New to bonsai Japanese maple air layered

[Stixandstones]

Hello everyone, new to this site and bonsai in general, kinda winging it, hoping for guidance, so I was walking around my property last summer and noticed this Japanese maple growing between my and neighbors fence,.
Looked for was to get at it, realized the best way to use it is to air layer after the fence,which I did, via sphagnum moss and plastic wrap,
I ended up cutting it off right before winter, planted in a plastic pot and left in a slightly Unheated room, (temp doesn’t drop past 45degrees)
My question is since the roots are newish should I leave it to grow as is for a season... and also some air layered roots seem dry above the dirt, should I bury the plant deeper? Or is there a way to scrap the dry roots off, sorry for noob questions .. thanks!

 

[SeanS]

What happened to all the branches? Did you chop it at the same time as separating the layer?

 

[Stixandstones]

What happened to all the branches? Did you chop it at the same time as separating the layer?

Yes I cut them down as the whole section was too tall (about 5feet) with to many branches figured from my research that the root system would not be able to support that much once spring arrived, replanted the cuttings with root hormone in the ground, hopefully it’s was done correctly

 

[Bnana]

I would have cut it back too, but would have left some branches with leaf buds. Does it have any buds left? It does need leaves to support root growth.
If you remove all the leaves it has to develop the roots and new buds/leaves from the energy it has stored.

 

[Stixandstones]

I would have cut it back too, but would have left some branches with leaf buds. Does it have any buds left? It does need leaves to support root growth.
If you remove all the leaves it has to develop the roots and new buds/leaves from the energy it has stored.

No no buds, even after the first trim I trimmed again because the branches were still too tall and I wanted a shorter tree, i keep my room temp from 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s cold enough to keep the tree from waking up, but hopefully warm enough to allow for small root growth during the winter.. this pic was the second trim before what you see in my top post ..and that was I would say almost 3feet tall..
I’m sure it would have been nice, but to tall for my taste

 

[Bnana]

I agree that that is pretty tall but would have left it like that and make it shorter next year. Rather a living tree that is too tall than a short tree that is dead. Hopefully it survives.

 

[Stixandstones]

I agree that that is pretty tall but would have left it like that and make it shorter next year. Rather a living tree that is too tall than a short tree that is dead. Hopefully it survives.

Hmmm makes sense, wish I had joined a forum when I started.. I might have gotten a little over zealous on cutting the branch down, hope it’s good in spring

 

[Cable]

 

[Shibui]

JM are very good at producing new buds. There is every chance that this one will shoot in spring and grow well.
Back to the original questions:
As i don't know how many roots are on the tree after layering it is hard to give specific advice on either of your questions but in general:

It is a good idea to allow trees to get properly established before causing more trauma. We usually advise a full growing season before the next round of work. With some very resilient species it is possible to work on them in the summer after transplant if they are growing well and healthy. You will need to watch how yours responds and work according to the tree rather than a calendar or other people's opinions.

You can remove roots provided the tree has enough left to survive. Dried roots are likely dead anyway so cutting them won't affect survival. Prevention is better than cure. It is best to properly cover young roots to allow them to grow and thrive. Later when they have matured the surface roots can be exposed as nebari.
Adding some more soil to cover the roots will help preserve any that have not completely died and will also allow the tree to grow some more if required.

 

[Stixandstones]

JM are very good at producing new buds. There is every chance that this one will shoot in spring and grow well.
Back to the original questions:
As i don't know how many roots are on the tree after layering it is hard to give specific advice on either of your questions but in general:

It is a good idea to allow trees to get properly established before causing more trauma. We usually advise a full growing season before the next round of work. With some very resilient species it is possible to work on them in the summer after transplant if they are growing well and healthy. You will need to watch how yours responds and work according to the tree rather than a calendar or other people's opinions.

You can remove roots provided the tree has enough left to survive. Dried roots are likely dead anyway so cutting them won't affect survival. Prevention is better than cure. It is best to properly cover young roots to allow them to grow and thrive. Later when they have matured the surface roots can be exposed as nebari.
Adding some more soil to cover the roots will help preserve any that have not completely died and will also allow the tree to grow some more if required.

Thanks for the advice, funny enough that’s what I did when I got home today, instead of worrying about the dried up roots, I filled pot to cover all the roots, I was curious a few weeks back about root growth so I just pulled the JM out of the pot and noticed strong root growth... hopefully it holds out till spring
..I’m a complete noob to this but from my understanding around the temperature of around 50 ish degrees Fahrenheit.. the roots stay quasi active? .. so they keep growing and repairing..above dirt stays dormant..
Which seems to be on the right path, since I remember potting the airlayer with a decent amount of roots, but now it looks like I have thicker roots closer to the edges of the pot ..hoping with all the knowledge on this forum it’ll all work itself out..

 

[Shibui]

I don't know what temperatures but I have noticed active root tips when repotting which can be well before bud burst so I also assumed roots are active before the leaves come out.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy you Giant Anteater Humper!

Sorce