Beginner advice needed - tree within a tree?

[karraway2]

Hi all, i am in need of some help for a beginner. I bought a number of trees for a very good price from a wholesaler as they were left in the yards as stock not desirable for purchase by mainstream nurseries or landscapers etc. Any way as a beginner i am having a little trouble really determining where i am going to air-layer the tree down to get multiple trees out of my large stock (i know now is not the time for it but just want to prepare through winter with pots, materials etc).

Here is a pic of the 1st tree from 2 sides with some blue markings for the layer position i am thinking and the red lines are for the secondary chops to get a trunk line i am after. In the 1st pic there are 2 possible seasons of layering marked as 1 & 2.

The second pic from the opposite side of the tree shows i could possibly create one large tree with good size and air-layer it off the graft. The question i have with this, if i then chop of the very substancial forked branch, will this scar heal over enough to give me a good finished product over time or should i be looking to air-layer straight sections only, plant them in the ground/pot then chop these from time to time to develop the trunk flow rather than air-layer in a trunk that already has flow as in the pics?

My 2y/o daughter saw me using chalk to draw possible air-layer positions and thought she would help out with it

btw the tree is a Japanese Maple and the bottom trunk size is about 90mm diameter from memory.

[karraway2]

Here is a pic of the same tree a little further up with possibilities for some other smaller air-layer trees?

[karraway2]

TREE 2 pics.... This tree has such a beautiful trunk line, pity there is a massive high graft, so i will have to build a tree from the graft up.

Maybe someone with a lot of experience with larger trees from air-layering who lives in Sydney could stop in one time and help me to pick the trees within each tree? Would a case of the beer of your choice do as a means of payment for this advice?

[kcpoole]

Nice trees karaway
Plenty of Options to pick from there and lots of potential to get a good few trees out of

Where abouts in Sydney are you?

Ken

[karraway2]

Croydon - inner west.

[The Hacker]

Hi Karaway

You have your hand's on some very nice stock there, so take your time you still have till end of september before you need to start any air layer's good luck with them,

Regard's The Hacker

[Bretts]

Think about layering off where the branches fork. This will give you a wider base and better taper. It will also help avoid large branches up the top of your trunks.
Good luck. That score will keep you going for a while

[karraway2]

Thanks for the advice. So you mean doing the layer say where i have the green lines? Would i cut one branch off as part of the layer going on, or keep it and plant it as the fork and then cut the other branch off later??? I don't want to end up with lots of twin trunk bonsai.... A little confused...