Air layering a large maple branch

[xeurom]

Hi all,
Thanks in advance for all the advices.

I have a Japanese maple tree planted in the ground. It has grown to be too large for the current space.

I would like to air layer one of the large branch and plant it at the front of the house. The diameter is about 1.75 in. It is about 7 ft tall with quite full foliage.

I had air layered a number of branches from various tree and got decent success, but never one this big.

For a branch this big I think there has to be good amount of roots before cutting it off the tree. I am thinking that once the root has grown, I would add substantial more medium to the bulge which will allow the roots to grow more.
Would this work and anyone tried it?

I would like to do the same thing with a branch from a plumbing tree as well.

 

[Shibui]

2" diameter should be OK to layer.
Layers can survive after separation with remarkably few roots if cut at the right time of year. You have not given a location so I cannot advise when is a good time for you.
The mass of foliage above a layer is good to feed new roots.
I would probably reduce the height at separation to reduce demand for water and nutrients on a small root mass. There's no magic calculations on what is not enough and what's too much but maybe half that height?

Plums also generally easy to layer.

Good luck with your layers.

 

[xeurom]

Thank you Shibui. I am in Southern California, near the ocean, so the weather is fairly moderate. Not too hot in the summer.
I think i would start the air layering this weekend and hopefully I can plant it in ground by July or August for the tree to establish roots and ready for fall dormant.

Could you please elaborate on "reduce the height at separation"? Does it mean air layer higher and end up with a smaller tree?
Thanks again.

I looked up my zone.
USDA Hardiness Zones 10a and 10b. These zones are defined by average low winter temperatures, indicating a plant's ability to survive winter. Zone 10a typically has average low temperatures between 30°F and 35°F, while Zone 10b has average low temperatures between 35°F and 40°F.

 

[ponderingsage]

He probably is suggesting cutting the top part of the airlayered branch to a more manageable size which would reduce the layers water need.
For example, if the branch you are layering off is 6 feet long and filled the leaves maybe just cut it down to the section that you see using as your future bonsai trunk like a foot long

 

[KateM]

Also, think about stabilizing it ather you separate and plant in the new location. I has to be secure so the new and usually not lignified roots won't break off.

 

[Davidlpf]

I think you may like this videos

"There's always a bigger fish"

kr

 

[Davidlpf]

For a branch this big I think there has to be good amount of roots before cutting it off the tree. I am thinking that once the root has grown, I would add substantial more medium to the bulge which will allow the roots to grow more.
Would this work and anyone tried it?

Yep, I tried it with an elm and it worked fine click,click I think is safer to had a good amount of roots, expecially if you haven't a greenhouse big enough to host the tree after the cut

 

[Shibui]

Could you please elaborate on "reduce the height at separation"? Does it mean air layer higher and end up with a smaller tree?

Meaning chop a very tall trunk down to maybe half after you take the rooted layer off the parent tree.
Few roots cannot supply enough water for the needs of a real big tree but the same roots can supply enough for a half sized tree.
Tall trunks can also act like a sail. When the wind blows it will rock the tree trunk which, in turn, moves the roots that are trying to grow. Trees with less roots are more affected so, either tie the trunk to stop any movement or reduce the trunk so it catches less wind and doesn't move so much.

If you can get lots of roots on the layer the above becomes less of a problem, but if you end up with less roots than you hoped, this may help.

 

[xeurom]

Thank you!

 

[Chris V]

Meaning chop a very tall trunk down to maybe half after you take the rooted layer off the parent tree.
Few roots cannot supply enough water for the needs of a real big tree but the same roots can supply enough for a half sized tree.
Tall trunks can also act like a sail. When the wind blows it will rock the tree trunk which, in turn, moves the roots that are trying to grow. Trees with less roots are more affected so, either tie the trunk to stop any movement or reduce the trunk so it catches less wind and doesn't move so much.

If you can get lots of roots on the layer the above becomes less of a problem, but if you end up with less roots than you hoped, this may help.

If you don't mind a slight thread hijack: if I wanted to do the same thing but I live in zone 6b, eastern Massachusetts, how long does the tree need to be air layered, and how far can I reduce the trunk after I cut it from the mother tree? Does the cutting need leaves at that point? For example, if I layered a 6 foot branch from a mature tree, could I reduce the size of the cutting to 1.5 feet at the time of cutting, and would I need remaining leaves to do so? Also wondering how much time the cutting would need to root before winter.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Also, think about stabilizing it ather you separate and plant in the new location. I has to be secure so the new and usually not lignified roots won't break off.

A three-point staking would be useful in this situation.

 

[Shibui]

If you don't mind a slight thread hijack: if I wanted to do the same thing but I live in zone 6b, eastern Massachusetts, how long does the tree need to be air layered, and how far can I reduce the trunk after I cut it from the mother tree? Does the cutting need leaves at that point? For example, if I layered a 6 foot branch from a mature tree, could I reduce the size of the cutting to 1.5 feet at the time of cutting, and would I need remaining leaves to do so? Also wondering how much time the cutting would need to root before winter.

Classic biology answer: It depends.
Time to rooting depends on many factors: Species; Health and growth of the parent tree; Local conditions - water, nutrient, temp, etc; The technique used; What part of the trunk or branch you are layering, etc, etc. So many factors influencing the process so there's no real way of predicting how long to produce roots. Even in one climate zone there will be differences in conditions, for instance, North or South side of a structure - even different sides of a single tree grow (and therefore layer) at different rates.

Deciduous layers can be separated with or without leaves. Dormant layers can survive with fewer roots as they do not need to keep leaves hydrated. The new tree will usually regulate growth to develop more roots faster and slow leaf production until equilibrium is restored before putting effort into growth above ground.

Trunk can be reduced significantly at separation but leaves above the layer will assist with root growth so trunk reduction can be a 2 edged sword. Not sure if anyone really knows how much is too much either way. Reducing JM trunk significantly always carries some risk of dieback or infection but, unfortunately, I can't give any definitive rules on what's safe and what's not because there's so many external factors that will affect and modify any situation.