Arakawa Maple Air Layer Progress Check

[eplov90]

My Arakawa has a few high branches that are too thick to be part of the future design of the tree so I decided ti try to air layer one of them this spring. The air layer was placed on May 26th and there has been no visible rooting since then, which isn’t too surprising given how cold, grey and wet London has been this year. At the same time though, the leaves on the branch have started turning red, as if they were already getting ready for the season change in fall, so I opened up the air layer to check on progress and see if the branch was dying.

To me it looks like it might actually be in the process of creating roots so I closed it up and have left it be. What do you think? Any reason to be concerned about the early fall senescence on the branch? I think I read that happens some times with air layer but can’t find it again.

 

[Kanorin]

The layer looks good, you’ve already got a callus and possibly the first signs of that callus differentiating into root tissue. Keep doing what you are doing!

I’ve seen the early fall colors on maple layers before too. I’m trying to think back if they happened on my successes as well as my failures, hmm .

 

[19Mateo83]

I have a deshojo layer doing this too. It’s starting to put off roots so I think it’s good. I’ve also had this happen to red maple layers as well. They actually dropped their leaves and leafed out again.

 

[eplov90]

Thanks @Kanorin and @19Mateo83.

I guess I just have to wait. I’ll check again in 3/4 weeks if I haven’t seen any roots and share an update here.

 

[eplov90]

I ended up seeing a few roots through the plastic a month or so ago and decided to pot it up today so the roots can get established before winter. Not sure if there are enough roots in there as I didn’t want to mess with the spaghnum moss too much but we’ll find out next spring. Here it is, potted up, and with a trim to reduce foliage a little: