Hi Savy4, Thank you, Savy4. I will try your method. I will soak some stem cuttings of different lengths & sizes and observe for possible roots development. Regarding transplanting Michelia x alba, I do not have a good learning experience. I had my first M. x alba in the mid-90s and it was contained in a ceramic pot. The plant was ~20-25 inches tall and healthy. With no experience about caring plants, I transplanted it without breaking the pot and just removed the whole soil & plant out of the pot. After transplanting it to a 100-liter half-drum container, the plant slowly deteriorated in appearance - dropping leaves, gradual rotting of twig ends, etc - the plant never made it. Since then, I have had other failures & some successes in transplanting M. x albas. esp. during the removal of the air-layered twigs from the tree and then putting them into the primary pots, then again transferring them to bigger pots. In few cases, I transferred the m. x albas from one ground location to another then back into a container pot, & then back again to a ground location. I believe, Savy4, that m. x albas are vulnerable to transplant shocks. Even a very healthy looking air-layered twig while still on the tree does not guarantee success after tranplanting it unto the pot. In your last transplant you said you started to see new growth but then after that, you noticed no further improvement. Maybe, Savy4, your plant is at present on a root development stage and prefers to ease on developing its leaves until the roots are well-developed to sustain leaf growths. This is just based from observation I had when propagating Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum) through stem cutting method. Newly planted stem cuttings with many newly developed leaf growths that looks growing better than the others of its batch sometimes died out while the less healthy looking ones keep on thriving. When I removed the dead cutting, I saw less developed roots. I then removed the still thriving cutting and inspected the roots and noticed it had much better root development than that of the cutting that died. This must be what plant experts say growth balancing of parts of the plant. Let's just hope, Savy4, your plant in few days after having a well-developed roots already, will start growing new leaves. This post was edited by simounagta on Thu, Sep 4, 14 at 2:34

Hmmmm? I never heard of propagatiing them by root cuttings. Interesting. We've had them for years in our yard, and they grow from the seeds that drop off. But, since some of them were so butchered, I wanted to try to save the branches that were cut down. Pb, here is an interesting site that explains root cuttings: http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/mg/manual/prop2.htm I have taken a lot of the branches and put them in 1 part top soil/1 part sand mixture. They were already shriveling up. They wilt very quickly when cut. I hope they will root. Just as an added note, I did find another site that recommended tip cutting for blackberries: http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0705/blackberry_layering.asp Of course, that will not help me under these circumstances.

I think some of us would be interested in your results, but it's not something that every gardener has tried. I've read about propagating different types of trees from truncheons. I've never heard of propagating a crApe myrtle that way, although I wouldn't be surprised if it worked. After all, a truncheon is just a large cutting (although there are some pluses and minuses compared to smaller cuttings). I am wondering why you used the glue. Sealing the cut is often useful for storing cuttings in relatively dry environments, but here your growing media should have enough moisture to prevent desiccation. I'm also wondering if removing most of the leaves was a good idea. After all, one of the big advantages of truncheons is that they are supposed to have more stored energy and moisture to push though the time before roots develop. More leaves would mean more food production for growing roots. I do not know whether it would be better to keep the leaves or not, I am just wondering about the rational for removing them. Keep good records and let us know what happens!

@illsstep - No I have not rooted any of the conifers I am attempting right now. In the past I've done the following: Successful: Thuja standishii × plicata 'Green Giant', Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip', Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Lemon Twist', Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White', Chamaecyparis obtusa 'Mariesii' Failed: Abies numidica 'Glauca', Picea abies 'Bird Park', Sciadopitys verticillata, Tsuga chinensis, Cryptomeria japonica 'Knaptonensis' I would much prefer grafting over rooting, except when it's really easy to root (Thuja) or compatible rootstock is difficult to obtain, or in the case of Sciadopitys verticillata, seeds are hard to find and take forever to grow to the size needed to be used for grafting. While I did classify my own statements about Dirr as a rant, it was actually an honest critique, and the thread you provided a link to was actually very useful. Tapla is very knowledgeable, and I am a huge fan of the 5-1-1 mix, so I trust his assessment about water rooting. I never know that. It was also interesting that he points out the fact that a rooting aid is really only necessary in the most hard to root species....which supports the foolishness of recommending it for one of the easiest to root species.