Removing air layer without foliage

[szelelaci]

Hi,
I have two air layers on different hornbeams. I made them a month ago, I already can see nice roots snaking around in the container however it is not full with them yet. The containers are just above ground, and the first branches with leaves on are about 1.5 meters above the layer. I will have to remove them before winter because the temperature can drop under -15 C. My concern is when i remove it it won't have any foliage on. Or should I remove it leaving some of the top on? In this case it would be too tall, with almost nothing to hold it, should use big sticks to secure it, and then chop in spring. Or should I leave the air layer on for now, but chop it and maybe it will bud back during the rest of the season...
The main question is, is that ok, if I wait about a month and remove it then without any foliage?

 

[Mike Hennigan]

You might as well just leave it on for the winter. Air layered roots tend to be more hardy than normal roots. If you’re concerned about the cold, just pile up a bunch of pine bark mulch or some other mulch over the layer and that will help protect them over winter. And then remove the air layer next spring after the first leaves harden. My 2 cents.

 

[Lorax7]

I’d keep the foliage and use stakes and guy wires as needed to stabilize the trunk since it is top-heavy.

 

[szelelaci]

@Mike Hennigan Are you saying, that this way the success rate would be higher, than removing it before winter?

 

[leatherback]

I have taken top-heavy airlayers in the past. I ensured they were placed in the contaier on a piece of wood that sits at the pottom of the container, surrounded by substrate. That way, it is in vertical directon stable. Then a 3-point tie-up against the sides of the pots, and the whole this cannot move around anymore. You can then indeed attach the top of the plant to some stable element in the surrounding area.

Come winter, you can cut this back to size, before bud swelling in spring starts

 

[Bonsai Nut]

The foliage matters less than the roots. Come winter, those roots will need to be robust enough (and protected enough) to survive the cold. That is a relatively large tree that you need to have backbud way down at the base. If it were my project, I would probably mulch the whole thing in at least 12" deep, let it go for the winter, and then trunk chop it in late winter just before spring. Then it will still have the old roots providing nutrients and hormones to push strong buds. Once the new buds pop and harden off, I would separate the air-layer.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

@Mike Hennigan Are you saying, that this way the success rate would be higher, than removing it before winter?

Probably, what B Nut suggested is spot on to me. An improvement on my suggestion.

 

[szelelaci]

Ok, thank you guys, I'll do what Bonsai Nut and Mike Henningan suggested. Probably the other option would work too, but this seems less risky.