Has anyone ever heard of air layering above the graft?

Intriguedbybonsai · Wed Mar 09, 2011 7:36 pm

Is anyone here knowledgable about air layering?

I was wondering if it is possible to air layer a tree above the graft? Is that a safe location to air layer without killing the tree?

Reason be is I have a Japanese maple(bloodgood variety), but the graft is so high up on it's trunk it would make bonsai-ing it impossible. Another reason is, and I know this sounds silly, but I hate seeing an ugly graft scar on a tree.

moulman · Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:06 pm

Yes. It's done all the time.

But in many cases, particularly with some J Maples, the trees roots are not as hardy as the grafted rootstock.

But with a bloodgood it should do fine. Give it a go.

manofthetrees · Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:26 pm

howdy,

I would definately agree graft marks on bonsai are unatractive... you may also look into a ground layer. its the same intial procedure as an air graft but the rooting site is burried beneath the soil. you also have the option of using the turniquet rooting method were a wire is tightly wrapped around the trunk were you want the roots to form and burried ( no difficult bark cutting ) the cambium flow is cut off to the roots and the tree is forced to produce a new root system above the wire. best of luck

moulman · Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:10 pm

[quote Reason be is I have a Japanese maple(bloodgood variety), but the graft is so high up on it's trunk it would make bonsai-ing it impossible. Another reason is, and I know this sounds silly, but I hate seeing an ugly graft scar on a tree.[/quote]

I don't think a ground layer is going to solve this problem.

Intriguedbybonsai · Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:55 pm

That`s good news to me. Though ground layering wouldn`t help me in my situation, it is still something good to know in the future. As I have never heard of ground layering. The turniquet method is interesting as well, but I think I think I`ll stick to air layering. Thanks everyone!

Gnome · Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:22 pm

Intriguedbybonsai,

Roughly how high from the current soil line is the union?

Here is a thread where I do the same thing you are contemplating, although for a different reason.

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=40359#40359

Norm

Intriguedbybonsai · Fri Mar 11, 2011 12:43 am

Gnome wrote:Intriguedbybonsai,

Roughly how high from the current soil line is the union?

Norm

[img]https://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/Skeletor619/jmaplecopy.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/Skeletor619/jmaple3.jpg[/img]

That's my Japanese maple tree(red circles are where the graft is). I don't know if air layering at that point would help me out. Maybe another section of the tree could be used instead?

Gnome · Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:12 am

Intriguedbybonsai,

Since the graft site is not that far from the ground you could do something similar to what I did on the Zelkova I linked to. A tall pot with the bottom cut out would form an open ended cylinder that would serve nicely to contain your chosen medium.

Maybe another section of the tree could be used instead?

That's a possibility but from here I don't see a location that jumps out at me.

Norm

manofthetrees · Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:28 pm

not that it matters but the tree you have is not the bloodgood variety JM. I have 2 that are landscape trees and the bark is a deep burgandy color. whatever it is tho I would like to know the green bark with red leaves is abnormal and pretty cool

Intriguedbybonsai · Sat Mar 12, 2011 12:35 am

Well I bought it from a nursery that specializes in nothing but Japanese maples. Eastfork Nursery is the name. They might have mislabled it, or it could be of a similar variety. The "Emperor" variety is supposedly an improved version of the Bloodgood.

moulman · Wed Mar 16, 2011 12:04 pm

manofthetrees wrote:not that it matters but the tree you have is not the bloodgood variety JM. I have 2 that are landscape trees and the bark is a deep burgandy color. whatever it is tho I would like to know the green bark with red leaves is abnormal and pretty cool

All young maples have green skin until they begin to develop mature bark.

tomc · Tue Apr 12, 2011 11:41 am

Yes, you could girdle the entire tree, treat the wounded area with rooting hormone, reburry it in a deeper pot and cover the wound with new soil and it will grow a new set of roots.

Here is why you might not want to do this as your very first go at airlayering. The old roots will supply the tree with nutrition, starve and die. This is like getting pregnant, there isn't a half-way resting station.

Your newly modified tree is going to spend more than one year rebuilding a root mass. It may well need a wire support, and the top of the tree is going to grow less while the rebuilding takes place.

I might practice on less desirable saplings first. I might also get your JM into a bigger training container and let'er rip for a few years.

You'll have better taper, and the old wound might not look as bad to you then, than it does now.

Oh if you stay with this restyling the top and feet of trees is something you will come to do. First start out with a tree you haven't named and talked to for a year or three.