AusBonsai

Hello,
I have a 2.5-3m scarlet blaze in the garden that I was hoping to try and air layer some branches off in Spring, however we had extremely severe winds last week and it has lost 90% of its leaves. Is the best thing to do for recovery to cut it back to minimise the effort the tree requires to survive?

Jon
total newbie, Hobart.

I have found Acacia leprosa 'Scarlet Blaze' to be quite short lived and unreliable in our garden. All grow well and flower for 1 or 2 years but all the ones I have tried have died relatively young, even seedlings grown from the original parent plant. Incidentally, seedlings grown from seed collected from 'Scarlet Blaze' are about 75% red flower plants with just a few yellow flowered ones.
We also found it to be quite easy to strike as cuttings so it should air layer ok as well.

If your tree has just had the leaves blown off it should recover without any help but I think it sounds more like the plant is already sickening for the leaves to be blown away. Hoping I am wrong but I'd just cross my fingers and hope

Sickness prior to the horrendous winds is a possibility. There were some yellowing leaves on the tree. Shame as it was doing very well and was hoping to get some good air layers from it! The leaves are too big for classic bonsai but it has gorgeous flowers.

I have cut it back hard and I guess there is nothing to lose as it had no leaves left anyway. The wind was strong enough to flex the windows on the house - although no other trees appeared to be missing anything!