Alternative bonsai rooting hormone

I read an interesting tip recently for an alternative to store bought rooting hormone. The next time you want to grow your bonsai from a cutting you may want to give it a try. I haven't tested this myself, but supposedly it will nourish your bonsai cutting better than commercial rooting hormone.

Recipe:
3/4 cup boiling water
1/4 cup honey

Mix together and refrigerate 6-8 hours.

Coat your bonsai cutting with this as you would do with storebought rooting hormone. If you try this and it works please share your comments here!

Mini-jade (Portulacaria afra) update

Here are my mini-jade (Portulacaria afra) cuttings that have grown up considerably since I last posted photos of them. I placed one in a ceramic pot and will be doing so with the other one eventually. I still have the second in a temp plastic pot filled with 100% perlite. For the potted one I am using a mixture of perlite with a top dressing of gravel. I give them just a splash of water every other day. I recently moved so I have them on my back porch instead of a windowsill now. Unfortunately, the back porch does not receive direct sunlight. As a result, they are growing slower than before.

Perlite

I'm a big fan of perlite. Did you know it's a volcanic glass that is heated until it pops like popcorn? That is why it is so lightweight. The process also gives it its white color. All my rootings that I have put in it have done excellent.

I just got word that KnowledgeOfBonsai magazine is having a progressive styling contest with $3,000 dollars worth of prizes you can win.

Portulacaria afra cutting pictures

Here are the cuttings from my mini-jade (Portulacaria afra) that as you can see are budding and doing nicely on the windowsill.

Mini-jade propogation update

The two pruned branches I put in the perlite + sand mix along with rooting hormone have grown new buds so it looks like they are taking. Rather than throwing out your pruned branches this is something you could try too. I've read this is easier with some species than others. I think Jade is one of the easier ones.

Project Mallsai Part 2

I added some decorative gravel to the top so you don't see the perlite anymore and did some minor pruning. It still needs more work in that area to reverse the mallsai styling. I am going to try propagating a new mini jade from the branches I cut off. I dipped them in rooting hormone and placed them in small pots of perlite. We'll have to say how they do.