Killer Nebari on an Airlayer

[Redwood Ryan]

Hi everyone!


I've got a Ficus that I'd like to airlayer here in the next few days. I've typically done the usual airlayer technique, where you just create a ball of sphagnum and the roots grow out and down. However, I'm trying to find other ways to airlayer that allows for the future nebari to grow out horizontally instead of downward. I had read Sorce's "Radialayer" thread, but just wanted to see if there were any other ways of creating great nebari on an airlayer before it's separated. So, any techniques you all have used?

Tree to be airlayered is this one:

 

[Eric Group]

I feel like a broken record on this, but the use of Perlite in a little pot will help you achieve this... The sphagnum was always wrapped so tight, I felt it caused the roots to grow down like you are talking about.. Even getting them all wrapped up in the sphagnum and almost impossible to separate, so that you wind up planting the mass of roots with the sphagnum still in it. Perlite- or a good bonsai mix seems to work as well from what I have read, but I like to use the easy to find/ cheap stuff whenever possible and perlite works great, plus it is so light weight, it doesn't redirect the roots at all... End result is roots that radiate straight off the trunk- at least til they hit the edge of the pot- instead of getting all wrapped up and wadded together in the sphagnum!

Of course, you could always use some sort of flat piece of plastic to wrap around the trunk to encourage the roots to grow straight out as well... I did that with a ground layer I started this year... We will see how it works. I saw a blog where a guy did it on an air layer- he basically made this little plastic cone to wrap around just below where the roots would be coming out- kinda looked like those protective things they put around a dog's neck to keep them from biting stitches or something...

 

[Redwood Ryan]

I feel like a broken record on this, but the use of Perlite in a little pot will help you achieve this... The sphagnum was always wrapped so tight, I felt it caused the roots to grow down like you are talking about.. Even getting them all wrapped up in the sphagnum and almost impossible to separate, so that you wind up planting the mass of roots with the sphagnum still in it. Perlite- or a good bonsai mix seems to work as well from what I have read, but I like to use the easy to find/ cheap stuff whenever possible and perlite works great, plus it is so light weight, it doesn't redirect the roots at all... End result is roots that radiate straight off the trunk- at least til they hit the edge of the pot- instead of getting all wrapped up and wadded together in the sphagnum!

I like this idea a lot. My only concern with it would be how quickly it would dry out. I feel I'd need to be on the ball and constantly monitor it in order to prevent it from drying out. I could probably wrap the pot itself in plastic though to keep the humidity up.

 

[Eric Group]

I like this idea a lot. My only concern with it would be how quickly it would dry out. I feel I'd need to be on the ball and constantly monitor it in order to prevent it from drying out. I could probably wrap the pot itself in plastic though to keep the humidity up.

Sure, you could do that.. I just took a little sphagnum moss and put it across the top of the pot on the one I did most recently at a friend 's house, but the ones I did earlier in the year were just perlite... Both were within range of a sprinkler for my vegetable garden that gave them a bit of water in the mornings and evenings, and a I just watered the layers when I did my regular watering... It worked fine, neither dried out at all.

Perlite holds a little bit of moisture, the important part is watering it very thoroughly the first time, until water is running through freely, then repeat... Getting it good and wet the first time makes the middle stay moist better which is what you want.. If it gets a little dry that isn't a bad thing... The air helps the roots form.

 

[carp]

If you airlayer, you're going to lose all the taper you have in this trunk, and have to regrow a new top which for you, will take a long, long time.
The roots on this tree don't look bad, just work the top of the tree and make it nice.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

If you airlayer, you're going to lose all the taper you have in this trunk, and have to regrow a new top which for you, will take a long, long time.
The roots on this tree don't look bad, just work the top of the tree and make it nice.

There is literally zero taper, lol.

 

[coh]

Ryan, I've generally used the sphagnum in plastic method for my layers, and while it can be a pain to get all the moss out without damaging the roots, the results are usually good. You still get the basal flare and you can position the roots more horizontally once they've developed enough (they're way too fragile to work with early on, though).

This spring I've been experimenting with other approaches. I've done a couple of layers where I've put pieces of old cd's or pieces of wood around the trunk just below the area where I want roots (after doing the usual bark removal process), then put a pot around the area and filled with bonsai soil. Too soon to tell how this will work but I'm hoping it will encourage the roots to grow horizontally from the start and also eliminate the problems with removing the moss.

This way takes more time, so unless the results are truly spectacular I'll probably go back to the moss method.

Chris

 

[0soyoung]

it can be a pain to get all the moss out

What is the worry about some sphagnum among the roots? I mean why worry about it?

 

[barrosinc]

What is the worry about some sphagnum among the roots? I mean why worry about it?

Might be just me being a noob, but I did an airlayer, severed it rather close to autumn, and I had a really tough time not rotting the roots (which I actually ended up doing).

 

[Paradox]

I just saw one done on a crab apple using a small pot around the trunk. Layer of sphagnum on the bottom of the pot, fine bonsai soil (like shohin sized) and another layer of sphagnum above the cut. Helps keep it moist but the roots grow out into better medium than sphagnum alone.

 

[0soyoung]

Might be just me being a noob, but I did an airlayer, severed it rather close to autumn, and I had a really tough time not rotting the roots (which I actually ended up doing).

I've never had that happen. I've got JM layers that I made 5 years ago that still have the spagnum around the base of the tree.
I've grown volunteer seedlings from my yard in nothing but sphagnum - it can be used as a growing medium.

 

[barrosinc]

so noobness was the problem! too much water I guess.

I've never had that happen. I've got JM layers that I made 5 years ago that still have the spagnum around the base of the tree.
I've grown volunteer seedlings from my yard in nothing but sphagnum - it can be used as a growing medium.

 

[0soyoung]

so noobness was the problem! too much water I guess.

The layer roots I get with sphagnum are big white fleshy things and are very fragile, so I pot the whole works carefully.

I screw the stub to the bottom of a plastic pot and screw a bamboo pole or two to the side of the pot to stabilize the tree in so the roots cannot moved in the pot (say, by the tree getting blown over in the wind). The roots safely harden over the winter. In the following spring I usually comb out the roots and, in the process, remove some, most, all of the sphagnum. I've never seen a reason to worry about the sphagnum.

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Air layered this guy today.

I cut a clear pot to fit around the tree:

Fit it around the tree:

Ring barked:

Got all hormonal:

Secured the pot in place:

In order to ensure that perlite didn't fall through the holes in the bottom of the pot, I placed a layer of sphagnum moss:

Filled with perlite:

And wrapped in plastic to keep humid:

 

[barrosinc]

man! that perlite looks nothinkg like the one we have here!