Is there a reason for not covering the original wire girdle with soil? Normally I would put the wire on and bury that area. As the trunk swells it also puts out roots just above the wire. If you had done that then, you would probably already have the new root system well established.
I probably should have, but I don't usually girdle to get the swelling first and wanted to see how it responded.
That's good to know, thank you! I'll update as this progresses.
I have an update. You're definitely right about girdling and burying. I felt I wasted time looking back now; however, the results are interesting. Girdling first then air layering proved the bulge will flatten out on my case. I wonder if it girdled and ground layer, would it have done the same.
I bought it as a small whip that had a fairly even branch on either side fairly low on the trunkline. I chopped it down to that branch split and just let it grow in that container for a few years (2020).
