How to anchor a large air-layer to your pot?

Hbhaska

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Does anyone have any ideas how one would go about anchoring a large trunk (10-12 inches in diameter) to a pot? The root system is highly fragile at this stage and I would like to do this without disturbing the young roots. Thank you
 

ShadyStump

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That's a big air layer. Wow.
Christmas tree stand style maybe? A frame or wall around it, then long screws or bolts from three or more sides that squeeze the tree in the middle. You could made pads or something if you don't want the screws going straight into the bark.
Best I got for now.
Good luck!
 

0soyoung

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Stake it like it was planted in the ground.
That is drive 2 or 3 big stakes into the ground around the pot. Tie/guy the tree to those poles (as high up as possible) and leave them in place until at least bud swell next spring.

Then repot if you need to remove sphagnum or whatever rooting medium you used. If it is under 3 feet tall, say, and the roots are hardened enough and extensive enough, wire it into a pot, "bonsai-style". Else, put it back where it was and tie it up again.

Otherwise, leave it undisturbed until at least June-ish (2022) before you remove the stake-ties. Try pushing the tree top to see if rocks the pot with no apparent movement within the soil/substrate = analogous to what one would do with a landscape planting.
 

RJG2

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What are you planting it in? Screw into the bottom of the trunk!

Take a look at my privet air layer thread, I screwed a small plank of wood to the flat bottom, then screwed into the plank via the tie down holes:


I still anchored it with a couple wires over some branches and around the bottom of the pot just in case.
 

Hbhaska

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T
What are you planting it in? Screw into the bottom of the trunk!

Take a look at my privet air layer thread, I screwed a small plank of wood to the flat bottom, then screwed into the plank via the tie down holes:


I still anchored it with a couple wires over some branches and around the bottom of the pot just in case.
This is great! Thank you!
 

Lorax7

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Guy wires attached to the pot and wrapped around the trunk higher up (locations where there’s a branch coming off of the trunk are ideal) will do the job. You can see what I’m referring to here. This is a smaller layer, but the same concept applies. Try to have multiple guy wires pulling on the trunk from opposing sides for stability. Once you’ve got the layer tied in the pot, you could also place the pot next to a fence or something else that you can tie it to for additional stability while it’s getting established.
 

Hbhaska

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Guy wires attached to the pot and wrapped around the trunk higher up (locations where there’s a branch coming off of the trunk are ideal) will do the job. You can see what I’m referring to here. This is a smaller layer, but the same concept applies. Try to have multiple guy wires pulling on the trunk from opposing sides for stability. Once you’ve got the layer tied in the pot, you could also place the pot next to a fence or something else that you can tie it to for additional stability while it’s getting established.
Thanks. Mine is too big and heavy of a trunk that it won’t work. Going to try @RJG2 idea first.
 

Lorax7

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Thanks. Mine is too big and heavy of a trunk that it won’t work. Going to try @RJG2 idea first.
You can do both. A screw in the bottom of the trunk helps attach it to the pot. The guy wires provide lateral stability so it doesn’t rock back and forth in the wind, breaking fragile new feeder roots.
 

RJG2

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You can do both. A screw in the bottom of the trunk helps attach it to the pot. The guy wires provide lateral stability so it doesn’t rock back and forth in the wind, breaking fragile new feeder roots.
Also recommend doing this!
 

Hbhaska

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You can do both. A screw in the bottom of the trunk helps attach it to the pot. The guy wires provide lateral stability so it doesn’t rock back and forth in the wind, breaking fragile new feeder roots.
Thanks. That makes sense. Will try both then.
 
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