AusBonsai

Heaven is now officially mine, the airlayer pots have arrived from Garden Express, along with many free bulbs for being a good customer. Now to airlayer everything in sight, need my distance glasses for this, and off I go! 2010 will be the year of the airlayer for me now....

Edited : Do not try to restrain me or offer advice of caution, you will be profoundly ignored.

Greth wrote:Heaven is now officially mine, the airlayer pots have arrived from Garden Express, along with many free bulbs for being a good customer. Now to airlayer everything in sight, need my distance glasses for this, and off I go! 2010 will be the year of the airlayer for me now....

Edited : Do not try to restrain me or offer advice of caution, you will be profoundly ignored.

Greth - could you give me the address for Garden Express? There are no airlayer pots to be found in Mackay...

Glenda

I just googled Garden Express and searched for rooter pots once I found it. Cost me about $30 for about 10, large and small sizes. Expensive for plastic pots, but they are reusable and so much better than my homemade creations. Will replace the existing abominations with something purpose built.

Thanks for that Greth. Will order some!

Glenda

Airlayer has been removed, plenty of roots, but still keeping it moist until the roots balance the top. One warning on the pots, the roots tried to fiddle themselves into the reserve water containers at the base of the pot, and got a bit caught. In this case I removed it before they got themselves so deeply caught that it would have been catastrophe to disentangle them. I am warned now. If you use these be aware to check how the roots are sitting especially in the later weeks.
Parent plant will be left to grow for a month or two, then I will take off the other long branch. Low shoots are growing strongly, they will be all that is left after the second cut.

Brilliant Greth well done!!!

Im really chuffed, Ant, your advice gave me the confidence to try something I thought was esoteric and difficult. It turned out so easy I am going to be doing more on cas and many other plants I have found difficult to grow from cutting. Thankyou kindly for your help, in about another 5 years I might have a decent little bonsai after all this work!

And no sooner said than done, bought the other nursery reject Cas and layer pot is on!
Nice wam fuzzy feeling looking at the two together, they were very similar in the nursery 3 1/2 months ago, after my drastic repotting, feeding and care mine is richly green and growing, the other is yellowed and horribly pot bound and sick looking. Gave it the same treatment as number 1, so expecting it will be a picture of health soon too.

Hey Ant and Greth...Any updates on these projects ?.... ....Dog.

Second airlayer on the first tree didnt take, so giving it a little rest before trying again. Good bunch of little branches near the base which be useful later. Might try to get a pic sometime soon, been very lazy with the camera. Second tree had a bit of a water crisis over summer, now soaking and some new green at the base. Attempting another airlayer on a chestnut tree, not for bonsai, just cos I want more chestnuts
May start some more cas seed soon, but may be going out to fulltime work which will make it difficult watering, might just have to shove all seedlings into shadehouse and turn on sprays once a day.

bonzaidog wrote:Hey Ant and Greth...Any updates on these projects ?.... ....Dog.

Hey Dog how are ya mate, Got me to do some much needed work on this one today ... thanks

good onya Dog for shaking his cage, Mine is gonna be cut off about 8 inches high, but some good young branches left and right. About the same trunk thickness I think, give or take scale. His will reach showable far earlier, lol. Hes far ahead of me in skill, will sit back and admire.

EXCELLENT! Thanks guys ,sometimes you find yourself trolling through the older threads and think, hey! thats looking good I wonder how it's going, even if there's croak-age we can all learn a bit more.....and it's fun rattling cages especially if it's not your own ....Dog.

Greth wrote:good onya Dog for shaking his cage, Mine is gonna be cut off about 8 inches high, but some good young branches left and right. About the same trunk thickness I think, give or take scale. His will reach showable far earlier, lol. Hes far ahead of me in skill, will sit back and admire.

You done good Greth !!!

Update !