Arakawa Main Branch Cutts

[SantaFeBonsai]

 

[Deleted member 21616]

looking forward to watching this one develop!

 

[SantaFeBonsai]

 

[clem]

good luck. The trunk line will be very nice.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

I had good succes with smaller but fully corked arakawa. Good to see you left growth under the layer. I had an unexpected failure with arakawa when doing the trick without lower growth. You will have a tree with nice taper, good movement and lovely bark. Looking forward...

 

[AndyJ]

I had good succes with smaller but fully corked arakawa. Good to see you left growth under the layer. I had an unexpected failure with arakawa when doing the trick without lower growth. You will have a tree with nice taper, good movement and lovely bark. Looking forward...

North - hope you don't mind me asking a question on your thread?

Hi Dirk. Are you saying that Arakawa will not air layer if there is no growth below the cut site? The reason I ask is, as you can see from my Arakawa thread, mine has a pretty straight trunk and poor nebari and I was thinking of air-layering this year.

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/arakawa-maple.33731/

Thanks, Andy

 

[SantaFeBonsai]

I’ve been waiting a long time to sever this air-layer. Last fall the tree didn’t have 360 radial roots, part of the cambium had regrown and didn’t produce roots on one side. I cut far deeper into the heartwood last fall and this growing season got the results we want. I will screw the bottom to a board for securing into a small grow-box, remove the plastic pot while not disturbing the roots and fill in with 100% akadama. Come late February I will remove the board, re-cut the heart wood all the way up to the new roots, work the roots hard and repot into a slightly larger than normal bonsai pot. I will allow unlimited growth next year with the sole purpose of developing nebari. Arakawa’s in my experience do not produce a vigorous second flush so any hard cut back early summer will delay this development.




And now I also have a mother tree for cuttings/grafting with same genetics.

 

[leatherback]

thats a decent sized one!

any pics of the roots!?

 

[Drew]

when you re cut the air layer last fall... did you re cut the whole trunk again or just the section that bridged? did you cut off the roots that had formed and start again or did you leave them? I think I may have the same issue with a few trident maple layers I have. how long before leaf drop did you re cut?

 

[SantaFeBonsai]

when you re cut the air layer last fall... did you re cut the whole trunk again or just the section that bridged? did you cut off the roots that had formed and start again or did you leave them? I think I may have the same issue with a few trident maple layers I have. how long before leaf drop did you re cut?

yes I re-cut the whole airlayer probably another 1/4”-1/2” deeper into the sap wood. I did not disturb the existing roots or at least I tried. They are very fragile and some broke. The earlier in the fall the better, it gives the roots more time to develop.

 

[AndyJ]

I’ve been waiting a long time to sever this air-layer. Last fall the tree didn’t have 360 radial roots, part of the cambium had regrown and didn’t produce roots on one side. I cut far deeper into the heartwood last fall and this growing season got the results we want. I will screw the bottom to a board for securing into a small grow-box, remove the plastic pot while not disturbing the roots and fill in with 100% akadama. Come late February I will remove the board, re-cut the heart wood all the way up to the new roots, work the roots hard and repot into a slightly larger than normal bonsai pot. I will allow unlimited growth next year with the sole purpose of developing nebari. Arakawa’s in my experience do not produce a vigorous second flush so any hard cut back early summer will delay this development.

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And now I also have a mother tree for cuttings/grafting with same genetics.

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This is a brilliant thread North thanks for sharing!

Quick question if I may? You say that you recut the cambium on the layer in the fall? I’ve got an Arakawa that I set a layer on this spring but while the layers on all my other trees took and produced a good root spread the Arakawa hasn’t; I’ve got one single spindly root! I haven’t separated the layer and was going to wait until next spring and then recut it - and then wait another year.

But you say you recut your layer in the fall? I didn’t know you could do this?! How Did you deal with frost or freezing temperatures killing the roots? Did you keep it in sphagnum moss? Or did you change the medium? Or did you keep it indoors all winter? I’m quite excited about the prospect of redoing my layer and being able to separate it next spring!

 

[SantaFeBonsai]

This is a brilliant thread North thanks for sharing!

Quick question if I may? You say that you recut the cambium on the layer in the fall? I’ve got an Arakawa that I set a layer on this spring but while the layers on all my other trees took and produced a good root spread the Arakawa hasn’t; I’ve got one single spindly root! I haven’t separated the layer and was going to wait until next spring and then recut it - and then wait another year.

But you say you recut your layer in the fall? I didn’t know you could do this?! How Did you deal with frost or freezing temperatures killing the roots? Did you keep it in sphagnum moss? Or did you change the medium? Or did you keep it indoors all winter? I’m quite excited about the prospect of redoing my layer and being able to separate it next spring!

I removed all the original spagnum moss, recut the cambium and replaced the spagnum. I treated it during the winter as I do all my deciduous which is leave them on benches unless temperature reaches 28 deg or below and then they get protected under an arbor with a frost blanket. I was concerned as well about the airlayer roots surviving but they were fine.

 

[AndyJ]

I removed all the original spagnum moss, recut the cambium and replaced the spagnum. I treated it during the winter as I do all my deciduous which is leave them on benches unless temperature reaches 28 deg or below and then they get protected under an arbor with a frost blanket. I was concerned as well about the airlayer roots surviving but they were fine.

Thanks for that. So did you you just leave it over fall / winter and sever the layer in spring? Or did you leave it for the following year?

 

[Drew]

Thanks for that. So did you you just leave it over fall / winter and sever the layer in spring? Or did you leave it for the following year?

If you recut the layer now you are not going to get enough root growth to fill the bag and be able to cut it in the spring... maples are closing down now and leaves are turning already here in the uk. You may get some vascular growth and callus at the re-cut site but but cutting now you are just giving your layer a head start next year.... I'm guessing you'll be cutting it the same time as the other layers you have done this year.

 

[AndyJ]

If you recut the layer now you are not going to get enough root growth to fill the bag and be able to cut it in the spring... maples are closing down now and leaves are turning already here in the uk. You may get some vascular growth and callus at the re-cut site but but cutting now you are just giving your layer a head start next year.... I'm guessing you'll be cutting it the same time as the other layers you have done this year.

That's what I thought Drew but was concerned I was missing a trick!

 

[SantaFeBonsai]

Finally severed the airlayer and definitely happy with the results.

 

[leatherback]

very very good result! Nice!

 

[BonsaiDTLA]

Super sweet, I want to bite my tongue off!

 

[AndyJ]

Brilliant job!!

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

really nice base...