First air layer success!

[SeanS]

This spring I started a number of air layers on a number of trees, ranging from JM, a procumbens and a flowering quince. I’ll share my results in this thread as I have updates.

So far all have rooted except the quince, which is surprising as I have read quince layer and root from cutting quite easily.

I started 2 on a standard JM that’s in a large pot which I’ll use for a few layers, and then eventually chop as it has really nice movement right out of the soil.

I’ve started another on the sister tree of the large mother tree mentioned above. I chopped that tree this spring higher than the final chop because I wanted to first layer off a twin trunk branch that I liked. 3 weeks after I set the layer a massive storm one night snapped the branch right where I stripped the bark. Luckily it was still barely attached, so I propped it back up with a bamboo stake and some heavy wire. I checked the layer 2 weeks later and there were tons of roots. Right now the roots are practically crawling out the pot I’ll harvest that one next week, 8 weeks after setting the layer. Here’s a thread about the snap incident

I’ve got another layer on a smaller JM of unknown cultivar (doesn’t look like standard green) that has a horrible lower trunk but a decent upper half, so I’m layering the upper half off. Already lots of roots after 7 weeks.

The procumbens also has roots. It’s a nice long curve branch that I won’t use for the final design so I thought I’d take it off and make a taller sparse style tree. I opened the plastic bag on Friday and switched over to a plastic pot to give the roots more space. I was very careful and did no damage to the roots.

Finally the quince has a massive callous, unlike any I’ve seen in layer threads online, but zero roots yet. The callous is so big it’s almost filled half the bag!

I’ve used chopped sphagnum and perlite for most except the juniper, straight spha

I’ll post updates as I separate more layers, and post what I’ve learnt for first timers like me to learn from.

Here are 2 I harvested from the big maple in the big pot. I know the one is stick straight but it’s still good layering practice. The other is a 5 trunk clump. These took 7 weeks.





Roots of the “snapped” air layer. Also 7 weeks




Root on a smaller JM layer so far



Procumbens roots

 

[SeanS]

Here’s the juniper branch, long one on the left

 

[leatherback]

Oh no.. Now what are you to do with all these new plants!

 

[SeanS]

Oh no.. Now what are you to do with all these new plants!

I wish I knew! I have other plants on the floor in our herb garden now to make space under my shaded area for the new maples. And I have 2 more on the way! What have I done @leatherback!?!?!

 

[leatherback]

I wish I knew! I have other plants on the floor in our herb garden now to make space under my shaded area for the new maples. And I have 2 more on the way! What have I done @leatherback!?!?!

Warning. Stop before it is too late.
I have stopped counting. There are something like 140 pots in my bonsaigarden and it is TOO MANY.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

There are something like 140 pots in my bonsaigarden and it is TOO MANY.

Use smaller pots, that way you can fit 280.
Think solutions, not problems. ;-)

 

[leatherback]

smaller

The problem is, I prefer bigger trees.

 

[SeanS]

“Hey kid, wanna see some roots?”



Yesterday I separated the “snapped” air layer, which seems to have been living as a cutting for the last 6 week. I couldn’t believe the roots I had! The pot was completely jam packed with roots and they had started to envelop the drainage mesh I placed on the bottom. Took me about 30 mins to tease and comb out the root ball, the roots were pretty mature and stable and I didn’t even have to be gentle. I think in the end I lost maybe 1 tiny root tip and managed to get most of the substrate out of the tangled mess. The stub from where I cut the layer literally just pulled right out after a gentle wiggle, which leads me to believe the top of the layer had been completely severed from the mother plant after the snap incident, and had effectively been a large cutting.

It’s in there somewhere








The bottom of the layered branch that was cut off the mother tree. You can see how just above the tourniquet wire the wood is soggy and a bit rotted, so it just have been snapped completely 6 weeks ago.the top of the layer was just held on by a few flimsy fibres

 

[SeanS]

5 weeks since separation, 2 of the layers pushing new shoots, with a third starting to swell its buds







This one is 3,5 weeks since separation

 

[Harunobu]

This thread makes me want to grow maples.

 

[jason biggs]

looking good.
plants seem super healthy

 

[plant_dr]

"Finally the quince has a massive callous, unlike any I’ve seen in layer threads online, but zero roots yet. The callous is so big it’s almost filled half the bag!"

I started a quince airlayer earlier this year too. Last time I checked, it had huge callous and no roots as well!

 

[leatherback]

"Finally the quince has a massive callous, unlike any I’ve seen in layer threads online, but zero roots yet. The callous is so big it’s almost filled half the bag!"

I started a quince airlayer earlier this year too. Last time I checked, it had huge callous and no roots as well!

I have decided that too wet & woodlouse are the reason for excessive callusing & failure to produce roots..

If you cut the bottom half off the callus, and add some rooting hormone, rewrap.. Chances are good that within weeks the roots start.

 

[SeanS]

"Finally the quince has a massive callous, unlike any I’ve seen in layer threads online, but zero roots yet. The callous is so big it’s almost filled half the bag!"

I started a quince airlayer earlier this year too. Last time I checked, it had huge callous and no roots as well!

I have decided that too wet & woodlouse are the reason for excessive callusing & failure to produce roots..

If you cut the bottom half off the callus, and add some rooting hormone, rewrap.. Chances are good that within weeks the roots start.

I did exactly that 2 weeks ago, cut off most of the callus (which looked like a mini cauliflower) and reapplied hormone. Today the layer pot is full of roots! Should be able to separate in 3-4 weeks I reckon.

 

[leatherback]

Today the layer pot is full of roots! Should be able to separate in 3-4 weeks

why not separate if the pot is full of roots?

 

[SeanS]

why not separate if the pot is full of roots?

Ok “full” might have been a bit of an exaggeration. It’s half full, there are some roots hitting the edges of the pot and starting to head downwards. In 3 weeks it should be proper “full”.

 

[SeanS]

Some updates.

Yesterday I separated the flowering quince layer mentioned in the posts above. The roots had filled the layer pot and had gone into the soil below. Took a while to comb out the roots and spread them out radially, but in the end it had a really nice root ball. I’ll post some photos at a later stage as it looks a little leggy and the leaves have taken some strain the last few weeks with the heat.

I potted up 2 JM layers this weekend as well.

First was a small twin trunk, straight into a bonsai pot




2nd was a small section of trunk from the top of a larger tree that I chopped higher than needed earlier this season. Some shoots sprouted below the chop so I wired one of them up and let it run. Then I layered the little stub of trunk off. Plan is to develop a short stubby shohin tree.




So far that’s 6 JM layers this season, with 1 more almost ready to be taken off.

 

[leatherback]

Congrats.
Enjoy summer!

 

[Graft]

Well Done, I just started my first ever air layer (Podocarpus). I hope it is as successful as yours!

 

[SeanS]

Separated my first juniper layer today.