JWP Grafts

[Khaiba]

Hey guys,
I just bought several young JWP from an online Bonsai nursery with the goal of growing them in the fields and potentially ground-layering them at the graft (previous post discussing Brent Walstons' method: https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/ground-layering-to-get-rid-of-grafts.48454/)
However, I am unfamiliar with the type of grafts of the pines I ordered and unsure where to apply the tourniquet/CD to ground layer in my case. Here are some pictures:


The roots of the understock start almost immediately below the CD/foil. The thing that confuses me is that the scions are growing inward (merging with the understock), and not outward away from it. Would it be possible to cut away the top part of the remaining understock that merged with the scion? Like this:

These are the two options I came up with. Which one do you guys think would have the best results?

Cheers,
Khai

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

These are YOUNG grafts, they look like they have had less than 2 years to heal. Messing around with them is likely to cause the union to separate, killing the scion. Be gentle. Leave me graft union alone for another couple years.

Those grafts look good enough that left alone, and allowing the tree to grow, those grafts could be invisible in 10 years.

JWP are very unlikely to root when air layered. Your CD trick is likely to end in fatality. Only a small number of JWP cultivars will form roots. Unless you know the cultivar names, chances are high no roots will form.

With growth, trunk diameter increases, there is no need to do the pruning you are proposing. That "triming away" is very likely to end badly.

Just let them grow 5 years, then clean up any remaining stubb's.