Why on earth would you pack the media down hard? Doesn't that reduce the air space (and isn't air space in media used for cutting propagation important??)

Dave Olszyk suggested that method to me. And apparently many other growers do the same thing. I think it’s so that the media would be touching the cutting from every angle 100%

indirect light from a west facing window

==>>> i wonder if that is sufficient light levels

So Heruga, you failed. But you kept things going for 5 months! Congratulations! That's a good long time and in many cases, is enough for 'hard to root' plant cuttings to begin to root. Keeping the cuttings alive until they at least have a chance to root (6-9 months) is the goal.

' The last one looks like its starting to brown '

Browning is a sign the cuttings are drying out.

I perceive, there is a fine line between cuttings getting enough 'air' to help prevent mold, yet still keeping the humidity at a very high level (equivalent to having a mister on every 10 minutes). This is probably the one most difficult thing to control with a 'back porch' rooting set up.

' the only thing I didn't do is sanitize the media '

Not the end of the world but that might have given you, that extra few weeks needed, before mold showed itself and then maybe not. This also is connected to air exchange and humidity.

I wish there was more specific information to rooting Chamaecyparis obtusa.

I read one article that said between 76° and 82° F (24° to 28° C) for bottom heat. That could've made a big difference on how fast roots began to develop. But they were using misters too and how water temperatures, whatever theirs was, affects bottom heat, I have no idea.

One reason that most people are very secretive about how they arrived at their perfect recipe for rooting 'hard to root plants'. It's because they spent, years possibly, using trial and error developing their technique before finally getting things fast and profitable.

So, your second year and you got things to go much longer than last year? Learn from it and continue on. Just remember, every variable matters. Cleanliness, Timing, Healthy young cuttings, Humidity.... and a little luck sometimes.

Thanks for the update!

Very interesting. :^)

I agree with not enough light.

Thanks Bill. So you say they spent years with trial and error. So I’m assuming it’s not just me that has been unsuccessful in growing cuttings as a beginner. I see and hear people say they root all these different conifers and makes me feel confident in doing this and thought that it would be a fairly easy process. I thought that pines, spruce, fir, larch and the likes were the difficult ones to root and not conifers in the cypress family. I heard upright junipers are challenging but that’s about it. Someone from this forum even rooted a piece of chamaecyparis in the ground(not in a potting media) that a rabbit chewed off and spit. I might start trying other conifers like taxus and my juniperus sargentii from cuttings next year. I’m going to try hinokis from seed.

About light, how much light do they need? Do they need artificial lights? I thought that a west side sunlight coming through the window will be equivalent to full shade outdoors.

Here is what it looks like now. The brown is right above the node and below that is hardwood so that was always brown. It was pretty moist when I first saw the brown. I never let them dry out.