Miss Kim air layer success

[Underdog]

I’m pretty happy w/my amateur self today. Last summer I took an air layer off my 25 yr old Dwarf Lilac landscape plant along the house.
Syringapubescenssubsp.patula'Miss Kim


I just read some stuff and drug home a sack full of moss off the rocks from the woods and wrapped 1 inch plus branch after the blooms. Good roots in the bread sack by August so cut and potted in potting soil leaving moss/root ball in tact all winter. It just sat on the porch inside a bigger pot for insulation almost all winter. Basement for a couple extreme cold snaps. Thought about leaving it alone for a year but… working on taxes all weekend and needed a stress reliever. Buds were swelling and 60s-70 forecast all next week. Had to bust open Miss Kim,

 

[Underdog]

Amazed to see the “Pot O Roots” I found inside. I knew there was a 2 inch stub buried in those roots somewhere as well from where it was cut last summer, Didn’t want to disturb the “moss ball” at the time. Planned to cut it off now but decided to use some of it.

I spent a ridiculous amount of time with a chop stick untangling roots. (instead of doing more taxes) Much more nice roots there than it looked originally and grown in mass inside the “woods moss” which was still somewhat alive and intact even although covered by 2 inch of soil for 8+ months. Gently picked and sprayed w/water only to find way more good roots than the pot I had in mind would hold without a lot of root pruning I wasn’t wanting to do.

 

[Underdog]

I used the stub from the air layer, after a cut down to a different angle to mount the plant. None of those amazing new roots are ready to be wired. I drilled the stump and a piece of oak plank at the angle I wanted and screwed it together, and then to the marine ply bottom of one of the boxes I made for “some ugly stump” last month. Maybe a bit large but it wouldn’t hurt this thing to spread its wings.

After filling the bottom inch of the box with stone and lava up to the level of the wood base, and further raking the roots I was impressed w/the size of the spread. I did end up trimming some shaggy roots and glad it ended up in the bigger grow box.

 

[Underdog]

Mixed Mirical Grow Potting soil half w/Napa oil dry over the gravel/lava base and worked it in gently w/my chop stick. (again as opposed to continue working on taxes) Hosed it all down heavily 3 times in the wife’s kitchen sink because its still too cold outside till tomorrow.

Extra roots? The one shoot has an opening bud. The other will have to die off being that far above the new soil line, although two tips do reach the soil. (Barely) I did toss a bit more soil around them after the pics. Just because.

Hopefully I didn’t piss off Miss Kim too much or knock off all her buds man handling.

This is only my second thread and beginning my second year “playing” w/bonsai.
I’ve read too much controversial info online until my eyes bugged out. I think I learn best by just “doing” I should start a thread on what I’ve learned so far that didn’t work.

That’s why I kept this thread in new and learning. I’ll follow up w/blooms or a Tiki Torch later this spring. I'm new.

I know this stick in a pot will never be in a bonsai show but, me and God are creating it. Bar branches ect… I know, but for a newbie who wants a piece of their grandmas old bush. Well… it’s doable.

 

[Underdog]

I hope to start all over again this year w/an air layer on that big lower branch which has a fun looking trunk in the making near the end. That’s my target for a little pot.

 

[sorce]

“doing”

Hell yeah! Miss Kim don't mind!

Here's one of my tools, feel free to borrow and modify!
http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/radialayer™-a-season-saver.17046/

Nice work!

Sorce

 

[Underdog]

I like that idea.
I got greedy and took a 4in stub off my flowering peach last year. The roots were good but I left too much on top. Not secured in the pot the wind ripped off all the roots. Gonna try that one again this year.

 

[jomawa]

I’m pretty happy w/my amateur self today. Last summer I took an air layer off my 25 yr old Dwarf Lilac landscape plant along the house.

