Siberian Elm air layer

[PiñonJ]

Here's my second air layer. My first is an apricot I started yesterday: https://bonsainut.com/threads/apricot-air-layer.27941/

This is a Siberian Elm growing near my house.

 

[Flounder61]

Hey, how did the air layering go on this Siberian Elm???

 

[PiñonJ]

Hey, how did the air layering go on this Siberian Elm???

Unfortunately, it didn't take. Neither did my apricot. I'll have to devise a better method for my climate. Maybe the conditions were just too hot and dry for the elm, or maybe I overcompensated with both trees and kept the sphagnum too wet, but the elm seemed to dry really fast if I didn't water frequently. I don't know, June is a killer month here, with high temperatures and single digit humidity.

 

[AZbonsai]

Your plastic is pretty open at the top you will lose a lot of moisture. Maybe try a plastic milk jug? I put foil on my air layers to keep them cooler.
Here is an idea of how I did my airlayer:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/texas-ebony-airlayer.33547/

 

[0soyoung]

Unfortunately, it didn't take. Neither did my apricot. I'll have to devise a better method for my climate. Maybe the conditions were just too hot and dry for the elm, or maybe I overcompensated with both trees and kept the sphagnum too wet, but the elm seemed to dry really fast if I didn't water frequently. I don't know, June is a killer month here, with high temperatures and single digit humidity.

Any pix of the girdles at the end of last season? Bridging? Prolific callus?
Application of IBA/NAA rooting hormone will kick start the rooting process, speeding the whole process up by a few weeks.

 

[PiñonJ]

Any pix of the girdles at the end of last season? Bridging? Prolific callus?
Application of IBA/NAA rooting hormone will kick start the rooting process, speeding the whole process up by a few weeks.

I stopped checking for roots after three, or four months. Since I didn't see any of the top branches die back, I assumed it must have bridged. Your question spurred me to finally go examine it and here are the photos. We had a "thousand year flood" over the summer (same storm's hail damaged my Ponderosa, and the flood damaged my new bonsai garden). You can see the result, with a big power line pole washed up against the tree and one side of the base undercut - didn't faze the tree at all. As you can see, the bark has re-formed. When I made the girdle, I kept scraping with a box cutter, as the tissue turned brown (like apple flesh turning brown). Guess I didn't go deep enough.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I stopped checking for roots after three, or four months. Since I didn't see any of the top branches die back, I assumed it must have bridged. Your question spurred me to finally go examine it and here are the photos. We had a "thousand year flood" over the summer (same storm's hail damaged my Ponderosa, and the flood damaged my new bonsai garden). You can see the result, with a big power line pole washed up against the tree and one side of the base undercut - didn't faze the tree at all. As you can see, the bark has re-formed. When I made the girdle, I kept scraping with a box cutter, as the tissue turned brown (like apple flesh turning brown). Guess I didn't go deep enough.
View attachment 225640
View attachment 225638
View attachment 225639

The bark on these is SUPER thick, way thicker than you would imagine. So it’s very possible you thought you got down to the wood but you didn’t. When I airlayered one of these the bark was at least an inch thick, kind of mind blowing.

 

[PiñonJ]

The bark on these is SUPER thick, way thicker than you would imagine. So it’s very possible you thought you got down to the wood but you didn’t. When I airlayered one of these the bark was at least an inch thick, kind of mind blowing.

I definitely got the bark off, but apparently didn’t get far enough into the xylem.

 

[Arcto]

PJ, I had a corky Chinese elm fail the 1st time. Went back last spring and cleaned out the bridges down to white wood, then shaved off even more and let it dry 3 days. Just separated it with a bunch of roots. But since yours is a Siberian elm, why not yang it out barefooted, back over it with a tractor several times to style it, then stick it in a pot? May come out pretty good. ?

 

[Mike Hennigan]

PJ, I had a corky Chinese elm fail the 1st time. Went back last spring and cleaned out the bridges down to white wood, then shaved off even more and let it dry 3 days. Just separated it with a bunch of roots. But since yours is a Siberian elm, why not yang it out barefooted, back over it with a tractor several times to style it, then stick it in a pot? May come out pretty good. ?

On that note, you could honestly just saw off that section you wanted to layer, and stick it in a pot. It will probably root from my experience with Siberian elms.

Stick it inside a garbage bag for lots of humidity until you get some growth, you should be golden.

 

[PiñonJ]

Any pix of the girdles at the end of last season? Bridging? Prolific callus?
Application of IBA/NAA rooting hormone will kick start the rooting process, speeding the whole process up by a few weeks.

The bark on these is SUPER thick, way thicker than you would imagine. So it’s very possible you thought you got down to the wood but you didn’t. When I airlayered one of these the bark was at least an inch thick, kind of mind blowing.

I definitely got the bark off, but apparently didn’t get far enough into the xylem.

