bonsaiTALK Community - View Single Post - Air Layering Instructions (1/3)

Following the information above here are a couple of added techniques.

Never hurry. I will spend as many years as is necessary shaping the crown of the tree that I am intending to airlayer, this is one of my favorite tricks. I have several fifteen-gallon elms that I am developing trunk on. In the spring the elm will send out limbs that run straight up. If you cut one of these limbs it will sprout five or six new limbs. If you pull these together and tie them and cut them about two inches above the original cut they will all bud out again. after they have grown for a week or two you can release the tye and the limbs will stay pretty much in the direction that they were tied prune the next set of limbs about one inch and the next set at about 1/2 in you now have a broom shape created on several limbs on one tree.

The next spring apply the technique described above and the ones that give you good roots will be great little broom stile trees ready to pot. Also because they are all from the same parent they will go through all changes in concert, when one drops leaves all will drop leaves if one has fall color change all will have the same color change. When designing in living material it is good to know how to get all of your material in concert.

Next to insure that you get good even roots take a small piece of clay moisten it with water and when you get it good and moist add two or three drops of concentraited dip and grow rooting hormon, use a spoon or spatula to mix this in. Do not use your bare fingers. Now with rubber gloves on and after you have stripped the bark on your airlayer.

Make a ring of clay on the upper cut, smoothing it upwards so that it fills the gap between the hard wood ang cambium layers. This will hold a small amount of rooting hormone at the point that the roots are going to form.

Add the sphagnum moss and plastic. I have found that this will help to get a more even ring of roots to work with.

Last: If any of you enthusiasts have been succesful at airlayering post your experiances up so that we can all see them, It would also help to see some of the unsuccessful attempts.

28-Sep-2001	#4
ripsgreentree bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Sep-2001 Location: Fresno, CA Country: U.S.A USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,260	Following the information above here are a couple of added techniques. Never hurry. I will spend as many years as is necessary shaping the crown of the tree that I am intending to airlayer, this is one of my favorite tricks. I have several fifteen-gallon elms that I am developing trunk on. In the spring the elm will send out limbs that run straight up. If you cut one of these limbs it will sprout five or six new limbs. If you pull these together and tie them and cut them about two inches above the original cut they will all bud out again. after they have grown for a week or two you can release the tye and the limbs will stay pretty much in the direction that they were tied prune the next set of limbs about one inch and the next set at about 1/2 in you now have a broom shape created on several limbs on one tree. The next spring apply the technique described above and the ones that give you good roots will be great little broom stile trees ready to pot. Also because they are all from the same parent they will go through all changes in concert, when one drops leaves all will drop leaves if one has fall color change all will have the same color change. When designing in living material it is good to know how to get all of your material in concert. Next to insure that you get good even roots take a small piece of clay moisten it with water and when you get it good and moist add two or three drops of concentraited dip and grow rooting hormon, use a spoon or spatula to mix this in. Do not use your bare fingers. Now with rubber gloves on and after you have stripped the bark on your airlayer. Make a ring of clay on the upper cut, smoothing it upwards so that it fills the gap between the hard wood ang cambium layers. This will hold a small amount of rooting hormone at the point that the roots are going to form. Add the sphagnum moss and plastic. I have found that this will help to get a more even ring of roots to work with. Last: If any of you enthusiasts have been succesful at airlayering post your experiances up so that we can all see them, It would also help to see some of the unsuccessful attempts. __________________ ripsgreentree It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.