Japanese Maple Air Layer

0soyoung said:
I think this is called 'ontogentic' age. Maturity is equated with the ability to reproduce. In this sense, the branch tips where flowering/fruiting occurs are the 'oldest'. As you've said, ontogenically old wood tends to loose the capacity to generate roots. Rooting ability is best closer to the ground level where the most ontogenically young tissues are.
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There ya go......This guy doesn't quote me for no reason!
 
0soyoung said:
I think this is called 'ontogentic' age. Maturity is equated with the ability to reproduce. In this sense, the branch tips where flowering/fruiting occurs are the 'oldest'. As you've said, ontogenically old wood tends to loose the capacity to generate roots. Rooting ability is best closer to the ground level where the most ontogenically young tissues are.
Click to expand...
Hmmm; interesting point.
 
I've enjoyed following this thread very much... you have a nice tree to now to start with...such a thick JM!
 
I wanted to share an experience from last year, my first three layers.
I had to cut them lat summer because time was running up, they had not much roots at all, they were regular AP from a tall tree, I was probably layering 4m above soil level.
They did not bridge over but barely produced roots, they have about 20 leaves each and are doing ok in their first spring.
This might be related to what 0soyoung and smoke are talking about, or that I cut too deep in the sapwood and the leaves were red (autumn color) almost all summer and maybe produced less roots, I do not know.
 
Smoke said:
Layer roots are not like roots that come from growing from seed. Layer roots are more akin to water roots, the roots grown on cuttings in water. While the plant will thrive in the water and and put on weight and grow leaves, the transition to soil is most of the time short lived. The same with layers. The newly severed layer will usually languish after cutting away from the parent plant and seem to be OK only to up and die for seemingly no reason two months later. It's like the layer is just not developed enough to really make a big push on its own. Aftercare of the layer seems to be much like digging a native plant from the wild. The roots seem to work the same way. I would do nothing to this plant for at least a year. Its the branches and leaves that are going to make or break this new layer, and pruning and chopping will only serve to weaken and possibly remove its strength prematurely. Leaves make roots and you need all you have. Late summer and fall removal of layers is also risky due to that exact reason. As this maple moves forward it will enter fall and defoliation which will hinder root strength. It may lose all its leaves now only to grow none in spring. Spring removal of layers is always better and much more conducive to root strength with bud break.
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Smoke, how would one go about this when living in the frigid north. Do you have any suggestions for how to best protect layers throughout winters that boast sub-zero temperatures and even colder wind chills while waiting for a spring separation?
 
Layer roots are like Smoke says because that is how they grow into sphagnum (and how they grow in the interface between the pot wall and medium/soil).

The morphology changes remarkably with different media. So, if you can use a pot of your favorite bonsai medium (mine is Turface MVP) instead of sphagnum, you will immediately get 'hard' roots. You won't need 6 weeks before the first hard freeze to 'harden' the roots - they will be much hardier than what you get in sphagnum whether you havest in the same season or overwinter the layer on the tree.

In very cold climates, you will have a tough time insulting the roots if they are on a branch somewhere above ground. So I think you want to harvest before the first hard freeze, if you can, and stick that pot in the ground and mulch it for the winter (or however you overwinter your trees). Then you can repot it the next spring, just like any of your trees.
 
Smoke said:
That could be part of it. I just think the tissue closest to the roots is the best for reproducing a tree as a layer.
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I've read it has most to do with determinant and indeterminate meristems and what @0soyoung said re: age :
"...root and shoot growth is maintained and regulated through the activity of the apical meristems. A balance between the generation of new meristematic cells, and their transition toward differentiation... However, in many cases the meristem is genetically programmed to stop producing new cells at a specific developmental stage. In these cases, the meristem is said to be determinate (Sablowski et al., 2007). A determinate meristem usually produces a part of the plant that has a predictable size and form, such as the flower, whereas an indeterminate meristem produces parts of the plant that can grow for variable periods of time, and vary in size and shape dependent on the local environment (Sablowski et al., 2007). Thus, the indeterminacy, or determinacy, of the meristem is directly related to the type of growth of an organ."

shoot apical meristems (SAM), located at nodes and branch unions, are responsible for building shoots [I'm not describing shoot elongation here]. Read on and the article states that the meristems can produce either determinant or indeterminate cells. Suffice to say upon layering, the SAM may then produce RAM, or Root apical meristem. I'm sure others have heard that layers are often more successful under and near branch-trunk unions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2701811/
 
Nice work.

As for the bigger chops on them.. I prefer to make themwhile the layer is connected to the parent tree. Once root-formation is observed, I try to make the big cuts. The parent tree will then support the layer in closing the cuts. Also smalle rtrimming I do before separation. So I typically give the layer a once-over with the clippers a week before I intend to separate. I tell myself that the plant will have less trouble supporting itself and that the first stage of healing (Sealing the sapwood to stop waterloss) is done while the big rootball is still connected. Seems to work for me.
 
A very minor disturbance of the first few mm of soil surface in one little corner revealed new roots growing a fair distance from the trunk; a very good sign methinks. I promise I'm not fussing with it too much ;) - I was just checking moisture retention of the mix with a fingertip, trying to dial in watering. I immediately re-covered it and left it alone when I discovered this happy sight. I can only hope the rest of the soil is populated thusly.
image.jpeg

It's also pushing a fresh crop of buds and new leaves all over.

image.jpeg
 
Good project, nice tree and thank you for sharing. You have encouraged a lot of us to try this in the future, thanks again.
 
So, it's been nearly three months since separation, and 9 months since starting this off. The tree has lost and regained all of its leaves since separation and appears to be chugging along just fine. Here is a comparison from separation to now:

image.jpeg

I'm starting to think it's safe to call this a success, though winter may still have some tricks up its sleeve . . .
 
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