Oak air layer 2 months

Txhorticulture · Nov 15, 2016

Two pics of my escarpment live oak (quercus fusiformis) the tree is in my front yard. first pic is exactly two months ago the second is today. I peeked into the bundle of moss and saw a whole lot of callous and maybe some root tips. is this good progress or will it just continue to make this kind of tumor callous? I guess ill look at it again in spring and scrape some callous put more hormodin on it. I think given the response so far it's gonna root sooner or later. it's a big Ole curvy branch so might make a neat tree.

Steve Kudela · Nov 15, 2016

The new roots will come from that callous. It appears to be working.

discusmike · Nov 15, 2016

Don't mess with it!

Txhorticulture · Nov 15, 2016

Thanks I didn't mess with it other than to stuff a little more mOSS in and tie it up. I think doves or maybe squirrels had pulled a little out for their nests. this species sheds and replaces its leaves in February (evergreen) so I'll look at it then. if it works I'll do several more next fall. several on my lot and the woods behind my house are full of live oaks

Txhorticulture · Feb 7, 2017

Just an update and a question. Almost exactly 5 months after I airlayered this branch and today I looked at it. Massive callous no roots. This is the time of year when these trees become active here. In the next couple of weeks it will drop and immediately replace it's leaves. Anyway I cut away some callous re dusted with hormodin 3. And re wrapped it in sphagnum moss and a little osmocote. Anyone had any luck with layers that did this?

JJshives · Feb 7, 2017

I air layered a coast live oak and it did just about the same thing. I would expect the sphagnum to be full of roots by the end of spring after the tree has had some time to wake up and put on some new growth. You can find my thread here on BonsaiNut with some pics. It went from callous to a pot full of roots very quickly after none for quite some time.

mrcasey · Feb 7, 2017

I had something similar happen with me on a Japanese maple. Even after a year and a half,
the layer never produced roots. Interestingly, ants began crawling all over the dead wood and callous
area attracted to the build up of sugars, I suppose.

Txhorticulture · Feb 7, 2017

mrcasey said:
I had something similar happen with me on a Japanese maple. Even after a year and a half,
the layer never produced roots. Interestingly, ants began crawling all over the dead wood and callous
area attracted to the build up of sugars, I suppose.

Did you just let it run its course or did you cut away some callous and try again?

CWTurner · Feb 7, 2017

Wow thats a lot of callous to form without rooting. Hope it works out for you.
Maybe airlayering is a way around the oak taproot problem.
CW

Txhorticulture · Feb 7, 2017

Well if it works it should have a nice base and nebari eventually. By the way there were a few ants in the old moss.

mrcasey · Feb 7, 2017

I eventually just cut the branch off.

GGB · Feb 7, 2017

that thing is gnarly looking

Leo in N E Illinois · Feb 8, 2017

Give your air layer time. In my zone 5 relatively short summers, it takes 2 full years to form roots on JBP layers. Perhaps cut the callus flat on the side that will be the bottom. Re-scrape cambium off if it looks like it is regrowing. Oak callus might not make roots until late summer.

Oak air layer 2 months

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