So I have to eat my words about getting the bark off. I went back this spring to re-do the air layer and the difference from last time was like night and day. As you say, Mike, the cork layer is very thick. Once I cut all the way through, it peeled away very cleanly. I also roughed up the xylem with a rasp to be sure. I used a plastic food container this time. I used IBA, as well. This was on 3 May. I was worried when I didn’t see any roots after a month, but on 20 June I saw this:


And this is how it looked yesterday:

 

[Mike Hennigan]

So I have to eat my words about getting the bark off. I went back this spring to re-do the air layer and the difference from last time was like night and day. As you say, Mike, the cork layer is very thick. Once I cut all the way through, it peeled away very cleanly. I also roughed up the xylem with a rasp to be sure. I used a plastic food container this time. I used IBA, as well. This was on 3 May. I was worried when I didn’t see any roots after a month, but on 20 June I saw this:
View attachment 251938

And this is how it looked yesterday:
View attachment 251939

Nice!!!

 

[PiñonJ]

I separated the air layer yesterday.

Here's how I secured it in its new Ron Lang pot (two screws through the wooden block into the bottom of the trunk):

Roots (very tough to tease out the sphagnum!):

There were a couple of large areas of callus with no roots, so I freshened them up and applied IBA.

Potted up:

Front side close-up:

Back:

The foliage still looks happy today. There'll be more trunk chops next spring.

 

[Hartinez]

Nice! Your only Siberian elm? I’ve had several over the years, but only have one still alive or that I haven’t given up on. I feel like I’ve finally got the hang of this elm species in particular.

I also tried to air layer a branch in mid summer with no luck. A raft style was the plan. I’m going to try again, next year.

 

[PiñonJ]

Nice! Your only Siberian elm? I’ve had several over the years, but only have one still alive or that I haven’t given up on. I feel like I’ve finally got the hang of this elm species in particular.

I also tried to air layer a branch in mid summer with no luck. A raft style was the plan. I’m going to try again, next year.

Yep, my only elm. I dug one from a neighbor’s driveway the year I started in bonsai and I managed to kill it. Apparently, that takes a special talent with these! Still have my two nursery spruces from that year, though. This one grew roots well once it got going (and once I got the bark off properly).

 

[Hartinez]

Yep, my only elm. I dug one from a neighbor’s driveway the year I started in bonsai and I managed to kill it. Apparently, that takes a special talent with these! Still have my two nursery spruces from that year, though. This one grew roots well once it got going (and once I got the bark off properly).

I think it’s easier than we think . The ones I’ve killed have been, from what I can tell, excess carving. And the 2 others I gave up on because I kept losing key branches. Over the years I’ve read that that there pioneer species status makes them tricky, but I’ve had great luck with a twin trunk SE over the last 5 years. No branch dieback and I’m really getting some killer back budding and ramification this year. I’ll post some before and after a tomorrow.

I think yours should do great and will look great as a twin trunk in no time.

IMHO. Yearly repots with extensive root selection seems to really have made mine happy. And for whatever reason carving has not worked well for me on these.

 

[Hartinez]

Here are pics from Oct. 17’, Mar. 18, May 19, and just now after a third hard cutback. Collected in 2015. It’s come a long ways and is finally lookin ok.

Can’t wait to trim up the branching come leaf drop and wire the thing out for a better profile. I think it’ll really look good naked. I’ve still got a thread graft to separate next year, root grafts that need to happen, big chops that need healing and a better pot and planting angle. It’s done nothing but thrive for me and has yet to drop a branch at any point. I’m happy.

I see a quality future in yours as well!!

 

[PiñonJ]

Here are pics from Oct. 17’, Mar. 18, May 19, and just now after a third hard cutback. Collected in 2015. It’s come a long ways and is finally lookin ok.
View attachment 257262View attachment 257263View attachment 257264View attachment 257265View attachment 257266
Can’t wait to trim up the branching come leaf drop and wire the thing out for a better profile. I think it’ll really look good naked. I’ve still got a thread graft to separate next year, root grafts that need to happen, big chops that need healing and a better pot and planting angle. It’s done nothing but thrive for me and has yet to drop a branch at any point. I’m happy.

I see a quality future in yours as well!!

Looking good! I like that pot color for my Black Locust. Where did you find it?

 

[Hartinez]

Super cheap pot from Jericho nursery here in Abq. They are mass produced and come in that color and shape at several sizes. Next time I’m there I’ll take some pics for you. I’ve got several and are great for good looking training pots.

 

[woodworker]

Thanks for sharing the pics and info. My property has an ENORMOUS Siberian Elm on it that gives me lots of volunteer plants. I am going to try some air layers next spring, so this is a great read!

These trees really are hardy. Half a dozen of the trees I will be digging up were chopped down by me years ago, often in the middle of a hot summer thinking that it would kill them. They don't even flinch and just continue to grow.

Can't wait to see future updates on your tree!