Failed Air Layers- Help

[rollwithak]

BTW, what type of tree is that?

Well this one won’t get the chance, I went ahead and removed it since this was just a last effort to salvage the top of this trident maple, the real project is at the bottom of the tree...

 

[Pitoon]

Attached is a photo of 5 air layers I attempted this spring, May 5. It was done after the leaves hardened off. I removed a ring of approximately 1" on the larger limbs, and 1/2" on the smaller ones. I was careful about removing all the cambium, and dusted with rooting hormone. I packed it with moist sphagnum moss, and sealed the top and bottom with electrical tape. Punched a few holes in the bottom for drainage. When I removed the plastic, the moss was wet, not moist in all cases. As you can see, there was no rooting, just bark growth growing over the wounds.

From left to right are: japanese maple, 2 wild cherries, and 2 cherries. The 2 smaller limbs are approximately 1/2" in diameter.

Any ideas what went wrong?

In my experience air layering thicker cherry branches they will callus heavily to the size of a golf ball to baseball. It took me two seasons to air layer some kwanzan cherry. After the first season I removed the callus dusted with hormone to start the process all over and they rooted after that.

First flush cuttings that has hardened off with usually root with 30-45 days. I've had some root as early as 3 weeks.

 

[Bonsai & Bourbon]

I've just taken my first go at air layering the Korean Hornbeam and Japanese flowering cherry that I planted in my yard 10 years ago ( with the intent of digging up and putting in a bonsai pot). I'm going to the Japanese maple and trident maple this weekend. I'll post some pictures and an updates over the next several weeks.

 

[Gaitano]

I opened two air layers today and both bridged! One was a euonymous in the ground, the second was a seiju elm in a box. What are the thoughts on when to cut the bridge and try again? Now when fall growth kicks in or wait until spring? Obviously if I do it now I wont be able to cut until at least after the first push in spring. I was curious if it would capitalize on the fall vascular growth or if its too risky to do it now.

 

[bwaynef]

On July 11 I addressed two failed airlayers (started 5 weeks earlier) by scraping away the bridged callus material, cleaning things up with peroxide, adding hormone again, and packed it back with sphagnum. I also added foil around the plastic wrap to keep light out in hopes that was part of what kept roots from sprouting.

I just checked and one of them has enough roots to separate (on initial inspection at least). The other doesn't. I'll get the first one off soon and check the 2nd a little more closely. If nothing else, I'll leave it on until next year and keep trying.

One thing I've noticed is that my airlayers into bonsai soil seem to do better than straight sphagnum. Sphagnum stays too wet, even if it doesn't start out that way. (Daily watering contributes to the moisture of the sphagnum, regardless of drainage holes poked into the plastic wrap.)

 

[Mike Corazzi]

As has been stated, the bare part needs to be wider. And deeper. I ...thought.. I had a pic of the removed bark but don't.

One thing I do is wrap with the green tape around CLEAR plastic. Theory being some light helps.


Plastic removed.




Layer cut off.



I water with a hypodermic needle punched through the plastic.