Airlayering Results

ripsgreentree

I have been reading some instructions on how to start an airlayer in Al's trident thread. Here is what you can expect after a few months if your material likes to produce roots.

This first photo is the airlayering on the tree.

Attached Images

maple airlayering on tree.jpg (28.0 KB, 490 views)

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ripsgreentree

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ripsgreentree

This next photo shows the pot and new tree cut off of the parent tree

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maple airlayering off tree.jpg (20.6 KB, 438 views)

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ripsgreentree

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ripsgreentree

This is the real pleasing photo it shows how much root was really formed. These roots go all the way around the trunk and will flatten out beautifully, eventually creating an excellent nebari.

Attached Images

maple airlayering new roots.jpg (22.6 KB, 519 views)

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ripsgreentree

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ripsgreentree

In this final photograph we see the tree cut back and defoliated. I expect that in the next four weeks I will get an entire new set of leaves. By next spring this will be ready to rock and roll.

A side note is that there are still four airlayerings on the tree to be removed. I hope that this encourages you all to do airlayerings.

Attached Images

maple airlayering repotted.jpg (18.8 KB, 444 views)

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ripsgreentree

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Carl_Bergstrom

Beautiful layer, Rip!

I'm really impressed. Now if I can just learn to get roots like that...I'll be in shohin heaven!

Did you use a wire tourniquet as well as a stripped ring of bark, like Al did?

-Old Mister

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Ralph

Rip,
What do you use as soil in your air layer container?

bonsaial1

Well done Rip. Thats the roots I'm hopin for. I hope to post some foto's like that in Sept. or Nov. AK

ripsgreentree

Old Mr Crow: No I didn't use a wire tourniquet, but I do have a secret: in past attempts, I used rooting hormone powder in the same manner that Al did. The result was that the trunk of the tree would try to start roots and the material would just clump up almost like a cancer and not form any roots.

My solution to this was to soak my spagum moss in water with a few drops of dish soap and a teaspoon of rooting hormone (at least two gallons of water). After stiring this up, I drain off the excess water and use the damp moss right around the peeled area.

Ralph: I set the pot up as normal with a layer of drainage material and then moss right around the peeled area and then fill the pot with bonsai soil. I also like to try to leave the sphagnum moss fluffed up and not packed tight.

Thanks Al, I hope that you do not have the same experiences that I did. Tridents sound like easy airlayering, but before I changed my techniques I had some terrible results.

Sincerely,

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ripsgreentree

It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.

Carl_Bergstrom

Wow - interesting suggestion, Rip. I'll give it a try. Two questions, though: 1) Is this technique trident-specific or maple-specific, and (2) what does the soap do?

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