Bantigue Propagation in the Philippines: My Experience Growing Pemphis acidula From Seeds, Marcotting and Cuttings

Bantigue propagation in the Philippines is not a very popular idea. Many bonsai enthusiasts here still rely heavily on yamadori, and you can find Facebook groups offering Bantigue yamadori almost every day. Small, medium, large, and even imperial-sized specimens are available.

This raises an important question for me: if we can grow Bantigue ourselves, why continue taking mature trees from the wild?

I became particularly interested in this question after learning about the conservation status of Bantigue (Pemphis acidula). According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Pemphis acidula is included in the Philippines’ national list of threatened plants and is categorized as Endangered. The DENR’s updated 2026 national list continues to include Pemphis acidula under the threatened Philippine plants list.

It is important to clarify that this is the Philippine national conservation classification. The species has a different status internationally, so saying simply that “Bantigue is an endangered species” without explaining the jurisdiction can be misleading.

The conservation issue is especially relevant to bonsai enthusiasts because Bantigue is highly valued for bonsai. DENR specifically notes that the species is popular in bonsai because of its small rounded leaves, white flowers, irregular branching and distinctive trunk formations. The agency also identifies harvesting as a factor contributing to the loss of the species and warns that trading and transporting the species can be subject to regulation under Philippine wildlife law.

For me, this immediately suggested an alternative: instead of depending entirely on wild-collected Bantigue, why not learn how to propagate the trees we already have?

That is how I became interested in propagating Bantigue.

Why I Started Propagating Bantigue

As I searched online, particularly through social media groups, bonsai forums and other resources, I found surprisingly little practical information specifically about propagating Bantigue from cuttings in the Philippines.

There is information available about propagating Pemphis acidula through seeds, cuttings and layering, but much of the practical knowledge appears to be shared informally among bonsai growers. Bonsai references also commonly list seeds, cuttings and air layering as propagation methods for the species.

I eventually discovered several YouTube videos from Indonesian bonsai enthusiasts demonstrating Pemphis acidula propagation. I do not understand Indonesian, but the visual demonstrations were detailed enough for me to understand the basic process.

One thing that caught my attention was how naturally some of these growers incorporated propagation into their normal bonsai maintenance. Instead of throwing away branches removed during pruning, they attempted to turn those branches into new trees.

That idea made a lot of sense to me.

A branch that would otherwise become waste could potentially become another Bantigue bonsai.

There is also an Indonesian example of using air layering specifically to propagate Pemphis acidula from material that was being regularly trimmed, with the goal of producing more plants rather than discarding the branches.

Ways to Propagate Bantigue

Based on the methods I have tried and the information I have found, there are three practical propagation methods worth discussing:

• Seeds
• Stem cuttings
• Air layering or marcotting

These methods are not equally easy, and my experience with each one has been very different.

Seed Propagation

Seed propagation is the first method I tried, and I have actually had a lot of success with it.

The biggest advantage is that you can produce completely new trees without having to collect an established tree from the wild. It is therefore particularly interesting from a conservation perspective because it allows a grower to expand a Bantigue collection through cultivated plants.

There are also published and hobbyist propagation methods showing that Pemphis acidula can be grown from seed. One Indonesian bonsai propagation method, for example, uses relatively coarse sand mixed with husk charcoal and keeps the seedling medium consistently moist while the seeds germinate.

My main problem with seedlings is not germination.

It is time.

If your goal is to eventually develop bonsai with substantial trunks and interesting movement, starting from a tiny seedling requires patience. Bantigue can become an excellent bonsai, but developing a convincing trunk from seed is a long-term project.

For someone who enjoys the process, however, I think seed propagation is one of the most worthwhile methods to explore.

Air Layering or Marcotting

The second method I have personally tried is air layering, or marcotting.

This worked for me.

Compared with growing from seed, marcotting allows you to start with a much larger piece of material. Instead of waiting years for a seedling to develop a branch that is suitable for bonsai, you can potentially create a new plant from an existing branch with characteristics you already like.

This is one of the biggest advantages of marcotting for bonsai growers.

However, it is not completely maintenance-free.

You have to monitor the marcotted section regularly and make sure that the rooting medium remains in place and does not dry out. If something goes wrong with the layer, the entire branch above the cut can eventually be lost.

For this reason, I consider marcotting a faster method than seed propagation, but it requires considerably more attention while the roots are developing.

Stem Cutting Propagation

Stem cuttings are the method I have struggled with the most.

I have tried propagating Bantigue from cuttings several times, and I have failed many times.

At first, I thought this would be the easiest method of all. In theory, the process sounds incredibly simple: take a healthy branch, apply rooting hormone, place it into a suitable medium, maintain humidity and wait for roots to develop.

But in my experience, Bantigue cuttings are not that straightforward.

This is actually one of the reasons I decided to write about the process.

I don’t want this article to simply tell you that Bantigue can be propagated from cuttings. I want to document what I actually tried, what failed, what I changed, and what eventually worked or did not work.

That distinction is important.

There is a big difference between repeating propagation instructions found online and documenting your own results over time.

My Bantigue Cutting Experiment

After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to try a method I learned from one of the Indonesian bonsai YouTube channels I had been following.

This time, I wanted to control as many variables as possible.

Instead of planting the cuttings directly into ordinary soil, I decided to use washed river sand as the rooting medium.

Materials I Used

For this experiment, I prepared the following materials:

• Washed river sand – I consider this one of the most important materials in the experiment. Ordinary construction river sand can contain mud, organic debris and other contaminants. I washed my sand three times until the water coming out of it became relatively clear.
• Plastic cover – Used to create a humid environment around the cuttings.
• Rooting hormone – Applied to the base of the cuttings to encourage root development.
• Bantigue cuttings – Freshly prepared cuttings taken from a healthy parent plant.
• Scissors – Used to prepare the cuttings.
• Pot or propagation container – To hold the rooting medium and cuttings.
• Rubber band – Used to secure the plastic cover around the container.

