Kevin the Brazilian Rain Tree

[BrazilianMoistWood]

Question on air layering; is this how it’s supposed to look or did I do it too early? I pruned and applied the air layer when I moved it outside and the air layer branch budded and grew but the leaves never really did much.. probably too much all at once plus it trying to bid out? Should I have waited until it was comfortable in its new environment?

 

[Paradox]

May might have been a tad too early.

What concerns me is all the leaves on the air layered branch seem to be dying

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

May might have been a tad too early.

What concerns me is all the leaves on the air layered branch seem to be dying

Yeah I think that too. They were always a brighter more lime green and didn’t seem to grow all that much but that was a week or so after I put the air layer on so I figured if the top was growing the bottom should be growing as well, must’ve been stored energy in the branch? Is this a sign that the branch is dying or will it still root with dormant buds on the branch?

 

[Paradox]

Yeah I think that too. They were always a brighter more lime green and didn’t seem to grow all that much but that was a week or so after I put the air layer on so I figured if the top was growing the bottom should be growing as well, must’ve been stored energy in the branch? Is this a sign that the branch is dying or will it still root with dormant buds on the branch?

It's not a good sign for sure.
I have a few BRT, but I've never air layered one so I can't be absolutely sure.

You did cut a section of bark right, like a collar?
What did you use for media in the foil?

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

It's not a good sign for sure.
I have a few BRT, but I've never air layered one so I can't be absolutely sure.

You did cut a section of bark right, like a collar?
What did you use for media in the foil?

Yes cut a collar of the bark off including cambium with a sharp sterilized edge between two nodes, not right to the nodes I think it was a 1.5-2cm space and scraped the peeled section to make sure I didn’t miss any cambium.

Soaked sphagnum moss for a couple hours, I think I had to go somewhere, squeezed most the water out but still kept it moist and wrapped it around the node on the branch side, wrapped that with plastic seran wrap then again with tin foil.

I thought the leaves were drying up a week or two ago so I got a fresh needle and syringe (beef farmer) and gave it 3ml of water to make sure there was some moisture in the layer. I haven’t checked to see if there are roots because it’s tight between it and another branch and I don’t want to accidentally spin the layer and disturb what roots may or may not be there

 

[Paradox]

Yea probably too soon for roots.
Sounds like your technique was correct.
Only thing I would have done differently is put some rooting hormone at the top of the cut but what Ive researched, BRT shouldn't be hard to air layer.
I would leave it for now and if the leaves continue to die and no new buds come out by the end of July, Id open it up and look
Keep making sure there is moisture in there though.
You dont want it sopping wet, just damp

 

[choppychoppy]

This small branch would have rooted easily as a cutting.

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

This small branch would have rooted easily as a cutting.

I’ve tried to root all my cuttings and have yet to get one to root, figured air lettering would be worth a try

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I think you should have waited until July. Give it time to gain back its strength after wintering in your house and putting out a new set of foliage. Tropicals like the warm weather. Also did it go from inside the house to direct sun outside? You should always transition a houseplant from indoor growing conditions to full sunlight. You’re really stressing Kevin a lot.

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

I think you should have waited until July. Give it time to gain back its strength after wintering in your house and putting out a new set of foliage. Tropicals like the warm weather. Also did it go from inside the house to direct sun outside? You should always transition a houseplant from indoor growing conditions to full sunlight. You’re really stressing Kevin a lot.

Nope always gradual transition from indoors to outdoors, I start it in a nook that gets maybe 4-6 hours of direct sunlight then outside the nook to like 7-8 hours and now out on the back porch getting 10-11 hours.

now I know for next time to wait until july... I figured since it threw a set of new leaves indoors a month prior it should be ok to go ahead and air layer it but it dropped its leaves a couple days after going outside and brought another set of new leaves out

 

[Mapleminx]

Sneezed when walking by?

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

Can’t be doing that bad if the air layer is pushing new growth while dropping old(ish) leaves?

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

Well by golly guys I think I did it! Cutting is growing in soil outside the Starbucks greenhouse!!

as for the air layer it’s pushing lots of new growth! No new shoots but leaves… I thought she was done for Haven’t opened the foil to see if there are roots, too afraid of twisting and breaking roots, it was applied late spring just after the first flush of new growth so there should be something, tempted to cut it now and plant it in soil, or should I wait until spring??

should I be cutting back the long shoots now to give it its shape back or let it keep growing?? Have saved a couple Starbucks cups in hopes of more propagation attempts

all in all he’s doing pretty good, it’s cool to see the difference between summer growth and winter growth, I brought it in and it dropped half its leaves and then pushed lots of new growth which is pretty rad, I like to see happy plants

 

[leatherback]

should I be cutting back the long shoots now to give it its shape back or let it keep growing

The cutting or the layer?

In either case, I would personally allow them to do their thing till spring and allow roots to develop.
If your layer has been on since spring, I would have expected some roots by now?

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

The cutting or the layer?

In either case, I would personally allow them to do their thing till spring and allow roots to develop.
If your layer has been on since spring, I would have expected some roots by now?

Just the long shoots off the tree itself, third picture, I would assume the layer has roots by now. I should peel back the foil and check..

 

[leatherback]

the long shoots off the tree itself

If you have space and are thickening them, leave them. If you do not want them thicker, or they are bothering, clip.
Your party

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

I said heck it, cut it off and opened it up..

ROOOOOOOOTS!!!!

 

[leatherback]

I said heck it, cut it off and opened it up..

ROOOOOOOOTS!!!!

Cooool. Congrats!

For next time.. You can check before chopping it off!

 

[BrazilianMoistWood]

Just a quick update, been a minute.

Growth getting leggy but I think I’ve overcome the reverse taper that was starting (photo makes it look still kinda reverse).

Definitely have to repot this year, going to wait until I move it outside full time and it pushes new growth (feel free to tell me that’s a bad idea, I don’t know). Can I do a hard chop at the same time as the repot or would that be too much all at once??

Only thing I’m afraid of is the sacrificial branch I’ve grown has become quite thick at the trunk and will leave quite the scar, I’m sure it’ll eventually cover over but still…

I’m overall content on how it’s doing, wishing I took more time cutting leaders to thicken growth.

Air layer is still alive too haha it seems to do weird things but I guess that’s because it’s a young plant still