Catha Edulis Propagation from Cuttings and Layering

Introduction

With many mixed reports into the feasibility of cloning Catha Edulis we decided to give it a go ourselves and so far have been pleasantly surprised. We have taken 4 cuttings each of which has survived easily to the 10 day mark with 1 cutting starting to throw new growth already ! The method used was also one of the most primitive cloning methods out there. We will run through the entire process used to take 4 cuttings for you below, obviously this can be scaled according to the amount of cuttings you are taking.

Materials


2 x 2L Coke Bottles (i used 1.125 so they would fit my pots but larger is better)
4 x 150mm+ Pots
1 x cup of water
Soil - We used an 80/20 mix of recycled soil/cacti and succulent mix
clonex/cloning powder - we used clonex purple as it was what we had
Scissors
Razor-blade (recommended for taking cuttings but sharp scissors will do)

Our choice of soil was purely due to lack of other materials. However in saying that Catha Edulis loves rocky or regular soil anyway.

Step 1 - Prepare your materials

Cut your coke bottles in half. i prefer to give the lid side a bit more height as it wont have the width at the top like the base. Try to keep the cuts so they are straight otherwise it wont rest properly in the soil.

Make up your soil mix, or just use regular potting soil and fill the pots to a 20mm below the top of the pots. After this compress the soil softly and use a stick or something similar to poke a hole in the centre around the same size you anticipate your cuttings to be, a bit larger is better as when you water it and compress later the stem will be secured.



Step 2 - Taking your Cuttings

Catha Edulis Red Cutting
Semi-Rooted (day 5)

For this step we recommend using a sterilized razor blade as it won't crush its way through the stem but rather slice through without damaging the cells around the wound too much. However there has been no REAL noticeable difference in the effectiveness of cutting method used, these cuttings were taken with scissors.

You will want to select a semi-mature branch and cut roughly 6-8 leaf nodes from the tip. Try experimenting with variations relating to their maturity. We have found that despite everyones warnings about how hard Khat is to clone that it is infact relatively easy for the common household gardener.

Make your cut by bending the branch slightly and cutting through at a 45 degree angle for optimal root development space, straight cuts are not recommended for any plants. After this try to get them straight into the cup of water as it will keep them far more sterile. After you have your four cuttings remove the lower half of the leaves and trim the larger ones at the top in half.


Step 3 - Planting your Cuttings

Home Made Catha Edulis
 Propagation Chambers

Now you will want to gather all your pots, coke bottles, the clonex and cuttings in the one location. Check that the holes you made are far deeper than you intend to plant the cutting (all the way to the base of the pot would be good for the centre hole) as well as wider than the cuttings.

Remove a cutting from the water and dip it in the clonex trying to get a really thick coating on it, quickly move it over the pot ad allow the excess clonex to drip off into the hole you made. Re-dip the clone into the clonex planting it in the soil this time. Gently compress the soil around the clone and give it a very soft water to help the soil settle around the cutting, you want to drench the pot but do it slowly so you dont wash the clonex away too much. Finally site the coke bottle over the top and press it down while twisting slightly until it is roughly 20mm into the soil. Repeat for each cutting.




Step 4 - Keeping them alive until they root

Catha Edulis Red Cutting
 Day 10

All we have done for our cuttings is apply a small amount of water when the condensation on the coke bottle starts to get a bit thinner. We also try to take the bottles off for 5 minutes every couple of days as the air in the coke bottle would have pretty much purely cleansed oxygen. We feel that photosynthesis must be promoted to encourage the plant to survive and generate roots.











Step 5 - Around 1 Month from Propagation


a further eleven days down the track and all 4 cuttings are still surviving. Two far stronger than the rest however they all appear to have struck and i am tempted to risk losing one for the sake of checking if this is true. Wish i had used clear cups for propagation so i could see for sure as the roots would be showing through right now otherwise i will have to wait and see. But the new growth is pretty substantial so i would say they are pretty safe now as for the first bit they just sat dormant whilst developing roots much like any other clone i have taken in the past.


We have now also tried layering some of our branches and had much success with this as well. I dug a small "trench"around 5cm deep placed a branch in covered it over and sat a rock on top. Had roots enough to hold itself down within a week. At this point i will now cut them off from the main plant and carefully pull the cuttings out. I will add pictures over the next few days of this process as well.