How to Propagate a Bonsai Tree

You can reproduce your bonsai tree with a single cutting.

Bonsai trees are not a separate species of tree but rather a smaller version of a single tree. Many popular trees, such as jades and even some maples, can be grown in small pots and carefully pruned for bonsai care. These trees can be started from seed, but many growers choose to propagate their bonsai plants by taking cuttings, since they can propagate any healthy bonsai by trimming a piece off and rooting it in a new home.

Things You'll Need

• Hand shears or knife
• Seed tray or planting pot
• Peat moss
• Perlite
• Rooting hormone
• Spray bottle

Instructions

1. Water your bonsai plant thoroughly two days before you intend to take the cutting so the cutting will be moist. Take cuttings only from healthy bonsai trees; any problems with the mother tree will be passed to the cutting.

2. Remove a 3-to-4-inch piece of branch from the end of the bonsai in spring or early summer, early in the morning, in the cool part of the day. Use a sharp knife or hand shears to make the cut from a branch about 1-inch thick. Cut just below a leaf node so the cutting will create leaves and the bonsai tree can grow this shoot back.

3. Remove all leaves from the lower one-third of the cutting. Remove all but six to 10 leaves from the top of the cutting so the cutting will focus on growing roots.

4. Fill a seed tray or planting pot with equal parts peat moss and perlite for a well-draining, fertile planting soil. Moisten the soil thoroughly.

5. Dip the bottom one-third of the cutting in rooting hormone and insert the cutting into planting soil. Make sure no leaves are touching the soil. Keep the soil consistently moist --- but not soaked --- while the plant forms roots.

6. Store the cutting in a room with a constant day and nighttime temperature between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The cutting should receive bright light but no direct sunlight or it may burn.

7. Mist the cutting twice a day to ensure it maintains a healthy water level. Until it forms roots, the cutting will draw moisture through the leaves and stem.

8. Maintain the cutting until you can see roots through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot or drainage tray; this can take as long as a year, depending on the tree. Once you can see the roots, re-pot in the planting pot of your choice and maintain the tree just as you do other bonsais.

References

• "Bonsai Boy"; All About Bonsai; Tom Regan
• Bonsai 4 Me: Propagation: Taking Cuttings
• "Evergreen Garden Works"; Propagation of Woody Plants by Cuttings; Brent Walston; 1996