Well this tree blew over in a storm and the leader broke off . Looks like I won't be layering it next year. My dad is the one that found it and he threw away the top so I don't have the chance to root it. O well, I'm still deciding what to do with it. I think I may ground layer the base chop it back a little and wait for the roots to develop. Then I think I can still make a small broom out of it, it just wont be perfect but I think it may be better that way.
So the vermin ruined the base and now the top is damaged, this tree has had it pretty rough so far. Is there still enough undamaged trunk to work with?
Not really but I think the trunk will be very aged looking in a short amount of time and I may just go for the broom style anyway just for kicks. I think I may start the ground layer now so it can be worked on sooner. I think this tree will be one of those that doesn't look like anything now but will wow me one day.
Its been a couple weeks now since I started to ground layer this tree and it already has a callous and should throw some roots out soon. I can only really get a look at it from one angle so it may already have some roots. Just to be safe I will leave this until next year before I remove it.
Roots confirmed! There are two that I could see and they are quite large in size already. They have that brownish tinge to them. Oddly they are growing up instead of down but since they are so flexible that can be fixed when I remove it. Either way I will probably wait till the end of August before I remove it. I did a JM as well and it has plenty of roots too.
Looks like my first two air layer attempts will be successful.
It sounds like you are off to a good start. If you decide to remove the layer this year I have a few suggestions for you.
Keep the layer in a fairly sheltered location for some time, Probably the remainder of the season. I had some trouble with mine in that I moved it back to full sun too soon. The high temperature of the soil led me to water more than I should have in an attempt to maintain a reasonable temperature in the pot.
Make sure not to over-pot it, use a pot that accommodates the roots but don't go too big. I made this mistake as well. I had such a nice spread of new roots I though I would be OK with the size I used but the tender roots were more vulnerable than I expected.
All of this, the large pot, the wet soil and the high soil temperatures caused some rot to occur to the tender new roots. I was exploring the soil a few days ago and discovered soft roots and root sheaths that were slipping from their cores.
All of this led me to do an emergency re-potting into a smaller pot and have the tree in the shade of some full sized trees. I have new buds forming so I have hopes that the tree will survive but I probably lost my 360 degree roots.
Also if you do separate it make sure to provide extra protection this winter. I lost one of my first layers the first winter because I was foolish enough to leave it outside with other more established plants.
Thankyou very much for the tips. I'll follow all of them. It is already in a pretty sheltered spot but I'll make it even better. I'll bring it into my garage for the winter just like my other trees. I'll keep you up to date on its progress.
It is already in a pretty sheltered spot but I'll make it even better
From your response it is unclear if you already severed the layer. While the layer was in progress I kept my Zelkova where I always have in the past, in full sun. It is after I separated it that I made the mistake of returning it to full sun too soon.
Sorry, no I did not separate it yet...I wont for a while. I was saying the spot it is in is pretty sheltered (ran out of space in my other spot). Its kinda in my reject section.
. Looks like I won't be layering it next year. My dad is the one that found it and he threw away the top so I don't have the chance to root it. O well, I'm still deciding what to do with it. I think I may ground layer the base chop it back a little and wait for the roots to develop. Then I think I can still make a small broom out of it, it just wont be perfect but I think it may be better that way.