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Australian Native Plants

Growing Melaleuca from cuttings

21 years ago

Does anyone have any experience striking Melaleucas from cuttings. A friend is trying to strike a red Melaleuca viridiflora from a cutting, and, whilst the cuttings appear to remain alive for several months there is no evidence of root growth and they eventually die. He is using all the right sorts of striking mix, etc.

Grant

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Comments (8)

Snodge
21 years ago
I had no trouble striking cuttings from my pink melaleuca armarillis. Could your friend be killing the cuttings with kindness perhaps? Maybe too much watering?
nathanhurst
21 years ago
I have struck Melaleuca viridiflora from cuttings. It took a while, but then I made the cuttings in mid winter. Cuttings made now will probably work quite quickly, at least in Melbourne.
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In my experience, timing the cutting is very important. I find that if there is leaf growth before there are roots, there isn't enough remaining stored energy in the cane to produce roots. The cane has to be mature enough to have stored energy, but not so mature that it is starting a growth phase or all that energy will go to unsustainable shoot growth. This means that cuttings need to be taken as the cane enters the pause phase between blooming and growing. Usually that is just when the flower fades. ”Roots before shoots and the cutting will thrive, shoots before roots and the cutting will die” is my saying. Good luck!
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gregaryb
21 years ago
I have heard that striking cuttings of plants from the Myrtaceae family is, generally speaking, quite hard in that they take a very long time. That includes Melaleucas, Callistemons, Eucalypts etc.
lomatia
21 years ago
I have done callistemons and melaleucas in my 'native days'. There is a tendency to callus and the material has to be just right. Must be possible as there are plenty of cultivars around.
Shooa
21 years ago
Grow from seeds! It's easy just wait for the nuts after flowering put a whole bunch of them in a brown paper bag and leave it somewhere warm-dry and you will end up with hundreds if not thousands of seeds.
Grant_fnq
Original Author
21 years ago
Thanks, all, for your help. Shooa, the seed option. I am afraid, will not solve the problem as are trying to strike a plant that will be true to colour. If grown fron seed this plant will often revert to yellow, or so I am told.
It looks like we will just have to be patient.
kath_seq
21 years ago
melaleucas can strike from fairly soft young tips (semi hard)and need hothouse conditions. seeds can be variable and you may end up with white or red flowers. i have just collected seeds from a melaleuca viridiflora weeping form and am curious to see what comes up.
nathanhurst
21 years ago
Greg: I don't think anyone has struck eucalyptus from cuttings. Melaleucas are really quite easy, particularly swamp varieties.

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