Hi
A very good result.
The top picture looks like a dragon like creature eating a plastic bag.
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| Air Layer and Chop http://weetrees.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19069 |
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| Author: | Rivulus123 [ 16 Aug 2020, 08:41 ] |
| Post subject: | Air Layer and Chop |
I read all the time on the topic of air layering a tree and I get the concept of stripping the bark back and applying the Sphagnum Moss bandage. What I would like to know is once you have attained a root mass where do you make the chop? presumably directly below the last root shoot. (please correct me if I'm wrong). Also, do you try to remove any of the moss from the new and possibly soft, delicate root system or do you just bury the roots moss and all into the new pot? Lastly, is there a rule about where the new soil/medium level should be on the trunk. Sorry for the newbie questions but when I read it gets to the chop stage and then the info of what to do next becomes sparce. Hope you can help me understand the final stages from "Chop to Pot" of an air layered tree. Thanks for your attention Regards C |
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| Author: | keithmart [ 16 Aug 2020, 09:21 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
hi cut below the root. leave the spaggy moss and pot up. water well for a week or so to allow the new roots to develop. |
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| Author: | Gary Jones [ 16 Aug 2020, 10:50 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
When you strip the bark the new roots typically form at the top of the removed strip. This is where the sucrose and amino acids produced by the foliage have flown down through the phloem and have hit a brick wall so to speak, so that's where it typically causes the tree to generate new roots for storage if the conditions are right. If your sphagnum is wrapped higher roots may form higher up or if some cambium has been left behind, the roots may form lower. You can cut anywhere you like below that upper part of the bare strip. If the roots are all coming from the top I go as high as I can without damaging the new roots. The more you leave, the bigger a stump you have to fit into the pot or possibly remove later. Of course care of the roots is the priority so leaving a little is a good idea. If you've used sphagnum, its quite hard to remove. I generally remove only the stuff that is easy to remove and leave the rest. A year or two later when the roots are much better established you'll probably want to come back and remove the rest (very fiddly) and also work on building a pleasant nebari. Of course you can use materials other than sphagnum for the air layer such as Akadama but the same principles apply. When you plant the air layer you obviously want the new roots below the surface. It's a good idea to plant them a little deeper than you might want to ensure they don't dry out and perish. Then once a good and strong root-ball is established, you can gradually expose the nebari at your subsequent re-pots. |
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| Author: | Paul B [Swindon] [ 16 Aug 2020, 11:20 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
As above replies. This is a pyracantha air layer I did a few years ago, you can see that several roots have grown above the main cut.........[Typical of Pyracantha] I had previously air layered it lower on the trunk cause I couldn't get to the area I wanted, [it was between two fences] If these are no use to you they can be cut off, there was plenty below to keep the tree in health. It was cut below the main root mass, no moss was removed and it was then planed in a deep pot for the roots to strengthen. It will be left for several years and then the roots can be sorted. By then most of the moss will have decayed. Attachment: Airlayer 1.jpg Attachment: Airlayer 2.jpg
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| Author: | Rivulus123 [ 16 Aug 2020, 12:52 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
Thanks, everyone, a very helpful bunch you are. That makes the picture a lot clearer now. Simple when you know how I expect. That is some root ball Paul. What was the next stage, Plant it in a large pot again and wait until such a time you can start reducing the roots in readiness for a proper Bonsai Pot? Nice Job. Will most trees air layer. what are the important aspects to perhaps increase the possibility of success. Regards C |
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| Author: | Gary Jones [ 16 Aug 2020, 13:15 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
In terms of species some are easy some are hard, some seem impossible. In simple terms conifers are much harder. For broad-leaf/deciduous trees the ones that are generally simpler to grow seem simpler to air layer. |
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| Author: | keithmart [ 16 Aug 2020, 15:49 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
Hi A very good result. The top picture looks like a dragon like creature eating a plastic bag.
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| Author: | Paul B [Swindon] [ 16 Aug 2020, 16:57 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
Rivulus123 wrote: What was the next stage, Plant it in a large pot again and wait until such a time you can start reducing the roots in readiness for a proper Bonsai Pot? This is the tree today, it will be re potted next Feb/March which should be fun as the pot is solid with root and I am having a job making sure that water soaks into the whole soil. The stump where it was cut off will be reduced and the roots sorted. It will then go into a shallower pot......... all the time working on the top growth. I hope that it will end up as a 2 trunk stump [mother and child] so one tree is larger than the other. Attachment: Pyra Sm.jpg
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| Author: | Dustmonkey [ 16 Aug 2020, 21:03 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
For a head start on the Nebari (if you have the space to use a plant pot ) you can attach a disc of plastic 1/4-1/2 inch away from the top cut on the bark to promote radial growth as the roots emerge from the trunk . Id also recommend chopping the spagnum moss really finely and only using it in the top 3rd of the pot and the other 2 3rds bonsai soil, chopping it fine allows you (if your really careful ) to remove the majority prior to putting the separated layer in its first container which will set it up well for its first winter. I cant take credit for this technique ( using a disc under the cut) as i read about it last year on another forum and gave it a try this season. Here is a zelcova i separated in July.    
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| Author: | Betula [ 20 Mar 2021, 04:15 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Air Layer and Chop |
Air layering Buxus? Im thinking of attempting airlayers on trunks of a very mature neglected box hedge.Its more like a row of trees, over 15 foot tall with stems 3- 5inches diameter and hasn't been pruned or trimmed ever in living memory . It has beautiful mature bark and a great selection of material to choose from but at this size would it be likely to work? I know Box is very slow growing so I imagine its roots might take forever to grow.... Has anyone succeeded in rooting airlayers of this species and of this size? Would it be better to cut back first and promote back budding of my target trunks/branches first before attempting airlayering? |
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