Air Layering

Discussions about propagating from cuttings, seeds, air layers etc. Going on a dig (Yamadori) or thinking of importing? Discuss how, when and where here.
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Daluke
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Air Layering

Post by Daluke »

Here’s a step by step guide on air layering.

I bought a Japanese crab apple from forum member Shibui - i needed some material to propagate from.
C953667A-5931-403F-8728-FC9426B47285.jpeg
It was relatively cheap and had a straight section of about a pencil thickness that I thought would be a good place to layer off. For those unfamiliar, layering is the process of growing roots on part of the tree that is otherwise in the air. There are multiple ways to propagate - by seed, cutting, grafting… layering is one such method.

I am finding it increasingly difficult to find have something in my “style” that I can work with.

To start with, prepare the materials you will be working with;

- The tree;
- Sphagnum (medium the layer will grow in);
- A knife
- A bag
- Cable ties
- A container with water

Chop up the sphagnum and damp it using the water in the container. I find smaller pieces are easy to work with. I’ve tried coir, perlite, soil with limited success - sphagnum does the trick.
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Use the knife to cut a two rings around the bark - make sure you slice through the flesh. Peel the bits between the ring like you would an orange. Shave off as much of the stringy pulp as you can.
98B8A28F-6D5F-40DB-A97D-E33BC23D42E7.jpeg
Next is bagging it up. Cut out a hole in the bottom of the bag. I position the bottom just beneath the bottom ring. Secure it with a cable tie. These things are dirt cheap and I find they are easier to apply that wire or tape.
A434514F-1457-4FCC-B3D2-05193E2983EC.jpeg
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Once the bottom is sealed off fill with the chopped sphagnum. Make sure you squeeze as much moisture out as possible. Put in as much sphagnum as you can and ensure it’s in contact with the exposed bark.
A4C329B2-04C5-4902-A3EF-8AB5BC980E00.jpeg
Seal off at the top just above the top ring of the bark. Apply another cable tie.

For good measure and to guarantee good contact apply one or two more around the middle section.

Place a few holes in the plastic so that excess water can escape.

Position in a light place where the layer gets access to some light. warmth promotes root growth.

And there you have it.
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Daluke
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Re: Air Layering

Post by Daluke »

Share your tips!
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Re: Air Layering

Post by Ryceman3 »

My tips, to add to your stuff :

Make sure you get clean cuts at both top and bottom when ringbarking. It looks better, but more importantly it gets you better results. Be clean and precise.

I use rooting hormone applied to the top cut where you want to encourage the new roots to grow. I make a paste with the powder form mixed with Clonex (both at green shed)

I cover my plastic in foil. It keeps the layer dark and reflects excess heat ? (but this might be more important during summer)

I would probably wait until the tree has put out a hardened first flush of growth on deciduous before applying a layer… it’s really pumping at this point so you can expect roots to grow quickly.

Hope that adds a few things to your thread.
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Re: Air Layering

Post by shibui »

I'll add:
Don't always make cuts at right angle to the trunk. New roots grow from the top cut so if you make that cut straight across the trunk you'll end up with a vertical trunk. If you want a bonsai with some movement from the ground cut at an angle so the new roots form that way and you can plant the new tree sloping in the pot and build the trunk from there.

I have not found foil or black covering necessary or beneficial, except maybe for layers exposed to strong, summer sun which could overheat the bag. Roots rely on moisture but they are not worried by light.
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Re: Air Layering

Post by Sno »

Vertical branches layer quicker and have better root system than horizontal .
Go big . One of the best things about airlayering is the size you can propagate . I have layered a branch that took twenty years to grow ,thicker than my forearm in one growing season .
Go small . If you want to grow shohin or mame trees this technique is one of the best ways to develop a root system that copes really well in a small pot .
Don’t be to impatient to remove the layer I have waited for over 3 years to remove a layer . I think you’re better waiting and trying to get a good radial root system than trying to fix it later .
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Re: Air Layering

Post by SuperBonSaiyan »

Sno wrote: August 19th, 2022, 6:59 pm Don’t be to impatient to remove the layer I have waited for over 3 years to remove a layer . I think you’re better waiting and trying to get a good radial root system than trying to fix it later .
I'd like to ask: how (and how often) can the air layer be checked? Also, if the wound has calloused over, is it safe to re-open that site?
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Re: Air Layering

Post by Sno »

SuperBonSaiyan wrote: August 19th, 2022, 11:05 pm [quote=Sno post_id=295594 time=<a href="tel:1660899598">1660899598</a> user_id=2411]
I'd like to ask: how (and how often) can the air layer be checked? Also, if the wound has calloused over, is it safe to re-open that site?
I check mine after a few months if I don’t see any roots forming on the outside of the spagnum ball . ( I use basically same method as Daluke ) . Occasionally the cambium has joined and you just recut where it has joined . Sometimes the callus grows like crazy and I trim it back a little bit too .
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Re: Air Layering

Post by treeman »

You should make the cut just under a branch junction. Resulting trees are always more interesting and they root better from there.
BTW what's the ''Japanese crab apple'' ?
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Re: Air Layering

Post by shibui »

I'd like to ask: how (and how often) can the air layer be checked? Also, if the wound has calloused over, is it safe to re-open that site?
You can check every day if you like but that probably won't help the layer root. May even be unhelpful.
Provided you are careful it does not hurt to check occasionally but that usually only satisfies your curiosity. Just untie the top and gently peel back the moss until you get down to the top cut. That's where the roots will grow from so no point going deeper. Then just push the moss back and retie the top.
If you've used potting mix in pots for the layers it is a little more difficult but you can gently scratch down until you see either roots or the top cut.

