what is and will this tree take well to a air layer

Share your success stories about defoliation, bare rooting and anything else relating to maintaining healthy bonsai.
Post Reply
User avatar
matty-j
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 397
Joined: September 29th, 2011, 5:45 pm
Favorite Species: ficus, hawthorn
Bonsai Age: 4
Bonsai Club: School Of Bonsai
Location: Sydney

what is and will this tree take well to a air layer

Post by matty-j »

hey guy's i have a very large pine tree in my back yard i think it may be a radiata pine? thats a complete guess and will this take well to an air layer because there is a very nice branch i have been eyeing off that would make a fantastic cascade if only i could layer it :lost: and finally does anyone know if this tree will die get a lot of die back if i try to cascade it?

any help is very much appreciated!!!
IMG_0756.jpg
IMG_0761.jpg
IMG_0757.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
“The beginning is perhaps more difficult than anything else, but keep heart, it will turn out all right.”
― Vincent van Gogh
User avatar
Hackimoto
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 746
Joined: May 15th, 2012, 10:22 pm
Favorite Species: Kurume Azaleas,Figs, Wisteria, Swamp Cypress
Bonsai Age: 53
Bonsai Club: Gold Coast, Tweed Bonsai Club
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: what is and will this tree take well to a air layer

Post by Hackimoto »

Considering where you live, it is almost certainly a Radiata. Pines, generally speaking do not take to aerial layering. You could, if you are really determined, try root grafting , using pots or plastic while it is still attached to the parent tree. You would use dug up roots from the parent tree. The younger the branch the more successful it would be.
Last edited by Hackimoto on June 20th, 2012, 10:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dario
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 974
Joined: October 13th, 2010, 6:06 pm
Favorite Species: Pines,Eng Elm,Cork Oak,Ash,Casuarina,Mels,Box..etc
Bonsai Age: 3
Location: Melbourne

Re: what is and will this tree take well to a air layer

Post by Dario »

I am yet to try layering a pine. But it is possible and radiata are easy to take from cuttings compared to other pine species. So I would give it a go as many people successfully layer JBP's.
You could even try a few at the same time...the tree sure is big enough and being that it is in your backyard, it isn't going anywhere :tu2:
I'd try it for sure, maybe the torniquet method or a combination of that and the ring bark method.
Whatever you do, please be careful climbing up that tree matty-j!
Best of luck and let us know how it goes please.
Oh yeah, I am not disagreeing with Hackimoto at all :tu2: I was just thinking that root grafting may be a little trickier if you haven't done it before. Air layering may be the easier option (or at least it would be for me).
Maybe you could try both methods as it is a good chance to practice them ;)
Cheers, Dario. :)
User avatar
kcpoole
Perpetual Learner
Perpetual Learner
Posts: 12292
Joined: November 12th, 2008, 4:02 pm
Favorite Species: Maple
Bonsai Age: 15
Bonsai Club: the School Of Bonsai
Location: Western Sydney, NSW, Australia
Has thanked: 19 times
Been thanked: 96 times
Contact:

Re: what is and will this tree take well to a air layer

Post by kcpoole »

Pines do Layer, but very slowy
Juvenile branches will take 3 - 6 months, and mature branches will take anything up to 2 years, and not for newbies unless you want to set up for a big dissapoint.

Being a pine, there shoud be plenty of trees around that have grown from seed and are ready for collection tho. That is why Radiata are now declared weeds :shock:

Ken
Check out our Wiki for awesome bonsai information www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki
What is Bonsai? http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index.php?title=Bonsai
What should I do now? http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index.php?title=Newbie
How do I grow a Bonsai? http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... _a_Bonsai?
Visit a Bonsai nursery to see some real nice trees http://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... _Nurseries
User avatar
bodhidharma
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 5007
Joined: August 13th, 2009, 1:14 pm
Favorite Species: English Elm
Bonsai Age: 24
Bonsai Club: goldfields
Location: Daylesford, Victoria....Central Highlands
Been thanked: 11 times
Contact:

Re: what is and will this tree take well to a air layer

Post by bodhidharma »

I have layered successfully but as Ken stated, it took about 12 months. It was very successful and i used a Sliver technique which leaves a small cambium strip on the trunk to carry nutrients.
"Advice is rarely welcome, and the one's who need it the most welcome it the least"
User avatar
Mojo Moyogi
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1656
Joined: May 5th, 2009, 11:26 am
Favorite Species: Maple, Elm, Hornbeam, Pine, Larch and Cedar
Bonsai Age: 29
Bonsai Club: Yarra Valley Bonsai Society
Location: Yarra Ranges, VIC
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: what is and will this tree take well to a air layer

Post by Mojo Moyogi »

Hi matty-j,
there is plenty of info on this blog http://muranakabonsainursery.blogspot.com.au/ regarding JBP airlayers, the info might be applicable for Radiata.

Cheers,
Mojo
...Might as well face it, I'm addicted to Shohin...

"Any creative work can be roughly broken down into three components- design, technique and materials. Good design can carry poor technique and materials but no amount of expertise and beautiful materials can save poor design". Andrew McPherson - Furniture designer and artist
Post Reply

Return to “Tips, Techniques, Maintenance and Advice”