Air layering Cork oak

[jquast]

Does anyone have any advise on airlayering oaks? Corks and valley oaks in particular.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I don't now, but I will have shortly. I am going to be airlayering a large cork oak in about 4 weeks. Because I have never airlayered a cork oak before, I hesitate to comment until I know what I did worked. I will take extensive photos and post results.

 

[bisjoe]

Oaks are notoriously difficult to layer. I've heard of it done but many more cases where it failed. Some that had success recommended leaving a "lifeline" bit of bark intact rather than encircling the entire branch as is normally done.

 

[Bob]

I tried it once. Waited all summer for roots. No luck.

 

[Attila Soos]

Does anyone have any advise on airlayering oaks? Corks and valley oaks in particular.

I once airlayered an English Oak. I did it in May, and removed the layered portion early September. It was the most perfect layer that I've ever seen, with a perfect nebari all-around. It was 15 years ago, and I still have the tree. This year I planted it back into the open ground, for a couple of more years, in order to thicken the surface roots.

But I have not done it on cork oaks.

 

[jquast]

Here are two photos of the Cork oak that I have. I think that I have two possible choices for design here with #1 being a upright design using the straight part of the trunk and #2 using the curve and removing it at the point where it tapers off.

The base of the tree is 5.5 inches and the trunk just above that is close to 3 inches.

Does anyone have any advise?

 

[jquast]

the Valley Oak that I air layered after I first started this thread has already rooted. I thought that these took closer to two years to root.

 

[namnhi]

the Valley Oak that I air layered after I first started this thread has already rooted. I thought that these took closer to two years to root.

@Bonsai Nut
Did you air layer the cork oak you mentioned in this thread? Success or failure, please update.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

No actually I didn't. I decided to grow it out... and the spindly trunk I was planning on air-layering is now thicker than the original

 

[Shay]

I successfully layered a large cork oak. it took 2 years and I opened the callus as well as applied hormone several times.

 

[ragenmoan]

For those whom successfully air layered an oak, what attributed to your success? What method worked, wire tourniquet, the "lifeline" mentioned earlier, stripping a ring of bark? What time of the year etc?

 

[namnhi]

I failed on a half an inch branch cork oak. It did have an amazing callus but eventually dried up and died.