If you've used clear plastic you will see roots through the plastic when the layer is ready.

If the wound has bridged from top cut to bottom you can reopen the wound and try again. There's a slightly increased chance of the top dying after the second cut but what do you have to lose?
BTW what's the ''Japanese crab apple'' ?
:lost: Not sure Mike, and it is supposed to come from here :lost: I don't think I've ever sold anything under that name. I have a floribunda with small fruit or 'Profusion' here.
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Re: Air Layering

Post by Daluke »

shibui wrote: August 20th, 2022, 5:22 pm
I'd like to ask: how (and how often) can the air layer be checked? Also, if the wound has calloused over, is it safe to re-open that site?
You can check every day if you like but that probably won't help the layer root. May even be unhelpful.
Provided you are careful it does not hurt to check occasionally but that usually only satisfies your curiosity. Just untie the top and gently peel back the moss until you get down to the top cut. That's where the roots will grow from so no point going deeper. Then just push the moss back and retie the top.
If you've used potting mix in pots for the layers it is a little more difficult but you can gently scratch down until you see either roots or the top cut.

If you've used clear plastic you will see roots through the plastic when the layer is ready.

If the wound has bridged from top cut to bottom you can reopen the wound and try again. There's a slightly increased chance of the top dying after the second cut but what do you have to lose?
BTW what's the ''Japanese crab apple'' ?
:lost: Not sure Mike, and it is supposed to come from here :lost: I don't think I've ever sold anything under that name. I have a floribunda with small fruit or 'Profusion' here.
Not sure - I’d asked for a floribunda and you said it had small fruits. It had green leaves. Only time will tell when it fruits!
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Re: Air Layering

Post by shibui »

OK. I was not aware that floribunda meant Japanese crab. I've never referred to them as Japanese crabapple and maybe even Treeman did not realise the connection.
That one originally came from Nell Saffin in Melbourne. It has pink buds opening to white flowers maturing to tiny 6mm yellow apples. Whatever variety it is it's perfect for bonsai.
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Re: Air Layering

Post by TimS »

Yeah one of the many common names for floribunda is Japanese flowering crabapple, whatever it’s called it sounds like a good bonsai species :tu:
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Re: Air Layering

Post by TimIAm »

Wish me luck! My first time attempting this, and I went big.

Followed all of the advice here, but would appreciate if someone can fill in a couple of gaps in my understanding:

- In between the top and bottom cut, how consistent do you need to be in the moss covering? Like, is 90% surface area coverage good enough? 95%? Or you really need to go over the top with the sphagnum and make sure you have extra coverage?
- Sort of a follow on question from above, but is the idea with the sphagnum to: provide moisture to the trunk above the cut and provide moisture and a growing medium for the new roots. But I also want to know if it needs to act as a consistent bridge between the top and bottom cut?
- A couple of people mentioned holes for excess water to drain. I assume warmer months are better to start a layer as warmth = growth, but do you ever need to add moisture or is there a risk that the sphagnum could dry out?
- Because people mentioned holes for drainage, I assume it doesn't matter if the bottom and top cable ties are not super-tight?
- I've seen photos before of people using plastic potting tubs. Is it a good idea as an extra step; once there are a decent number of roots, to switch the bag out for a pot with a different growing medium, to allow the roots to continue to grow in a more open-air environment and then chop?
- I would think that for work-ability, it's better to chop as close to the top cut as possible. But is there any advice on how high up to make the cut? Is it better to leave an inch of the previous branch, or cut the branch somewhere in line with where the roots have grown down to or is it OK to make a concave cut to remove as much of the old branch as possible, providing plenty of space for new roots to grow?
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Re: Air Layering

Post by legoman_iac »

I've only done a few small branches, then went huge on my latest air layer, a trident, so with that limited experience, here's my 2 cents:

- pack in heaps of moss, above the top cut, and in between, heaps, at least 2-3x the trunk thickness (post some pics)

- never thought of it as a bridge, would make sense but roots have only grown from the top, think it's about making a moist environment, but not too damp

- drainage? Some people will add water and seasol, I've never done that, maybe too damp to start with. I have at times, in early days of the layer attempt, squeezed it to ensure not too wet, hole near the bottom helps ... also, I've kept it as tight as possible, also had a few roaches move in uninvited

- some people skip the moss and bag, and use a "muck" mixture, in a pot, looks hilarious and seems to work well, just harder to check for roots

- using a saw, and being as delicate as one can be with such a giant device, I cut as close to the new roots as possible without frightening or damaging them

Hope this helps, as is what has worked for me.

Also, last big layer I tried did start to callus over, so if in a few weeks, no roots, check it. I ended up even sanding back any potential cambium that I missed, as it's incredible the healing a tree will do to avoid separation.
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Re: Air Layering

Post by legoman_iac »

Also, my layers are usually late spring, early summer when in full leaf and roots developing
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