Making cuttings from Sinichuichi?

[Alfa]

Does anyone know how to make cuttings from sinichuichi?

[Jatelka]

According to a gardening website they can be propagated from "softwood" cuttings:

Essentially take 3-4 inches from a gowing tip. Cut with a clean/sharp knife just below a leaf node. Strip off all but 2 or 3 sets of leaves at the top (again with a clean/sharp knife). Dip the tip in hormone rooting powder and dib into "cutting" compost. Cover the cutting with a clear plastic bag (make a little tent and make sure the plastic isn't in contact with the leaves), and secure with an elastic band around the pot. Make sure it doesn't dry out, by misting the surface of the compost occasionally. It will need even, but indirect light: Direct sunlight will make it scorch and wilt. Then SWIY waits, for anything up to 12 weeks or so, then SWIY can (cautiously) see if a root ball is forming, and if it is, pot on to a slightly bigger pot.

If SWIY is going organic (and therefore can't use rooting powder) softwood cuttings will sometimes root if left in a jar of clean water, SWIY just needs to keep it clean and keep an eye on it to make sure it's not going mouldy!

She's never done it with Sinicuichi, but a Flamingo tells me it works a dream with Fuschias and Pelargoniums!

For reference, more mature plants can apparently be propagated by "layering". Hard to describe, but SWIY bends a growing shoot down to bare earth, and secures it with a hair grip/similar, so a leaf node is in contact with the earth: Eventually roots will form at the leaf node

[sunyata]

Yes, and I've been meaning to write something about it.

A friend told me that you needed to take the cuttings from fresh shoots, older parts of the plant with more bark will not root. They should probably not be too thin though.

The cuttings, 10-15cm long, are dipped in rooting hormone and placed in the medium of choice, jiffy bricks might do, though I think a non-organic medium is better due to the high moisture in the terrarium.

And that's the important thing, the terrarium must be very moist, they wither soon if not.

It takes between 2-3 weeks before they are rooted enough to be potted, at that stage one must acclimatize the cutting to it's new location. It needs to be sprayed with water regularly, the frequency of spraying is detemined by the humidity in the location you are acclimatizing it to.

I think they would like to be in a damp greenhouse with lots of sun, if possible.