AusBonsai

Who has experience with air layering? I have never been bothered with it and have favoured more convinient/easier/lazier methods of propagation (going to the nursery and buying more trees). I have a small chinese elm that has been neglected and i noticed that it has a nice little tree growing on top of it! So Antonio once told me that he air layers anything just to get experience doing it, so as when he does need to do it to some better quality material he will know how to do it. Well now i have attempted my first layer and hopefully will get a nice little tree out of it. I was going to cut it off anyway, but it would have ended up on the fire heap. If it doesnt work, i will put it down to experience but if it does work i will have a cute little corky bark elm.
My first question relating to the only real problem i encountered doing this is what do you generally use to cover the area with. I used clear plastic but found it difficult to fill the plastic with medium (spag moss) and then close the top off. The branch i used is only about 25mm thick so i guess doing it on small stuff is harder because of the refined space in which to work....maybe. Also, how long should i leave it wrapped up? Any tips would be appreciated.
Peter

Read some of brians posts and see what he uses to get roots.

Asus, Harry Harrington of http://www.bonsai4me.com air layers by cutting a hole in and down the side of a plastic pot, then cuts away the bark & attaches the pot to the tree and fills it with sharp sand. Ive tried it on figs, and it worked for me, allthough with figs its easier to plop em in a pot anyway. Use the rooting gell and it should strike.
Ron

yeah, fly has a few pics up here is all, so it was easier to find.

Gday Peter!

I'm a bit of a fan of air-layering, and I've had a reasonable degree of success with various species (both native and exotics). I don't recall trying it with elms, but they should layer just fine.

PeterW wrote:My first question relating to the only real problem i encountered doing this is what do you generally use to cover the area with. I used clear plastic but found it difficult to fill the plastic with medium (spag moss) and then close the top off. The branch i used is only about 25mm thick so i guess doing it on small stuff is harder because of the refined space in which to work....maybe.

Have a look at this thread, where I am attempting to layer a River Red Gum. Rather than mess around with Glad Wrap, foil or black plastic, I prefer to use pre-made containers which offer a degree of rigidity and control. Once upon a time, I used clear plastic takeaway containers, complete with lids. (I'll see if I can find pics...) For added protection, I then cut a plastic shopping bag down both sides and wrap it around the layer site/pot, and use the bag handles to tie it into position.

Also, how long should i leave it wrapped up? Any tips would be appreciated.

The glib answer to this question is that you should leave it wrapped up until the layer has enough roots to support itself. It is often quoted that the layer should be left untouched until roots have filled the medium entirely. The tricky thing is trying to check for roots without disturbing the medium (and possibly breaking off your new roots), and the problem is compounded if your medium is only loosely held in position by a bit of Glad Wrap or the like. When using a rigid container - such as the one in the link above - it is relatively easy to see when rooting has occurred, as the new roots will often poke out through the drainage holes.

As I mentioned before, I reckon Ulmus chinensis should root readily, but the length of time before you remove the layer will depend on a number of factors. Do Chinese Elms go dormant in your part of the world? They do here, so if I were to attempt a layer on one at this time of year, I would likely need to keep the layer in place until next spring. I would imagine that a healthy Elm would take a couple of months to root completely, but folks in your area should know better.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Thanks.

Fly.

[EDIT] Here's another thread of mine showing how I go about layering. Enjoy.[/EDIT]

Thanks Fly, i had read your post previously and would have done it that way (with the pot) if i could have, it looks much better and easier. The problem i had is the region i wanted to make the cut is directly above the new leader for the remaining tree and being only a small tree, and me having 10 thumbs, it was difficult to work in that small space. I will post a picture, should have done that to start with...........ahh well. I am also concerned that i havent provided enough space to allow roots to grow, maybe i will just have to remove it as soon as i see roots filling up the area.

I dont think there is enough room.
I have done three air layers, one failed because I removed too soon, and it had limited roots. It had been on for a number of months and just wasn't wanting to put roots.
The other two where a gum and a juniper, but got cooked on our record hot day here and died, but had pushed roots.
I used a big ball of spag moss, much larger than what you have there.

Asus101 wrote:I dont think there is enough room... I used a big ball of spag moss, much larger than what you have there.

I agree with young Ben here - you've got far too little sphagnum in place here. I understand that the layer's proximity to the new leader makes it difficult to fit a large container into that spot, and as such your tree might be a good candidate for the use of a small takeaway container. The one pictured here was filled with satay sauce in its previous incarnation.
From memory, not only did the lid and container have a hole for the trunk, but I made a number of smaller holes, so that every time I watered, the layer got a soak.

Good luck!

Fly.

I have removed the plastic and made up a little pot for it, and with my 10 thumbs I positioned it and secured it to the tree! It is still smaller then i would like but anyway, time will tell.
Peter

I am going to practise on bigger material next time, this is just to small! it is fun though.

Hi Peter,

I have not done elm yet, but I have seen people done them -- from about 20mm up 10cm.

With the right condition, I do not think you can go wrong with elm.

I have also previously posted one on a 10 years old pine viewtopic.php?f=38&t=317

Regards.

Time will tell Viet. Hopefully it will work, it could make a nice little tree.
Peter

Hi Peter,

I performed an areal layering on a regular chinese elm recently. The layer was removed about 1 month ago, and the growth above the layer never ceased to grow throughout the whole process. I used an old osmocote container that had been cut to fit around the trunk. It was on the tree for exactly 3 weeks, 2 days. The layering has roots that are currently growing out of the bottom of its new pot, which is about 25 cm high. I used sphagnum and rooting powder.

I also struck a cutting of an elm in the last few weeks that was about 45mm thick. It has just started pushing growth, and is in total inorganic medium.

good luck!

JayC

Cool....thanks JayC. I will look forward to cutting it off in the near future!
Peter

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Hector Johnson wrote:I'd be tempted to toss in a little indole butyric acid (root hormone) for luck, [Peter]. Belt AND braces, and all that.

Thanks Hector, i did use a powder on the cut area first. Hopefully that will help.
Peter