As well you should be. Many kudos on you!!! Not only did ya pull off the air layer, but you documented and posted for all bnutters to see, and for a newbie such as myself, it spreads the hope that I may be able to do the same quality air layering. But dang it, now we got bonsai skirmish #7, the battle lines are being drawn between moss wrap, (which I'm doing - still 1 3/4 months before I check for roots, and you mentioned you do by simply grabbing an available moss blanket, me too), and on the other side is soil in pot (whether wrapped in plastic or not). But hey, thanks again, but a word of caution. This coaching that you're doing by default, (well, maybe you know you're coaching), anyway, you're setting bnutters up to see good things from you in the future, so if ya know what yer do'in, I'd say carry on, oh heck, I'd tell ya carry on no matter. Good job.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Nice job, well done. Now let it grow two or more years just to bulk up. Your grow box is excellent. Lilac back bud well, even from old wood. I'd let it grow out, tall and wild until the trunk was well over 2 inches in diameter, I'd prefer to let it go until it's 4 or more inches across. Then you could chop back to any height you want, it will back bud and then you build the rest of the tree. If you want you lilac to finish at 8 inches tall, you will need a trunk at least 2 inches in diameter or it won't look like an old tree. If you want a 16 inch tree, you need at least a 3 inch diameter trunk if not larger or your tree won't look like it has age.

but so far so good, keep on trying different species.

 

[Underdog]

This is one of my first and rewards with an amazing fragrance each spring. I know it's a pole with bar branches but...

 

[Underdog]

Full of flaws but sentimental and yields a great fragrance. Won't be long in the Florida weather. One of a dozen I brought down with me as buds were swelling and I didn't want to miss the show.

 

[Hartinez]

Full of flaws but sentimental and yields a great fragrance. Won't be long in the Florida weather. One of a dozen I brought down with me as buds were swelling and I didn't want to miss the show.
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Saw several of this variety at the local nursery the other day. Do the leaves stay pretty small in a pot?

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Saw several of this variety at the local nursery the other day. Do the leaves stay pretty small in a pot?

I repotted one from a nursery can last spring. The leaves of the ‘Miss Kim’ are naturally about twice as large as the leaves of the dwarf Korean lilac (different species altogether). Though the leaves did stay quite small the whole season after the repot. This may be just because it was in recovery mode from severe root pruning. I will have a better idea once I see how the leaves grow in this year. Though based on that it does seem like the leaves will reduce with the right techniques. I have to say that @Underdog ’s leaves seem pretty small, will they grow larger as we head towards summer though?

 

[Underdog]

They do stay pretty small. A pic from last May and October.
I want to try another layer from a better part of the bush still in my landscape. Didn't know Jack in 2015. Learning...

 

[Hartinez]

I repotted one from a nursery can last spring. The leaves of the ‘Miss Kim’ are naturally about twice as large as the leaves of the dwarf Korean lilac (different species altogether). Though the leaves did stay quite small the whole season after the repot. This may be just because it was in recovery mode from severe root pruning. I will have a better idea once I see how the leaves grow in this year. Though based on that it does seem like the leaves will reduce with the right techniques. I have to say that @Underdog ’s leaves seem pretty small, will they grow larger as we head towards summer though?

They do stay pretty small. A pic from last May and October.
I want to try another layer from a better part of the bush still in my landscape. Didn't know Jack in 2015. Learning...
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All good to know. Thanks guys. The ones at the nursery are small, but they all have great movement and root spread. Would make a nice shohin if the leaf size were small.

 

[Carol 83]

I have a dwarf Korean lilac in my flower garden, I'm definitely going to try an air layer this spring after it blooms. First time for everything.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I have a dwarf Korean lilac in my flower garden, I'm definitely going to try an air layer this spring after it blooms. First time for everything.

Do it! It’s pretty easy to find ground layer suckers around these when they’re planted in the landscape as well. Like the smaller shoots coming up from the roots that have essentially grown their own roots. Probably would get a larger trunk to start with from an air layer though.

 

[Carol 83]

Full of flaws but sentimental and yields a great fragrance. Won't be long in the Florida weather. One of a dozen I brought down with me as buds were swelling and I didn't want to miss the show.
View attachment 284355View attachment 284356View attachment 284357

So it's been blooming since potted? I've been reading up on them. I have several in the landscape, but really want one in a pot now. Much of what I've read says they won't bloom in a pot, that they need a lot of room for their roots to spread.

 

[Underdog]

Not been my experience. It has always bloomed for me. Roots are similar to Azalea and have always filled the pots quickly. Hope to see it bloom in the next couple weeks while here. It's getting close.

 

[Underdog]

So it's been blooming since potted? I've been reading up on them. I have several in the landscape, but really want one in a pot now. Much of what I've read says they won't bloom in a pot, that they need a lot of room for their roots to spread.

This thing is totally root bound in this pot but it's so happy. Smells amazing.



Little cutting started last summer taking off too.