Chasing unicorns Q. ilex air layer

[dprm]

Air layer done in 23 of May. Since I liked the triple trunk top, I decided to practice air layering before I chopped the tree down and repott it for some more growing. Grown from acorn, 4 or 5 years ago. Will post updates as soon as I check the root development

 

[dprm]

This is the base of the trunk. The whole tree is about 1,70 m tall.
Best regards,
Diogo

 

[dprm]

This is the current state. I don’t have big hopes but I might as well wait and see ahah
(please excuse the wire scars and photo skills)

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I appreciate that you are making the attempt. Air layers of oaks, Quercus, have a better percentage chance to succeed over cuttings. But the track record is limited.

Oaks are famous for being difficult to root cuttings, near impossible is a better description.

Difficulty in rooting cuttings does not mean air layers are equally difficult, sometimes air layers will succeed where cuttings fail. But don't be surprised if it takes more than one growing season to get roots. Don't give up until end of third growing season.

 

[dprm]

I appreciate that you are making the attempt. Air layers of oaks, Quercus, have a better percentage chance to succeed over cuttings. But the track record is limited.

Oaks are famous for being difficult to root cuttings, near impossible is a better description.

Difficulty in rooting cuttings does not mean air layers are equally difficult, sometimes air layers will succeed where cuttings fail. But don't be surprised if it takes more than one growing season to get roots. Don't give up until end of third growing season.

Thanks for the kindness and patience with sharing information. I won’t. I would like to repot the tree sooner but it’s growing fairly vigorous so I don’t think it’s that urgent. Regarding the layer, I was very surprised how fast things are happening but, again, it’s my first evergreen oak air layer so I have no info to compare.
Best regards,
Diogo

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

There is very little to no info published out there about air layering oaks. So we are all guessing as to what it will take.

 

[dprm]

There is very little to no info published out there about air layering oaks. So we are all guessing as to what it will take.

Yes sir. They’re so easy to propagate from acorn that I think people don’t put that much effort in vegetative methods. Plus, genetic variability is a must so, for almost all the purposes, it’s the way to propagate them. I don’t mind the trouble or the waiting to get a tree from acorn as much as I hate to deal with the tap root ahah
Thanks for your kindness sir.
best regards,
Diogo

 

[dprm]

I switched the pot for a bigger one, cleaned the callus that was building up and watered with more rooting hormone. Summer is approaching and, since it will definitely take a lot of time, I think a bigger container will help holding more moisture during the hot months. I used fine akadama and sphagnum moss, as previously.
I’ll check again in the end of summer.

 

[dprm]

I took a semi hardwood cutting from the Q. Ilex about 3 weeks ago. The damn thing is rooting faster than the air-layer