Airlayering Arakawa

AndyJ · Mar 22, 2019

Hi folks,

Apologies for asking a question that's been answered before - well at least I think it has but I must be being an eejit as I can't find it on here!!

I've got an Arakawa that had a lot of top growth from last year - the tree was new to me so I didn't do anything with it, just "getting to know it." Anyway, I've pruned and wired it this year and have got a branch in the top that is too straight and needs to come off and I thought I'd airlayer it. Problem is, by the time the leaves are all out in 6-8 weeks, it's going to be very difficult to get in and set the layer. So, my question is, can I set it now? With no leaves on? If I can, do I just strip the bark and leave it? Or do I do the full strip and pack in sphagnum moss?

Thanks again and sorry for being repetitive if this subject has already been covered!

Andy

Brian Van Fleet · Mar 22, 2019

Regardless of when you perform the layer, you need to provide a media for the roots to grow into. If you strip the bark and leave it, likely everything above will die. You need to remove the bark and cambium, down to the sapwood, pack it in sphagnum moss, wrap it in clear plastic wrap, and keep it moist. I find it necessary to poke some holes in the bag to squeeze out water during periods of heavy rain.

I have done my Arakawa layers in late spring, but I believe @garywood advocates doing them earlier...like now. If he says it, I do it.

This Arakawa was created from an air-layer, then branches were added by grafting.

Gary McCarthy · Mar 22, 2019

Brian Van Fleet said:
I have done my Arakawa layers in late spring, but I believe @garywood advocates doing them earlier...like now. If he says it, I do it.

That's interesting. I've always heard late spring/early summer is best, after the first flush of growth has hardened off. Hopefully Gary will see this post and comment.

AndyJ · Mar 22, 2019

Thanks Brian. I thought as much about the media - it kind of makes sense that the stripped trunk would need to be covered, thank you for clarifying. As far as setting the layer now with no leaves on, I'll give it a go. It's got two chances!

Love the picture of your Arakawa. How high is that one?

Deleted member 21616 · Mar 22, 2019

I was told that, physiologically speaking, you can perform an airlayer (remove bark/cambium, and pack it up) in the middle of winter, and let the tree do its thing as usual come spring>summer>fall

the reason we don't perform the air layer during the winter, is to avoid unnecessarily exposing the tree to disease/fungus

I guess the same logic applies in spring. You can perform the air layer while the tree is pushing buds, or leaves, but you're still exposing the tree to fungus 'too early' (although the window of risk has decreased dramatically)

the air layer won't start producing roots until the leaves are out, so performing an air layering once the leaves are already out, decreases the window of risk most.

if access is your issue, by doing it now you're buying accessibility in exchange for a slightly larger window of exposure to disease? that's a very good deal, i'd do it!

(I have only air layered maples casually - i'm not a scientist, nor do i have experience with arakawa in particular.)

Brian Van Fleet · Mar 22, 2019

AndyJ said:
Love the picture of your Arakawa. How high is that one?

Thanks, it’s about 10” tall above the soil.

SantaFeBonsai · Mar 22, 2019

View attachment 233488 View attachment 233488

SantaFeBonsai · Mar 22, 2019

Brian Van Fleet said:
Regardless of when you perform the layer, you need to provide a media for the roots to grow into. If you strip the bark and leave it, likely everything above will die. You need to remove the bark and cambium, down to the sapwood, pack it in sphagnum moss, wrap it in clear plastic wrap, and keep it moist. I find it necessary to poke some holes in the bag to squeeze out water during periods of heavy rain.

I have done my Arakawa layers in late spring, but I believe @garywood advocates doing them earlier...like now. If he says it, I do it.

This Arakawa was created from an air-layer, then branches were added by grafting.
View attachment 233468

When did you sever the layer? And did you have 360deg of radial roots or did it take a few times of re-cleaning the cut site?

0soyoung · Mar 22, 2019

Brian Van Fleet said:
If you strip the bark and leave it, likely everything above will die.

Really?

I think one just won't get any adventitious roots - they will just be air pruned as quickly as they begin to emerge.

MACH5 · Mar 22, 2019

AndyJ said:
Hi folks,

Apologies for asking a question that's been answered before - well at least I think it has but I must be being an eejit as I can't find it on here!!

I've got an Arakawa that had a lot of top growth from last year - the tree was new to me so I didn't do anything with it, just "getting to know it." Anyway, I've pruned and wired it this year and have got a branch in the top that is too straight and needs to come off and I thought I'd airlayer it. Problem is, by the time the leaves are all out in 6-8 weeks, it's going to be very difficult to get in and set the layer. So, my question is, can I set it now? With no leaves on? If I can, do I just strip the bark and leave it? Or do I do the full strip and pack in sphagnum moss?

Thanks again and sorry for being repetitive if this subject has already been covered!

Andy

I have had the same degree of success with air layering before the spring flush as well as after when the tree has fully leafed out.

