A neighbor has a giant Chinese Juniper (I believe) that she wants me to layer. The tree is about 20 feet tall and there are monster branches with movement and the works. Before I start chopping this guy up, I wanted to reach out for guidance on how to do this. I will need a ladder. When is the best time to do this and how long should the layer stay on 3 inch branches?
Help with Chinese Juniper Air Layer
- Thread starter dbonsaiw
- Start date
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Best time to layer is when you have a suitable tree, some time and all the things required.
Second best time is spring when you have a full growing season ahead to get roots.
There's no rhyme or reason to how long it takes a layer to root. So many factors affect it - species, timing, technique, health and vigour of the tree, location, etc. Just check every month or so to see if you can see roots growing. Clear cover on the layers makes that easier but you can also gently open up and check without damaging the process. Alternatively, where checking is not easy, leave it until mid to late summer before making the first check.
3" branch is likely to take longer than smaller wood. It may even take a year or more.
Remember that junipers don't always bud on bare wood so I hope the chosen branches have some green nearby to chop back to. Thicker is not always better for bonsai.
My experience has been that branches in a tree look really great. Up closer while you are layering the potential appears less. After it has been cut off and potted you'll wonder why you even bothered. The vast majority of layers I've seen actually have poor bonsai potential so be very choosy when selecting layers.
Second best time is spring when you have a full growing season ahead to get roots.
There's no rhyme or reason to how long it takes a layer to root. So many factors affect it - species, timing, technique, health and vigour of the tree, location, etc. Just check every month or so to see if you can see roots growing. Clear cover on the layers makes that easier but you can also gently open up and check without damaging the process. Alternatively, where checking is not easy, leave it until mid to late summer before making the first check.
3" branch is likely to take longer than smaller wood. It may even take a year or more.
Remember that junipers don't always bud on bare wood so I hope the chosen branches have some green nearby to chop back to. Thicker is not always better for bonsai.
My experience has been that branches in a tree look really great. Up closer while you are layering the potential appears less. After it has been cut off and potted you'll wonder why you even bothered. The vast majority of layers I've seen actually have poor bonsai potential so be very choosy when selecting layers.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
There could be good material up there but its not possible to assess from here.
What to layer is entirely up to you but as already mentioned branches look much better from a distance, not quite so good up close then completely unsuitable when it gets into a pot.
There is occasionally good material from layers but that's much rarer than many posts here would indicate IMHO. Big is not always better.
Have fun with the layer. Just be careful you don't hurt yourself in the process.
What to layer is entirely up to you but as already mentioned branches look much better from a distance, not quite so good up close then completely unsuitable when it gets into a pot.
There is occasionally good material from layers but that's much rarer than many posts here would indicate IMHO. Big is not always better.
Have fun with the layer. Just be careful you don't hurt yourself in the process.
I just signed up, so please teach me the ropes. I don't know how to start a separate "thread." Six decades ago I was taught to make incisions parallel to the branch or to peel off with a vegetable peeler at three points around the circumference. Is this wrong? Which method is best (data?)? Would cutting off the cambium down to the heartwood be riskier than the wire method? Has anyone used Vermiculite(R)? I've used the industrial grade (very coarse); I find the horticultural grade stays too wet. I like to root-wash before re-potting to see if all of the roots are okay and to be able to prune more effectively and change to soil with a cryptogamic soil crust.
Adamski77
Shohin
If it's that big, it's probably a Hollywood (Kaizuka) Juniper. I've heard mixed about them for bonsai. I've also heard they can be harder to root, so I would go for the 'choke wire' method to encourage roots rather than slicing off all the cambium down to the heart wood, especially on large branches. I suspect they'll die before they have time to root. I might take a while to get results, but I've very little experience with air layering, so I'm not the best source for advice. You could try different approaches on different branches.
Mats Hagström
Yamadori
I would for sure add a wire to girdle the branch. Consider removing a lot of foliage when separating. The best way to learn is to do this again and again. After a while you get a hang of how and when. It would be nice to have a true hierarchy of trees that respond well to air layering. I air layered a cotoneaster. When I unwrapped it I had just as much roots on the branch/trunk that was not girdled as where I cut off the bark. I saw the same on an air layered Persian Ironwood ‘Parrotia persica’.
I have had garden junipers not root at all from air layers. Try it. If no roots you can just leave the branch and the bark will eventually heal over.
I have had garden junipers not root at all from air layers. Try it. If no roots you can just leave the branch and the bark will eventually heal over.
