Weird thing on an airlayer. What is it?

Bon Sai

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Hi! I made an airlayer on a Quercus ilex and this is the result. It managed to make a pair of roots but it also produced this weird mass that encircles the branch. There was also an ant nest inside the airlayer complete with larvas.

260037

It would be nice if all this mass ended up being wood and roots. What do you think? Thanks!
 

cbroad

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That's called a callus. It's the undifferentiated cell growth that will eventually issue roots as you're seeing now. It's a good thing, it means the layer is going as planned.

The ants shouldn't hurt it, but it probably isn't a good thing to have them as tenants. I've found pill bugs, crikets, slugs, etc... hiding in there before.

Now stop playing with it and cover it back up! ;)
 

cbroad

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Oh, you already severed it. Hmm, looks to have been too early to do that...

If that's the case, then it may not make it. Your only chance could be to pot it up and enclose the whole plant in clear plastic (set out of direct light), the idea is to have close to zero transpiration loss from the foliage while the layer can grow more roots. The layer is no longer being watered from the xylem and now has to rely on those two small roots to make up for the water loss from the leaves.

Oaks can be hard to airlayer, you should be proud yours made it that far.
 
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Bon Sai

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Oh, you already severed it. Hmm, looks to have been too early to do that...

If that's the case, then it may not make it. Your only chance could be to pot it up and enclose the whole plant in clear plastic (set out of direct light), the idea is to have close to zero transpiration loss from the foliage while the layer can grow more roots. The layer is no longer being watered from the xylem and now has to rely on those two small roots to make up for the water loss from the leaves.

Oaks can be hard to airlayer, you should be proud yours made it that far.

Yeah, I saw the roots through the plastic bag and assumed there would be some more inside the earth ball.
 

AppleBonsai

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Agree with @cbroad way too early to dismember from main tree. What does the canopy look like? You will need to baby it so it can have a chance at survival- 20% chance IMO.
 

Bon Sai

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Agree with @cbroad way too early to dismember from main tree. What does the canopy look like? You will need to baby it so it can have a chance at survival- 20% chance IMO.
The canopy consists of some 10 leaves and 2 little branches, so not much transpiration. My idea for this bonsai is a large stump that has sprouted after an imaginary tree was cut off.

Something comparable to this.
260052
 
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sorce

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That has potential to grow roots fast enough to recover.

Biggest problem is....🌒.

Sorce
 

sorce

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Really? What is the right moon to collect an airlayer? And what effects does it have?

People don't believe it but time and time again, roots push out the baskets at the waning moon. This'n too.

Them 2 roots probly pushed shortly after the last full moon, do you remember when you first saw them?

It might have been about to go all out this next waning moon. Seems it.

I've seen roots come out the baskets in like 2 instances during a waxing moon.

Like a thousand during the waning moon.

Still, few Believe.

Sorce
 

Bon Sai

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the idea is to have close to zero transpiration loss from the foliage

There doesn't seem to be a transpiration problem. The section has been permanently wet to touch. I kept the tree indoors because it's been hot outside. I didn't put a plastic bag on it, but still, it's got mouldy.

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How bad is this mold? Now I've moved it outside because the weather is colder.
 

cbroad

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it's got mouldy.
That's probably from poor air circulation in your house.

Maybe the layer is stable enough not to need a humidity tent, or there's enough of a cuticle on the foliage to combat water loss, but in my opinion a tent would still be useful. Ambient heat shouldn't be an issue for the layer, plants have stomata to regulate transpiration (the stomata close when it's too hot), but if you have another heatwave with wind, it could dessicate the layer to the point of death. Can the few roots supply enough moisture to what has been lost through the leaves, this is very important?

The section has been permanently wet to touch
That has nothing to do with the microclimate around each leaf. This microclimate is the most important part.
 

Bon Sai

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People don't believe it but time and time again, roots push out the baskets at the waning moon. This'n too.

Them 2 roots probly pushed shortly after the last full moon, do you remember when you first saw them?

It might have been about to go all out this next waning moon. Seems it.

I've seen roots come out the baskets in like 2 instances during a waxing moon.

Like a thousand during the waning moon.

Still, few Believe.

Sorce
Hey! Look at this. I bet there is an equivalent growth under the surface. Must've been the moon.

264800
 

Bon Sai

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20191017_132931.jpg

I'd like to see the roots.

The new leaves are totally toothed. How strange. I chose this one because it had smooth-edged oval leaves ha ha. They can be seen on the older branch.

By the way, at the left there is a Celtis australis obtained through air-layer, too. It is a tricky species as it tends to kill the air-layered branch. I had some failures before.
 
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Bon Sai

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Today my wishes came true. One of my cats got scared of my dog and knocked down the pot, and what I saw is interesting.

20191030_162627.jpg

The two roots on the air-layer were half dead, but the callus had been growing a lot making this kind of globular shapes. There was a thick root growing from the part of the trunk UNDER the air-layer, which I had left so that it acted as a kind of buffer. Another three big roots were broken but appeared to be from the same place as the other one. So these roots have been growing without foliage which is interesting. It's basically an extremely thick and old cutting that has made roots while totally buried.

I cut the lower part and planted the tree. I'll plant the lower part too, to see what happens.
 
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