Deleted member 21616 · Mar 22, 2019

0soyoung said:
I think one just won't get any adventitious roots - they will just be air pruned as quickly as they begin to emerge.

interesting!

would it just heal like any other wound? (in theory). And if there is foliage below the airlayer, would the tree just keep growing as usual?

whatever is produced above the air layer which would normally travel down to the main roots of the tree would just be expended through the air-layer's roots destined for sudden death, and through the healing process?

0soyoung · Mar 22, 2019

derek7745 said:
And if there is foliage below the airlayer, would the tree just keep growing as usual?

Why wouldn't it?

Water, minerals, and cytokinins are supplied via the xylem from the mother tree's roots. Carbohydrates which go downward in the phloem (inner bark) just stay above the girdle and are not contributed to the mother tree - it must live on the foliage elsewhere on the tree.

The life of cambium just below the bottom edge of the girdle depends upon the flow of carbohydrate and auxin upward in the phloem from the foliage below. This requires a phloem pressure to overcome gravity and is generated by the phloem loader cells in the leaves. When the auxin and/or carbohydrate becomes insufficient, cambium cells just below the girdle die and set off a process to seal the xylem. The end result is that the layer is now a cutting and dies quickly by desiccation. This process does not depend on whether the girdle is damp or not. With acer palmatum, one will see this as black-ish bark below the girdle that extends downward at least to the next lower node. I've run on at length about this over the years, mostly in connection with failed attempts to air layer my a.p. 'Higasayama'.

0soyoung · Mar 22, 2019

derek7745 said:
... would it just heal like any other wound? (in theory).

This is an interesting question (or provokes one).

Shortly after the girdle is cut, the exposed rings of cambium (at the top and bottom of the girdle) form an epiderm that will ultimately develop into phloem and bark. Simplistically, little growth happens at the bottom edge whereas, the pile up of auxin and abundance of carbohydrates causes rapid growth at the top edge of the girdle that extends downward as well as outward. If the 'Higasayama effect' doesn't occur, the upper callus could ultimately overlap the tissues below the girdle. Then it could, conceivably, form a graft-union/fusion = 'heal'

Brian Van Fleet · Mar 22, 2019

NorthTXacer said:
When did you sever the layer? And did you have 360deg of radial roots or did it take a few times of re-cleaning the cut site?

I separated them in the same year they were made, after the heat broke in September. I didn’t touch the roots when I separated them, just potted them securely into 1-gallon cans, and then did a good repotting the next spring. Roots were pretty much radial. I did rotate the tree a few times during the layering process. Maybe that helped, but I don’t know.

Brian Van Fleet · Mar 22, 2019

0soyoung said:
Really?

I think one just won't get any adventitious roots - they will just be air pruned as quickly as they begin to emerge.

Well if you girdle a trunk, best I can tell, 3 outcomes are possible:
1. It will bridge and live (usually the cause of a failed layer)
2. It will not bridge and die
3. It will issue roots which may live or may die

amatbrewer · Mar 22, 2019

Brian Van Fleet said:
Well if you girdle a trunk, best I can tell, 3 outcomes are possible:
1. It will bridge and live (usually the cause of a failed layer)
2. It will not bridge and die
3. It will issue roots which may live or may die

You forgot #4. It will be very uncomfortable, but look spectacular in tight fitting clothes.

Brian Van Fleet · Mar 22, 2019

amatbrewer said:
You forgot #4. It will be very uncomfortable, but look spectacular in tight fitting clothes.

Well, I’m proud to say that never crossed my mind.

SantaFeBonsai · Mar 22, 2019

Brian Van Fleet said:
I separated them in the same year they were made, after the heat broke in September. I didn’t touch the roots when I separated them, just potted them securely into 1-gallon cans, and then did a good repotting the next spring. Roots were pretty much radial. I did rotate the tree a few times during the layering process. Maybe that helped, but I don’t know.

Rotated your trees as in just turned them a different direction or you turned the air layering pot around the tree a few times? Also, did you fertilize the layering pot?

0soyoung · Mar 22, 2019

Brian Van Fleet said:
Well if you girdle a trunk, best I can tell, 3 outcomes are possible:
1. It will bridge and live (usually the cause of a failed layer)
2. It will not bridge and die
3. It will issue roots which may live or may die

Yah. So, lets go back to the plain and simple

Brian Van Fleet said:
If you strip the bark and leave it, likely everything above will die.

and ignore those two b.s. posts of mine, since they are not deletable.

coh · Mar 22, 2019

I've had a number of trees in my yard that were girdled by voles or mice during the winter, usually low down near the soil. Most of them have managed to bridge and survive, even in cases where
there was no remaining growth/foliage below the girdled area to support the root system. I suspect the ability of a tree to do that would depend on the species, the width of the girdled strip, how
strong/healthy the tree was before, etc.

Airlayering Arakawa

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