Layering Balls

[Clip]

I decided to try some of the black plastic layering balls and got two sizes back at the beginning of the year. I tried them on two different JMs, zelkova, Jap camellia, Kingsville boxwood, and a chirimen cypress. JMs and zelkova did well. The camellia branches were more horizontal than vertical and one rooted in the lower half and the other did not root. The ball dropped down some on the cypress and I only had root growth below the cut. Based on that I think it would have rooted if the ball had remained higher and kept the top damp. The boxwood rooted ok, but not as strongly as I had hoped. Pics are from the one off of the shishigashira that always roots strongly based on my experience. Zelkova root balls were also very strong. I tried long fiber SM and a potting soil mix. Of the two the potting soil mix was better. The moss got too wet. I think these work well if they are roughly vertical and water can be added periodically. For horizontal branches I get better results with the damp moss and sealed/.wrapped enclosure. Overall I am happy with the results and will use these again next year.

 

[Gr8tfuldad]

They work great when you have an open spot. More intricate areas they aren’t happening. They definitely dry out quicker than plastic wrap method. I had an apple tree snap one at the hinges because it grew so much.

 

[thebonsaiproject]

I decided to try some of the black plastic layering balls and got two sizes back at the beginning of the year. I tried them on two different JMs, zelkova, Jap camellia, Kingsville boxwood, and a chirimen cypress. JMs and zelkova did well. The camellia branches were more horizontal than vertical and one rooted in the lower half and the other did not root. The ball dropped down some on the cypress and I only had root growth below the cut. Based on that I think it would have rooted if the ball had remained higher and kept the top damp. The boxwood rooted ok, but not as strongly as I had hoped. Pics are from the one off of the shishigashira that always roots strongly based on my experience. Zelkova root balls were also very strong. I tried long fiber SM and a potting soil mix. Of the two the potting soil mix was better. The moss got too wet. I think these work well if they are roughly vertical and water can be added periodically. For horizontal branches I get better results with the damp moss and sealed/.wrapped enclosure. Overall I am happy with the results and will use these again next year.

Was it annoying not being able to see the roots like the plastic wrap allows?

 

[penumbra]

Was it annoying not being able to see the roots like the plastic wrap allows?

They also make these in clear and in translucent green.

 

[Clip]

Yes, it is difficult to see how much root you have. You could open them and then close them back if you really wanted. The small ones I had used little zip ties that can be cut without moving the ball. The larger ones had buttons that snapped together and took a lot of force to close or open. I just waited a conservative amount of time.
I wasn't aware that there were clear/translucent ones, those may be better and you could cover them with something opaque if you wanted to. I think there may be some value to the black or a dark color in that it tends to warm up the ball if it is in sun.

 

[penumbra]

I think there may be some value to the black or a dark color in that it tends to warm up the ball if it is in sun.

I do believe that many plants produce faster and better root systems in the dark.

 

[Srt8madness]

I actually like sorces deal of putting a flat surface in the layer to make a good nebari. With the balls you're adding what, at least a year of additional growing before you need to come back and cut/spread the roots?

Full disclosure I do use the balls. I literally just came inside from planting two papaya trees I layered with them

 

[penumbra]

I actually like sorces deal of putting a flat surface in the layer to make a good nebari. With the balls you're adding what, at least a year of additional growing before you need to come back and cut/spread the roots?

Full disclosure I do use the balls. I literally just came inside from planting two papaya trees I layered with them

I try to catch mine before the root ball becomes too dense. I spread out the roots when I plant it.

 

[andrewiles]

I do believe that many plants produce faster and better root systems in the dark.

I've wondered about this. Is this known for a fact by anyone? I use the clear balls, so I can see the root progress, and they seem to work fine.

I've been placing a foam or plastic board inside the ball to encourage lateral roots. A bit more hassle but seems to be effective.

 

[coltranem]

I've wondered about this. Is this known for a fact by anyone? I use the clear balls, so I can see the root progress, and they seem to work fine.

I've been placing a foam or plastic board inside the ball to encourage lateral roots. A bit more hassle but seems to be effective.

View attachment 458702View attachment 458703

Any pictures of the results?

 

[andrewiles]

Sure, here's a dawn redwood. They're quite fast, about 2 months from start to separation:

 

[caffeinated]

I do believe that many plants produce faster and better root systems in the dark.

I've never used a black air layer cover and most of the trees I do (mostly maples, some Chinese elms, junipers, etc) root within 2 to 4 months. (not my larch, hornbeams or my #$*@&^% Ryuzu maple). Do they root faster than that in darker coverings? I wonder if it would possibly help to mask the light on those more difficult species.

 

[andrewiles]

I googled around a bit and found some somewhat relevant papers. Here's one: https://academic.oup.com/pcp/article/56/5/1006/1821052

They tend to cover seedlings and are interested in whether young plants in lab petri dishes with exposed roots are impacting other unrelated experiments about plant physiology. So hard to say if there is much relevance here, esp. since I can't follow most of the discussion. Maybe someone with a biology or horticulture degree can chime in.

That said, some takeaways I could pull from these papers are:

• Roots can sense and respond to light
• Light tends to reinforce the gravitrimetric response, i.e. desire to grow downward
• Illuminated roots in seedlings grow a bit longer than shaded roots
• Shaded roots in seedlings produce more fine hairs

My takeaway was mostly that while there are differences, and potentially meaningful ones for longer-term plant health, light doesn't seem to catastrophically impair root development. Coupled with the fact that even in clear air layer containers most of the root mass is still shaded within the ball I doubt clear vs. opaque containers make a huge difference. I'd wager there are factors with much more importance, such as whether an opaque container increases root zone temperature by absorbing more heat.