Air Layer Entire Top Of Tree?

buntaro san

I saw this dwarf crab apple at a local Lowes that's 1/2 price and I just loved the top of it, which was, unfortuneatly, at the top of a 5 foot trunk. I was thinking about getting it and air layering it so the trunk was much shorter, without the extra 4 feet or so it would be lovely. There are no branches or anything else on the trunk under the nicely formed top part, does anyone have any thoughts on why I should or should not get it and air layer off the top? Thanks for any advice in advance, I have yet to air layer anything so I'm feeling a bit timorous.

Buntaro

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Ralph

As you said, it is half price. Remind yourself that it is firstly a learning experience. Make sure that you are doing it in the right time of year for your zone. Follow the many excellent pictorials here for air layering, and go for it. Incidentally, I did a trunk layer to a japanese maple my first try, it failed, but did not do any serious damage to the tree. So I tried it again the following year to the same tree, this time, sucess!!! Both trees will be growing out for a while longer, but both are healthy potensai.

__________________
Emerging from winter slumber
Bonsai trees burst buds anew
Spring is upon us!


-Paul S.

discobassoonist

Indeed, just make sure that your purchase is very vigorous and healthy. If it's salvageable, get it, and nurse it for the rest of the year, and try some airlayers on some other material in the meanwhile. It sounds like you're very excited about this tree, so getting some practice in to get it right the first time might help. My first half dozen airlayers were rather disastrous, wrong time of year, and errors in the actual procedure.

Good luck though, perhaps you can post a picture odf the area you're going to layer.
Thanks,
Dane

OlBlue

I have tried ,unsuccesfully to air layer native crabapples. I have read of others doing it ,using the wire tourniquit (?) method. Maples seem to be a snap for me (so(far ) . I would give it a try, maybe next spring. If it dosen't make it ,you still have the lower half. Good Luck. Blue.