Air layer fail on elm.

[Eckhoffw]

Hello, I have this elm stump by my garage that I’ve tried to air layer.
Its been about six weeks and very hot and dry.

I decided to check the bag and see if the sphagnum Moss was still wet. The moss was starting to dry out.
Here’s what I got.

Major callus but no roots. It looks like it was able to jump across the big ring I made. FYI, I did put rooting hormone at top of ring when I initially did this.



I cleaned it up and rebadged with rehydrated sphagnum.
Any help would be appreciated as I’ve yet been able to layer anything!
Thank you!

 

[sorce]

The first "skinning" looks slimy. I always judge by that feel rather than look. That slimy feel is enough for it to jump over.

Looks good now.

Sorce

 

[Eckhoffw]

The first "skinning" looks slimy. I always judge by that feel rather than look. That slimy feel is enough for it to jump over.

Looks good now.

Sorce

Thank you!! Good to know! No slimy.
But on the flip side, how do u know when you’ve gone too deep? This is hard for me to grasp.

 

[BrightsideB]

When did you do the layer?

 

[Firstflush]

Don’t feel bad. I had 2 failures recently on a persimmon and JM. No roots in over a month. Then I cleaned up the cuts/rewrapped and came back in another month and a half and the callousing was happening just like yours. I gave up. No free tress for me this summer.

The JM was a layer of a horozontal instead of a vertical which I believe to be the problem. The persimmon was just being bitchy. I timed both just coming out of dormancy for nada....other that having a lumpy ugly thing on some else’s yard tree.

 

[Eckhoffw]

When did you do the layer?

First week of may.

 

[BrightsideB]

Don’t feel bad. I had 2 failures recently on a persimmon and JM. No roots in over a month. Then I cleaned up the cuts/rewrapped and came back in another month and a half and the callousing was happening just like yours. I gave up. No free tress for me this summer.

The JM was a layer of a horozontal instead of a vertical which I believe to be the problem. The persimmon was just being bitchy. I timed both just coming out of dormancy for nada....other that having a lumpy ugly thing on some else’s yard tree.

Sometimes it takes longer then a couple months. Maybe try leaving a small bridge and girdling under the cut with wire. It’s like an air layer raft concept. It’s also good to keep the air layer dark. The only air layer that didn’t develop roots I did was when I didn’t leave a bridge. I have always left my air layers on for a year and remove during mid spring once the tree is in positive energy. I was influenced to do that when I heard Ryan Neil speak about how the roots on air layers are much thicker and hardier and that he had never lost an air layer due to cold.

 

[BrightsideB]

First week of may.

Try girdling under the cut with wire make sure it bites. To restrict flow. Roots may still develop and may take some time maybe leave on until next year. It took me a two years to develop roots on a tree once. I actually gave up on it went and checked last month and there were roots lol.

 

[Eckhoffw]

We got roots!!

chopped er off.
reduced the foliage and potted it up.
Not a great score but my first air layer nonetheless. We will see if it takes.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Success

 

[PA_Penjing]

congrats, a great tree for your climate and responds well to bonsai techniques

 

[Pitoon]

Good job following through with the air layer.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Good job following through with the air layer.

Thanks a lot. We’re not on the clear yet!
Most of the leaves I left have dried up!

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Hope it takes, I think I would have let it get a bit more like this before separating it

 

[Eckhoffw]

Hope it takes, I think I would have let it get a bit more like this before separating it
View attachment 388048

Yeah. Moving in a week so I guess I rushed it.

 

[Eckhoffw]

Was worried that there were not enough root to sustain the plant. All the leaves dried up and fell off.
It was looking grim.
I’m moving this weekend so I thought I’d be chucking it for sure!

Wait! It’s alive!
not loads of buds, but some.

 

[Eckhoffw]

The elm today.
Its very alive with roots starting to grow out the pot bottom.
Now I’m not sure where to go with it.
Maybe layer it again between the 3rd and 4th branch at some point IDK.