Should I cut off air-layers now or in Spring?

[jerzyjerzy]

I created a number of air-layers around April, May and as late as July.

They are on different species that are located in the 20-kilometer radius around my place in random locations, and I have no control over their environment. I only watered them sporadically during Summer.

All of them are pretty long branches/trunks that I will have to collect as basically stumps with roots.

The point is, I am not convinced the roots on the layers are strong enough to support the stumps yet.

I am trying to consider what will be the best time to harvest them considering their physiology - should it be now, or maybe November when most of the processes will stop (for example, bare-rooted grapes and trees are planted at this time), or maybe in early Spring when they start showing new growth.

I know that roots in air-layers can survive Winter here, I tried it before.

My point is, I will have no control over them for months, and I am not really sure what is the safest bet for them to survive.

Do you have any opinions about timing in this case?

Should I harvest them in the Fall, risking that they will be too weak, or wait till Spring, risking the roots will dry out and die without my care?

 

[Cajunrider]

Too many factors. Only you know the extent of root growth you have on each one, the level of care you can give them during the winter. We don't know enough to help you with your decision. That said, for me I would wrap the air layer well to prevent water loss and wait until spring because I can't give tender trees good care in winter given my track record

 

[leatherback]

I would cut them around leaf drop. Defoliate & pot up. Keep frost-free. Wait for spring.

 

[penumbra]

I would cut them around leaf drop. Defoliate & pot up. Keep frost-free. Wait for spring.

I had not considered this. I believe that is what I will do on my JM.

 

[Cajunrider]

I had not considered this. I believe that is what I will do on my JM.

I will consider it from now on. It makes sense with what I know so far.

 

[River's Edge]

I created a number of air-layers around April, May and as late as July.

Suggest you check each air layer and judge the action appropriately based on what the circumstances are. Some will likely be ready, others best left for another season before separation.

 

[jerzyjerzy]

Thank you all for help.

All your posts follow my line of thinking, actually. Too many factors.

It would be much easier if they all were in my garden, and I would have better control over them.

I will check each air layer and assess the situation then

 

[AJL]

Hi here in England I started a mix of air layers from mother plants in my allotment in May and June this year and so far have successfully separated and potted up 3 Salix, 2 Acer palmatum and 1 Chaenomeles. They were all rooted strongly by August . I pruned them all by @ 25% at the time I separated them. So far all are growing well and not wilting, in fact 1 Acer already needs repotting as the roots are growing so vigorously out of its pot.
I expect your winters are more severe than mine , but if theyre already well rooted I suggest you harvest them within the next 2-3 weeks then keep them in a sheltered shaded environment for the winter, protected from the worst frost and wind.
One of the most important things is to keep them stabilised in their new pots so that the new fragile roots dont get damaged by swaying in windy conditions or when youre moving the pots

 

[AJL]

Have you checked your airlayers and decided what to do?
Here is another Acer airlayer I just separated
I then pruned it back by @20% before potting and I will keep in a cold shaded greenhouse over winter

 

[Forsoothe!]

Root are more protected in the ground than anywhere else, especially up in the air where they will cycle wildly over day, night, day, night and get down way below what is a problem temperature for roots in my area, not to speak of deep cold spells that are sporadic, so all mine will be collected by Oct 15th, generously potted, sunk & mulched.

 

[Shibui]

Most layers will survive with very few roots, especially when they are dormant so do not need water, etc. Spring sees strong root growth, usually before leaves come, and the trees seem to be able to figure out what to do. I've never lost any poorly rooted layers separated after leaf drop and potted.
When the lifeline disappears it seems the tree suddenly starts to concentrate on growing those new roots.
Another way to think of them is large cuttings. A few small roots puts them way ahead of most other cuttings which are starting with no roots at all. Just treat layers with fewer roots like cuttings - high humidity, never dry, no strong sun, etc and they will soon push more roots and grow strong when spring comes round.

 

[jerzyjerzy]

Have you checked your airlayers and decided what to do?

