Air layer removal timing...

namnhi

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Let clear out Bolero air a bit.
I did quite a few air layers a few weeks ago. Many have roots that visible for a few weeks already while a few have not. Am in no hurry to remove them as the weather is still too damn hot for another two months. Is there any negative for leaving them on the tree too long? What is the ideal time to remove if the winter low rarely get below freezing for a few days?
Is it better to leave them on the mother tree as long as possible?
 

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I have no advice as I just separated my first air layer on an acer campestra last week, but I'm commenting to push this thread back to the top. I chose to go ahead and separate the air layer because the growth above it was looking a bit wan compared to the growth below and I wanted to give it an opportunity to populate a container with bonsai soil with roots before winter and remove some of the sphagnum (did 100% sphagnum this time around). I'll likely do a mix of sphagnum and regular bonsai soil next time, as that seemed to work better in this climate for a friend that did some layers this year as well.
 

bwaynef

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I just separated a well-rooted JMaple airlayer Saturday. Here, I could've waited a month or so but it had plenty of roots so I didn't see the need. I like to get them an opportunity to prove themselves before winter ...and make sure all it can meet all its own needs. There's no real rush to remove them other than leaving them on the tree over winter has them more exposed so you'll need to protect the roots ...and the rest of the tree because of where the new roots are.

If you're going to leave them on the tree for a while and already have roots, I'd add more moss in the container for the roots to grow into so that when you do separate the layer from the parent tree, you've got a larger root mass. That's a tip I picked up from @William N. Valavanis somewhere along the way. I've used it several times to good effect.
 

Shibui

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The problem I find with leaving well rooted layers is that the roots are now taking water for the leaves which makes the layer very prone to dry out. If you plan to leave them longer make sure you monitor moisture. If it dries out at this stage you can loose the whole thing.
I'm more inclined to remove layers early than leave them longer because I have experienced losses as above. If you are doubtful about the roots being able to supply enough water to keep all the leaves happy then prune the top to reduce foliage a bit when cutting. Transplant to a shaded area for a few days until the leaves and roots acclimatize.

Light frosts won't damage roots in layers. Roots of most temperate plants are hardy to freezing below ground so are also hardy inside your layers. After the leaves drop there is no longer any problem with the roots drying the layers so can be left on all winter.
 
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