AusBonsai

Hi,

I have been looking a the old Rosemary bush in the back yard and was thinking of trying to do something with it.
After having a close look at it and found that it has about 5 thick trunks, I was thinking would air layering work?

Also with the Air layering would I have to ring bark?

Thanks
Michael

Yes you will have to ring bark.Sounds interesting,as i was contemplating the same idea.( too late for me now as the whole bush turned yellow and died with all the others).Not sure what the problem was there. Good luck mate.

I ended up getting around to doing the air layering today.
It's my first time that I have tried it so hope it turns out.

It was a bit tricky as I had to try and move the rest of the bush away and get the air layering done.
The part that I picked was not very thick but had an interesting look to it, I could see the bonsai with in

Does anyone know how long it will take?
I did see some other post saying it took 6 weeks but that was not on a rosemary.

My air layering was done using a clear layer wraped in foil so I can keep an eye on it.

Hi,

Was reading up on air layering and did see that you should soak the sphagnum moss for 30 min before doing the air layering.
I did not do that with mne and now I'm a bit worried that it's not going to work.

Does anyone else leave the sphagnum moss soad for 30min or do you just wet it and use it?

Also did a hibiscus that has small white flowers and really want that one to work.

mtarros wrote:Hi,

Was reading up on air layering and did see that you should soak the sphagnum moss for 30 min before doing the air layering.
I did not do that with mne and now I'm a bit worried that it's not going to work.

Does anyone else leave the sphagnum moss soad for 30min or do you just wet it and use it?

Also did a hibiscus that has small white flowers and really want that one to work.

Hey mtarros, I'm not sure its absolutely essential to soak the moss for 30 mins. The moss is supposed to be damp before being applied. From my experience with layering, when you take the moss out of its packet it is usually a little damp anyway, so I soak mine in a pail of water for a few minutes, then squeeze it out really well afterwards. I'm not even sure if its really worth it, you can always take a syringe and inject a little water into the layer later if you are worried about it drying out. Just make sure you make some small incisions at the top and bottom of the layer so the water can get in and out and the roots dont rot when they are developing.

I also suggest you check out this thread I started a month or so ago. I have included the method I used and plan to continue to post on the developments of each layer.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7451

ok it should be ok then.

I did not put any small incisions at the top and bottom of the layer so might need to do that asap.
If they all work out i'll post a shot of them.

Thanks for the quick reply

mtarros wrote:ok it should be ok then.

I did not put any small incisions at the top and bottom of the layer so might need to do that asap.
If they all work out i'll post a shot of them.

Thanks for the quick reply

Its not something you should stress about doing immediately, since it will take a while for the moss to try out if it is covered as you say. I just took a knife and cut a few holes. You should check out the link I posted above though

I had a look today a the Rosemary air layer and it had roots on it so cut it and have planted it up.

I did not realise how delicate they are and lost alot of the smaller roots when the moss fell off.
Have to wait to see if it's going to grow more or die.

The Hibiscus also has roots but I am going to leave it a couple more weeks and not taking the plastic off until I cut it off.

mtarros wrote:I had a look today a the Rosemary air layer and it had roots on it so cut it and have planted it up.

I did not realise how delicate they are and lost alot of the smaller roots when the moss fell off.
Have to wait to see if it's going to grow more or die.

The Hibiscus also has roots but I am going to leave it a couple more weeks and not taking the plastic off until I cut it off.

Thats great news mate! Always nice when people like yourself follow up and update with their threads. I should have mentioned the roots can be very brittle when growing from a layer..I hope your rosemary layer manages to survive! Just out of interest, did you see the roots from the outside of the plastic? Or did you just take your chances and cut it off and check later? I can't give you much advice on the hibiscus, since they are not too fond of the climate down here in canberra unless you are a pro and have a greenhouse. If it has roots that you can visibly see then I'm sure it will survive, although it would be great to hear from someone that has had experience with layering this species..anyone?

I did a check before cutting it off.

The roots were visible from the clear plastic but not as visible as the hibiscus.

Maybe I should cut the hibiscus and plant that also??
Dont want the roots to die off.

Generally what kills most layers is cutting them off too soon. As advice that should apply generally to all species, if you think there are not enough roots to support the foliage, then let more roots grow. In your case, it seems that the roots are bulging against the plastic. If you think that maybe it needs more root growth, then you may have to consider taking the plastic off very carefully, without disturbing the moss or roots too much, and securing a plastic pot (with a whole big enough to snuggly fit the branch from beneath) around the roots, and back filling with ordinary potting mix/bonsai soil medium. On the other hand if you want to take the layer off, an alternative is to reduce the amount of foliage you have so that it is more proportionate to the roots - the choice is yours. But once it has been cut off, there is no going back
Would love to see some photos if you ever have the chance

James

too late I cut it off and what a big mistake.

I had to cut more of the tree to get to the part that had the air layer on it and my dad grabed a branch and started pulling on it not knowing it was the part I wanted. lol
He took the whole branch off and a big strip of the trunk all the way down the tree and it was down to the sap layer.

It is planted up but I dont think it's going to make it. it's only has like one big root for a 10-15CM thick trunk.

I have cut back most of it in hope that it will help.

Just did up another layer on the hibiscus and I think I did a better job this time.

I dont think I went down to the sap layer last time and that was why there was only one side that was growing roots.
Also did a smaller branch as it was too hard to cut it and I think that cased the roots to fall off.

Had to use the saw and axe, poor tree I feel sorry for it now.

Oh well, live and learn! At least now you have a technique down pat for layering, whether these first few succeed or fail. I have also has issues with not cutting down far enough. At the moment I have two kaffir limes that I have layered, and one of them has plenty of roots showing all round the branch, but the other only has roots to one side. I think it also may have something to do with the light - the more shaded area of the branch tends to develop more roots.

Hi mtarros,
hey,sounds like your the first to successfully areal layer rosemary. You know they usually grow from cuttings.
Hardwood cuttings in the winter and soft in the summer, but good onya anyways.
Now for your hybiscus same rule applies.
I have done an aerial layer on hybiscus successfully .All grafts you do need to have enough roots to support the branch
before chopping it off.
Dont be in such a hurry to take it off next time,as long as the branch doesnt knit back there is no need to hurry.
But keep trying mate and you will get there. Also you can pot it up whilst on the tree still, i have and forgot till i spotted it with alot of roots growing out of the pot. No harm was done, just plenty of roots to play with.After you get it to work
you'll be layering any thing that stands still, and be like me and forget where they all are.