No, not yet

I consider I still have 2-3 weeks to do it. I would like them to gather as much energy as possible from the leaves before they drop.

I will collect layers on two old deutzias this week, though, because they were not in the best shape to start with, and they already lost all their leaves. I am not sure they will survive Winter without additional help from my side. They are on an abandoned lot next to my primary school I attended 50 years ago. They were already there at the time so I assume they are at least 60-years old. The layers are over 13 centimeters (5 inches) in diameter, and I think it is some kind of an achievement for a deutzia.

 

[AJL]

No, not yet

I consider I still have 2-3 weeks to do it. I would like them to gather as much energy as possible from the leaves before they drop.

I will collect layers on two old deutzias this week, though, because they were not in the best shape to start with, and they already lost all their leaves. I am not sure they will survive Winter without additional help from my side. They are on an abandoned lot next to my primary school I attended 50 years ago. They were already there at the time so I assume they are at least 60-years old. The layers are over 13 centimeters (5 inches) in diameter, and I think it is some kind of an achievement for a deutzia.

Nice bark on Deutzias- can you post photos when you collect them?!

 

[jerzyjerzy]

Sure I will

I am afraid it was the very last moment for them - there were originally 8 bushes (now rather small trees), and 4 of them died last year and this year. I kept watching them during the years because my mother still lives close by, and they kept looking weaker and weaker lately. I suppose growing 25 or so years on the abandoned, sandy lot without any watering or fertilizing can do this to the ornamental tree.

 

[jerzyjerzy]

Deutzia layers still on the trees:





And planted:



Hawthorn






I finally divided it into three pieces:



And the rest of this year's air layers (hawthorn, deutzias, another hawthorn, oak, and sea-buckthorn):



This is not everything yet - I still have three Prunus cerasifera layers to collect, and 9 layers from three different Caragana arborescens trees that I decided to keep until next year

 

[jerzyjerzy]

The last three Prunus cerasifera layers i collected:


Nice roots





Interesting deadwood

 

[jerzyjerzy]

Now, between cousins and friends

 

[0soyoung]

I don't see anything securing the trees/layer-explants to their respective pots. Hence there is a risk that a bit of a breeze will move the tree in the pot and break off substantial parts of the roots (which could result in failure, of course). I most often have screwed a pair of (bamboo) poles/sticks to the plastic pots and then used a bit of string/wire/garden-tape to tie the top of the tree/explant to secure the tree to the poles (much like often done with landscape plantings). Harry Harrington ties his to the pot with heavy twine, but I've never been able to master that. Simply setting the potted explants in a situation where they cannot move will also accomplish the task, of course.

After you've developed hardened roots (next spring or later), you could pass one or two pieces of wire through the drain holes and over those older hardened roots to secure each of the trees in their respective pots.

Good luck.
You've got some interesting beginnings.

 

[NamesakE]

Most layers will survive with very few roots, especially when they are dormant so do not need water, etc. Spring sees strong root growth, usually before leaves come, and the trees seem to be able to figure out what to do. I've never lost any poorly rooted layers separated after leaf drop and potted.
When the lifeline disappears it seems the tree suddenly starts to concentrate on growing those new roots.
Another way to think of them is large cuttings. A few small roots puts them way ahead of most other cuttings which are starting with no roots at all. Just treat layers with fewer roots like cuttings - high humidity, never dry, no strong sun, etc and they will soon push more roots and grow strong when spring comes round.

I've been wondering this about a beech and Jupiter I air-layered April. Both have almost no roots (the juniper might have one or two threads and the beech is mostly calloused) and I've been wondering what to do with them.

 

[jerzyjerzy]

I don't see anything securing the trees/layer-explants to their respective pots.

Well, if you zoom in the last photo, you can see wires I used to tie all the trees to the pots. You can actually grab a tree and pick up a whole pot with it I tried

I used 1 mm wire (the whole spool of wire is right there ) so maybe it's not really visible much in the photo. In some cases I used both wires attached to the bottom drain holes, and additional ones attached to the top of the pot. There are no hardened roots and I had to be creative selecting points to fasten the wires.