwarf burford holly plants, with each cutting as near identical to the others as possible. I divided

the cuttings into four groups. I prepared the rooting medium and pots for all the cuttings so that

would not be a variable. The cuttings and containers were transported to four nurseries. There

were only minor differences in propagation facilities in terms of light, temperature, etc. The

cuttings did root differently at the different locations. Analysis of the water used to mist the

cuttings showed that as the level of bicarbonates, sodium and calcium increased percent of

cuttings rooted, number of roots formed and growth of the resulting plants were all restricted.

  1. Timing — the perpetual challenge of when to take cuttings. Conditions of plant tissues

change in response to many things, but especially temperature and available moisture. If the

weather turns off hot and dry, the window of opportunity for taking cuttings can be shortened.

No two seasons are the same, so a calendar is only a very crude reminder as to when is the best

time. Watch the plant, look for subtle differences in leaf color, stem color, leaf size, bud

development on the stem, etc. Clues are generally present if you are observant enough to notice.

I had the good fortune of having a good friend that was legally blind while an undergraduate

student at Kansas State University. He could not see the entire shrub or tree so was forced to

focus on a very limited area encompassing little more than a few leaves at a time. He taught me

to look for small details, often very subtle and that I had previously overlooked. What a benefit

that has been.

  1. Air-root-pruning roots of cuttings has proven very beneficial. Cuttings of some species tend to

form a few roots on one side of the base only. If these early roots are air-root-pruned on the sides

of the container, typically more roots are formed and with better distribution around the stem.

Ken Tilt at Auburn (1998) reported a 15% improvement in number of quality liners of Leyland

cypress as a result of using air-root-pruning containers compared to standard pots.

  1. Rooting hormones — a mixed bag: sometimes helpful, sometimes harmful, and sometimes

not needed at all. As I have improved the propagation environment and shifted to taking softer

and softer cuttings, the need for and benefit from using rooting hormones has gone down. I have

routinely not used rooting hormones on softwood cuttings of crapemyrtle cuttings for years. With

the introduction of my five new crapemyrtle, I soon was hearing from a few licensed growers that

the plants were difficult to propagate. Some clues soon came to the surface. When I did a study

using Dynamite® and Tightwad Red® crapemyrtle and zero, 1,000 and 5,000 ppm of IBA, the

answered was very clear. Use either level of IBA as a rooting hormone on softwood cuttings of

these crapemyrlte and they root poorly if at all. Forget the rooting hormone and drop a softwood

cutting on a damp floor beneath the mist bench and it too will root. Under your conditions, until

you make the comparison, you will not know whether rooting hormones are helpful or harmful.

We are barraged with reports of rooting hormones being helpful, but it is not necessarily so.

For more information, see Plant Production in Containers

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more info… CRF = Controlled Release Fertilizer

Conclusions

CRFs generally increased tissue levels of macronutrients for most species in this study and, at the highest rates, were comparable to cuttings receiving WSF with respect to growth and morphology and tissue nutrient concentration. Specifically, incorporating 6 to 12 g·L−1 CRF results in shoot tissue nutrient concentrations similar to cuttings propagated using WSF, yet minimizes some of the excessive growth associated with the highest rate of CRF. More research identifying the effect of substrate temperature and prill size and release pattern would assist in developing best management practices for the use of CRF in cutting propagation of herbaceous taxa.

Abstract:
The cuttings of Potentilla fruticosa were taken at the end of June and the cuttings of Hypericum calycinum in mid - July. They were put into a mixture of peat-sand (2:1).

Osmocote 16–10–13 (9 month) was mixed into the substrate at the following rates; 0.5, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 g per litre of substrate. The control received no fertilizer.

The cuttings were rooted under mist. After twelve weeks the parameters vegetative growth, mineral and starch content were measured. In the case of the Hypericum cuttings, shoot growth and root dry weight was highest in the 3.0 g/l treatment. Considering the number and the dry weight of new shoots, the optimal rate of Osmocote was 4.5 g/l. The content of N, P, K and Mg increased and the starch decreased parallel with increasing Osmocote rates. The Ca content remained constant. The total plant height and the dry weight of shoots of Potentilla cuttings increased with the first three Osmocote rates and were constant at the two highest rates. The number of new shoots and the contents of N, P and K increased but the dry weight of the roots and the starch content decreased with increasing rates of Osmocote. The contents of Mg and Ca were constant.

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Someday your carmine jewels bushes will have so many suckers coming up around them that you will wonder why you bothered trying to start cuttings indoors.

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haha, I’m getting quite a few already but haven’t had a lot of luck transplanting them. i got some land recently and would like to put in an acre or two of cherries. need about 500 bushes per acre so cuttings are probably my best option.

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I’m planning to do the same with land i manage but I’m doing all sorts of other bush/ cane fruit as well.

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Ditto, Im not sure what will be most marketable in this area. I really like cherries, but wish they didnt have pitts! Are you building any high tunnels? Im checking into it, that way I could grow fruits that are borderline for this area, like blackberries. From what Ive heard, you can get them very cheap with this program.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/programs/?cid=stelprdb1046250

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I’m planning on blackberries and raspberries as they are so easy to grow. found a few blackberry cultivars that grow up here but need to evaluate how productive they really are before committing. tried high tunnel over prime ark freedom blackberries in a small scale high tunnel. still don’t have a long enough season for them to ripen and canes freeze to the ground where they aren’t protected. maybe a bigger operation would be more successful. sad the small fruit like raspberries and blackberries that are sold in the stores here come from mexico! id like to change that.

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trying a new propagation technique/device. 5 gallon tote with about 4 inches of water on bottom. jars with cuttings in them with water in the jars. each quart jar is about half full or RO water has its own bubbling stone and different levels of hormone + nutrients, phed to about 5.5. there is a aquarium heater in the water in bottom of tote keeping that water at 70f. I’ve got mostly carmine jewel in there but also a few haskap and grape cuttings for trial purposes. this is being kept in my heated garage at about 38f. started today.

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trying aeroponic with cj and juliet hardwood cuttings that were callused at 72f in cold garage on heating mat for 2 weeks. ro water in aero unit with jacks professional nutes at 300ppm and ph to 5.8. timer set to run 15 on and 30 off. these are at room temp.



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Looks promising, keep us posted.

Looks like you will soon have roots to me

hopefully. i haven’t had much luck with hardwood cuttings previously…

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