The purpose of using washed sand is not to provide nutrition to the cutting.

At this stage, I am primarily interested in root development, so I want a simple medium that provides physical support while allowing water to drain freely.

Poor drainage is something I want to avoid because excessive moisture around an unrooted cutting can create conditions where the cutting deteriorates before it has a chance to establish roots.

Step 1: Preparing the Sand

I started by washing the river sand thoroughly.

This is a step I would not skip. Construction-grade river sand can contain considerable amounts of fine sediment and organic material, so I washed it repeatedly until the water became much clearer.

After washing, I allowed the excess water to drain before placing the sand into the propagation container.

The objective was to create a clean and relatively simple rooting environment.

Step 2: Preparing the Bantigue Cuttings

I selected healthy Bantigue branches from a parent plant.

I avoided obviously weak, damaged or diseased material because I wanted the experiment to begin with cuttings that had a reasonable chance of surviving.

I then prepared the cuttings using clean, sharp scissors.

One of the things I am particularly interested in documenting is whether the age and thickness of the cutting have an effect on rooting success. This is something I plan to test more systematically in future propagation attempts rather than relying entirely on assumptions.

Step 3: Applying Rooting Hormone

I applied rooting hormone to the lower portion of each cutting before placing it into the sand.

Rooting hormone is not a guarantee that a cutting will produce roots. Rather, it is one variable I am introducing into the experiment to determine whether it improves my success rate.

This is an important distinction because a successful cutting cannot automatically tell us which individual factor caused the success.

Step 4: Planting the Cuttings

Once the cuttings were prepared, I inserted them into the washed river sand.

I made sure that the portion treated with rooting hormone was in contact with the rooting medium and that the cuttings were stable rather than loosely sitting in the sand.

At this stage, I did not disturb the cuttings unnecessarily.

One of the hardest parts of propagation is simply waiting.

Step 5: Creating a Humid Environment

After planting the cuttings, I covered the container with clear plastic.

The purpose of the plastic cover is to help maintain humidity around the cuttings while they are still unable to replace the water they lose through their leaves.

However, I do not want to create a completely stagnant, permanently wet environment either.

Humidity is useful, but excessive moisture and poor ventilation can create other problems. For that reason, this is another variable I intend to monitor carefully throughout the experiment.

What I Am Watching For

The most obvious sign of success will eventually be the development of roots.

But I am also watching for other signs that tell me whether the cutting is still viable.

These include:

• The leaves remaining firm and healthy
• The stem remaining green and alive
• New buds or shoots appearing
• The cutting resisting gentle movement after sufficient time
• Visible roots appearing around drainage holes or when the cutting is eventually examined

I am trying to avoid pulling the cuttings out repeatedly to check for roots.

Doing that can damage newly developing roots and potentially undo the progress made by the cutting.

Instead, I prefer to observe the plant above the soil and give it enough time to establish itself.

Why This Experiment Matters to Me

My goal with this experiment is not simply to produce another Bantigue bonsai.

I want to find a reliable way of multiplying Bantigue from cultivated parent plants so that bonsai enthusiasts have another option besides collecting mature specimens from the wild.

That does not mean that every cultivated Bantigue automatically replaces the ecological value of a wild tree. Bantigue is a coastal species and forms part of shoreline and mangrove-associated habitats, so protecting natural populations and their habitats remains important.

But propagation can give bonsai growers another path.

Instead of viewing every large Bantigue in the wild as potential bonsai material, we can also begin viewing the Bantigue trees already growing in cultivation as sources of future trees.

A single healthy parent plant can potentially provide seeds, branches for cuttings and material for air layering.

That is a much more interesting long-term model for the hobby.

Important Note About Wild-Collected Bantigue

I also want to make one thing clear: this article is not an argument for collecting Bantigue from the wild.

DENR has specifically identified Pemphis acidula as a threatened Philippine plant, and previous DENR guidance has addressed concerns about the gathering and trading of Bantigue. DENR’s current threatened-plant framework also exists specifically to regulate collection and trade and to promote sustainable practices.

If you are buying Bantigue, especially a large yamadori specimen, it is worth asking where it came from and whether the collection, possession, transport and sale are legally authorized.

A cheap yamadori may look like an opportunity, but responsible bonsai collecting requires us to consider the origin of the material as well as the quality of the tree.

My Bantigue Propagation Results – I will update SOON!

This is where I want this article to be different from a typical propagation guide.

I am going to document this experiment as it progresses.

I will record:

• The number of cuttings I started with
• The rooting medium
• Whether rooting hormone was used
• How many cuttings survived
• How long rooting took

If the experiment fails, I will document that too.

After all, failed propagation attempts are still useful information.

If I eventually find a combination that consistently produces healthy Bantigue cuttings, I will update this article with the results so other Philippine bonsai growers can learn from the experiment.

The Bigger Goal: Propagating Instead of Collecting

Bantigue is one of the species that makes Philippine bonsai special.

Its naturally rugged appearance, small leaves, hard wood and ability to develop impressive trunks make it an exceptional bonsai subject. But those same qualities have also made mature wild specimens highly desirable.

I believe the future of Bantigue bonsai should include much more propagation.

Growing from seed may be slow. Marcotting may require patience and monitoring. Cuttings may be difficult, at least based on my own experience.

But every successfully propagated tree represents another Bantigue that does not have to come directly from the wild.

And for me, that makes the effort worthwhile.

This is not just about making more bonsai. It is about finding a more sustainable way to enjoy one of the Philippines’ most iconic bonsai species.