Any way for flamboyan branch to survive?

Question

So... I saw a huge flamboyan tree in an abandoned parking lot, and I cut a small branch.

Is there a way for the branch to survive? I placed it in a bowl full of water.

Answer 1

The search topic you want is "propagating flamboyant tree from cuttings." According to Wikipedia, it can be done, and is a common way of propagating this plant.

However, according to this article, you should wait until fall before taking a cutting from a Flamboyant Tree. Here is a summary of the steps you should follow:

1. In the fall cut a 40-50 cm long piece from a branch that's at least 1 cm wide. Make the cut at an angle rather than straight across.
2. Moisten the cut surface and treat it with liquid rooting hormones, which you can buy in garden stores.
3. Plant the cutting in a porous substrate, either 100% perlite or up to a 60/40 blend of black peat and perlite or coconut fiber.
4. Put a pinch of copper or sulfur on the top of the soil to prevent fungal growth.
5. Water generously. Put somewhere with indirect light, but out of direct sunlight, and keep the soil always moist.

So I don't know if you can actually propagate from your cutting since it's out of season, but since you already have it, you might as well try. Follow the steps above. If you can't get rooting hormones and/or the copper or sulfur to prevent fungus, you can try it without those things. Some plants need them, other plants will propagate just fine without them.

It will take several months to root. Remove the flowers, because they will require energy and water that the cut stem can't spare. It needs to be putting all its energy into making roots. Don't worry if it loses its leaves and looks dead. It will look like that if it's working on growing roots. (Of course, it will also look like that it is dead.) If it manages to grow enough roots to survive, eventually it will start growing leaves again. Until that happens, you won't know if you've succeeded. If it hasn't started growing leaves by fall, you might have better luck with a new cutting.

See this article about growing trees from cuttings for more tips and methods. For example, they suggest using a heating mat to keep the cuttings at a consistent temperature. That's probably not necessary, but if you have several failed attempts you might want to consider it. They also suggest covering the cutting in plastic wrap to keep it at a constant, moist humidity. That seems like it would make it really easy for fungus to grow, which you don't want. But it's important not to let the cutting dry out, so you might try the plastic wrap trick if you have a hard time keeping the soil moist by just watering it.