Picked up a few grafted maples - Seryu, Shin Deshojo and Mikawa Yatsuba. Plan is to wire the Seryu trunk soon and airlayer in the spring. Shin Deshojo is about five feet and I will layer in the spring as well. The grafts, as usual, are quite bad. The graft of the Mikawa Yatsuba, however, I think I can work with. The graft point looks like taper and movement, more than the typical graft swell. Never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to leave it for now and see how the graft looks over time - who knows, maybe it can stay.
Some airlayer projects
- Thread starter dbonsaiw
- Start date
Looks like its just about airlayer season. Got my Hormex #8 in the mail last night and ready to go.
I decided to begin development of the mikawa with the graft. I pruned off the smaller trunk and will use the graft as a lower bend. Let's see what it looks like in a few seasons. If the graft doesn't blend I can always ground layer. Shin deshojo and seryu looking nice.
Also added a plain vanilla JM to the airlayer projects and will try for a larger double trunk.
Some improvements over last season's airlayer process - First, I made some rings to place around the girdle so that the roots grow more radially. I will also be chopping the sphagnum moss up (pre-wetted) to make the removal process next season easier. I found it quite difficult to comb out the moss from last season's layers.
I will be using nursery pots for the layers as I prefer these over bags if I have a choice. In case anyone is curious about the order of operations:
1. Drill hole in bottom of pot large enough to accommodate trunk;
2. poke some holes in upper rim of pot so pot can be hung from tree;
3. Cut nursery pot along one side and then on the bottom into the hole so pot can wrap around trunk;
4. Cut girdle;
5. Place pot on tree and hang it with wire to upper trunk/branches.
6. Tape the cut parts of the pot;
7. Fill pot with sphagnum moss to almost the top of the girdle, leaving top of girdle exposed;
8. Place ring around trunk resting on moss;
9. Apply rooting hormone to top of girdle with paintbrush;
10. cover remainder of girdle with sphagnum moss;
11. water, water and water.
Once the layer is cut, I can simply slip the new tree out of its pot and into a somewhat larger pot where it will stay until next spring when I repot them into bonsai soil.
I decided to begin development of the mikawa with the graft. I pruned off the smaller trunk and will use the graft as a lower bend. Let's see what it looks like in a few seasons. If the graft doesn't blend I can always ground layer. Shin deshojo and seryu looking nice.
Also added a plain vanilla JM to the airlayer projects and will try for a larger double trunk.
Some improvements over last season's airlayer process - First, I made some rings to place around the girdle so that the roots grow more radially. I will also be chopping the sphagnum moss up (pre-wetted) to make the removal process next season easier. I found it quite difficult to comb out the moss from last season's layers.
I will be using nursery pots for the layers as I prefer these over bags if I have a choice. In case anyone is curious about the order of operations:
1. Drill hole in bottom of pot large enough to accommodate trunk;
2. poke some holes in upper rim of pot so pot can be hung from tree;
3. Cut nursery pot along one side and then on the bottom into the hole so pot can wrap around trunk;
4. Cut girdle;
5. Place pot on tree and hang it with wire to upper trunk/branches.
6. Tape the cut parts of the pot;
7. Fill pot with sphagnum moss to almost the top of the girdle, leaving top of girdle exposed;
8. Place ring around trunk resting on moss;
9. Apply rooting hormone to top of girdle with paintbrush;
10. cover remainder of girdle with sphagnum moss;
11. water, water and water.
Once the layer is cut, I can simply slip the new tree out of its pot and into a somewhat larger pot where it will stay until next spring when I repot them into bonsai soil.
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namnhi
Masterpiece
I would use bonsai soil instead of moss.... unless you willing to lose a few roots after separation. You need to clean it as moss will stay wet too long which cause root rot. I noticed it seems to take longer to root with bonsai soil but once it roots... you will get good roots and don't have to monkey with it when you separate it.
19Mateo83
Masterpiece
I have also gotten away from using long fiber sphagnum in my airlayers that are to be used for bonsai. When I do use it I mill it into fine particles and add it to inert bonsai mix. It makes it easier to sort the roots out after separation. I also fertilize the tree when I put on the layers.
Performed the layers this weekend and managed to get pics of the process for the Deshojo. The phone died by the time I got to the Seryu and then it poured when I got half way through cutting the ring of the vanilla JM. I was soaked through head to toe by the end (had an awesome time and felt like a kid again, except couldn't hear my radio over the rain). I shredded the moss this time and will see how that goes.
I layered the Deshojo in the middle of the tree at a point where there were a few small internodes.
At about 1/3 inch, the seryu was a bit thin. Next time I may wait for the trunk to thicken up a bit - little concerned that the trunk just snaps in half.
The layer on the plain vanilla JM provides for optionality - it will likely end up as a single trunk, but could be developed into a double trunk. I want to see it again naked in the winter before making final decisions.
I layered the Deshojo in the middle of the tree at a point where there were a few small internodes.
At about 1/3 inch, the seryu was a bit thin. Next time I may wait for the trunk to thicken up a bit - little concerned that the trunk just snaps in half.
The layer on the plain vanilla JM provides for optionality - it will likely end up as a single trunk, but could be developed into a double trunk. I want to see it again naked in the winter before making final decisions.
Attachments
As a follow up, the layers took and I separated them. I did not muck with the roots at all and just replanted the tree with moss and all into larger containers with bonsai soil. My after care was wanting and then the weather didn't cooperate. I originally had the cut layers in too sunny of a spot and they got fried. So I moved them to a shadier spot. The large JM seems to be bouncing back - it lost a lot of leaves, but still has a substantial canopy. Although there is a good amount of die back, I am cautiously optimistic on the seryu (hey, you never know). We had a freak storm Saturday night with wild winds - it ripped the trunk of the deshojo right out of the sphagnum moss, leaving all roots behind. The deshojo is a goner. I still have the lower half of the original tree and will try again next year.
Lessons learned - (1) get the trees into a shady spot after taking the layers as they need a little time to get used to being on their own roots and cannot take the same intensity/amount of sun as the mother tree can; and (ii) secure your layers to the pot - even without freakish winds, you don't want the tree moving around and messing around with the sensitive juvenile roots. The canopy of the JM was simply too big for the tree to stand on its own, so it got secured well. Otherwise, the storm would have claimed this one as well.
Lessons learned - (1) get the trees into a shady spot after taking the layers as they need a little time to get used to being on their own roots and cannot take the same intensity/amount of sun as the mother tree can; and (ii) secure your layers to the pot - even without freakish winds, you don't want the tree moving around and messing around with the sensitive juvenile roots. The canopy of the JM was simply too big for the tree to stand on its own, so it got secured well. Otherwise, the storm would have claimed this one as well.
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Seryu died as well. Oh well, I went to Evergreen Garden Works and got me some seryu and deshojo that are already on their own roots. While I was ordering, I picked up a few more maples cultivars for good measure.
Large JM is doing well and growing a bunch of new leaves. I started fertilizing it as well.
Large JM is doing well and growing a bunch of new leaves. I started fertilizing it as well.
