To Layer, or Not to Layer

[Beano]

I separated mine earlier in the week, nothing has died yet and I have a new leader bud at the top of the "bottom" tree pretty much exactly where I want it. Gotta love chinese elms! Only problem now is, when I water it, little tiny white bugs crawl up it... anyone know what they are?

[Shane Martin]

Wow....Beano,
You gotta be happy with that. I have not seen such thick roots on an air layer before. I'm curious as to how you managed to get all the spaghnum moss off the roots without any damage. I was under the impression, that once severed from the main tree, you plant the whole new rootball, moss and all without disturbing the new roots, and wait until the following season to rework the new nebari.
So Beano, how many days total was it from start to finish

[Beano]

Originally started 14th August, then recut the side with no roots on 7th September. Separated another 2.5 weeks later. So about 5.5 weeks. It's been pretty warm the whole time since I started the layer. I tried to get most of the moss out being very careful. I did break some roots. Couldn't get it all out. I severed it because the roots had pierced one of the layers of cling wrap and were escaping the moss. I noticed others roots are smaller, but also my layer isn't big, it's only 15cm tall, so they might just look big because the tree is small.

[Shane Martin]

I think you've done a great job all round...

[Beano]

Thanks! Interestingly, after I started the layer, the top just boomed and shot out new growth, and the bottom of the tree really slowed down. Now it's separated I'm really happy there is a bud right at the top which will be the new leader. I was worried there wouldn't be anymore new branches.

I tried a ground layer of another tree, just to get some roots on a bare side, but there's nothing happening. So I'm thinking the success on the elm had nothing to do with me and more to do with it being a Chinese elm!

[Raymond]

UPDATE: I removed the foil on Sat to find absolutely NOTHING< never fired a shot. Both layers failed, so I reworked them...

[Shane Martin]

Hi all,
Since this discussion was started on September 2nd 2013, I decided to do an experiment using Ray M's technique for Trident Maple Air Layers, which involved using wire as well as the hormone gel and rooting powder mix. The subject is a Trident of mine which has been in the ground for about 15 years....originally for bonsai, but it's one of a few that just got away from me, but it threw a shoot close to the base a few years ago and now has grown to about 3 inches thick. Last winter I chopped it back to about 18 inches last winter and during the following growing season put on some growth, and since then have been looking for an excuse to try and air layer it.... then this thread came up, with Rays tried and true technique, which I thought too good to be true, as I've found tridents and elms not so easy to grow from cuttings as most people. I apologise for no before pic....
This layer was set on September 6th 2013, and this it today October 14th. 38days to this..... I will check it again in another 2-3 weeks and see if we're ready to separate.
So to Ray M.... thanks so much for sharing a winning technique.

Air layer set 6-9-13_14-10-13.jpg

[Ray M]

Hi Shane,
That looks great. You should get a very nice tree from this layer. One of the great things about layering is the years of growth you can save. Keep up the good work and keep us posted.

Regards Ray

[Shane Martin]

Thanks Ray,
I'll make sure to keep a good record of this ones future...
cheers

[Ray M]

Hi Raymond,
I am posting this to hopefully encourage you about air layering.

The following photo is a layer I did when I was demonstrating at the Newcastle Bonsai Society. The layer was created on 14 September 2013. I took the foil off the layer today to see if there was any progress. This is a Variegated Chinese Elm. Both the Variegated and the smooth bark Chinese Elm take longer then the corky Bark Chinese Elm. Being a Variegated I was very pleased to see roots already.

IMG_7304 -2.jpg

Regards Ray

[Raymond]

Ok, so after the first layers failed, I reworked them and tried again. I can see roots this time around but the tree is dying off. All of the fresh green shoots and leaves are dying and it seems the branches are dying also. What now

[Ray M]

Ok, so after the first layers failed, I reworked them and tried again. I can see roots this time around but the tree is dying off. All of the fresh green shoots and leaves are dying and it seems the branches are dying also. What now

Hi Raymond,
My first reaction is that the layer has dried out. Can you see condensation under the plastic? Is the sphagnum moss looking white in colour? Have a close look at the photo above in the thread, and you will see condensation under the plastic and the sphagnum still looks quite brown.

Regards Ray

[Raymond]

I will take some pics of the tree and the layers tonight and post them up. Thanks for the reply Ray M

[Raymond]

so I took some pics for all to see. As Ray M suggested, it looks as though the layers have dried out, which is strange considering I made a point of dribbling some water into the daily...






So what do I do now

[Ray M]

so I took some pics for all to see. As Ray M suggested, it looks as though the layers have dried out, which is strange considering I made a point of dribbling some water into the daily...
You must seal the plastic when you put it on. Don't dribble water into it as this will dilute the Seasol. When putting the plastic on wrap the bottom first, creating a pocket for the sphagnum. Fill the layer and make sure when you wrap the plastic that it overlaps to prevent fluid from escaping. Seal the top. Wrap the whole layer so the sphagnum is pulled in very close to the trunk.

Plastic wrap.jpg

So what do I do now I would carefully remove the plastic. Prepare a new piece of plastic and seal it at the bottom. Add a little more sphagnum that has been soaked in Seasol. Spread it around the old sphagnum and seal the plastic. Get a syringe and add some more Seasol mix. Always inject from the top to allow the fluid to soak down into the sphagnum. If you can't get a syringe you can buy one from the two dollar shops. They have syringes for injecting meat to tenderize it.

Add fluid.jpg

Regards Ray