[slothrop]

Hello,

I've decided to air layer my Fukien Tea, and I was really just wondering how long I should wait to chop off the top half and pot it. I'm waiting until I know exactly what time frame I'm looking at to actually begin the process.. I've read that some trees take up to a year to grow the appropriate amount of roots, but I've seen some that take only a few months.. Has anyone air layered a Fukien Tea before?

Also, should I just use plastic wrap? I was thinking either that or bubble wrap.. I have zip ties and sphagnum moss; and I was planning on adding a layer of foil to keep the light out. So yeah, any preference on the plastic?

[slothrop]

Also, I'm trying to promote growth in the lower half of the tree so I can use both halves after the chop. Should I just go about pruning some of the leaves at the top to try to sprout some leaves at the bottom?

Here's a picture of what it looks like right now(not in the best shape.. ) I was planning on doing a cascade with the bottom half.

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[podgepacket]

Hi Slophrop

Thats a very good question, I had the same idea with my fukien mallsai and have had this air layer on it for about 4 months now and theres barely any roots. I just keep it moist and keep my fingers crossed. I think thats about all you can do when waiting on an airlayer...

Lee

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[slothrop]

Would it matter how large you make the pocket of sphagnum moss? I was thinking that if you make it bigger it would leave more room for the roots to grow and maybe even promote faster growth.. What do you think?

Also, it's kinda funny because my tree looked exactly like that when I got it. I trimmed off the bottom branches for some reason.. Basically because I was less than amateur and didn't know what I was doing.

[Bonsai Tyro]

It took about 3 or 4 months for mine to grow roots. I just wrapped the area in moss and plastic wrap (see the air layer tutorial in the tutorial section). Don't worry about the bottom half until you have layered off the top section. It will grow new leaves after you chop off the top. Foil around the plastic will not hurt. I have done it both ways.

[slothrop]

I was reading a book that had a section about air layering, and they said that it's useful to leave a small strip of bark connecting the top and bottom half so the tree will still be sending those extra nutrients to the top half.. I'm not sure if I'm wording that correctly.. --- But they were saying that it would significantly increase the health and help speed up the rooting process.. Have you heard about this?

By the way, I read and printed out that tutorial so I can make sure I'm doing everything correctly ;-) Now that I know there's a tutorial section I can stop asking foolish questions ;-P

[Bonsai Tyro]

slothrop, on 18 October 2009 - 10:35 AM, said:

I was reading a book that had a section about air layering, and they said that it's useful to leave a small strip of bark connecting the top and bottom half so the tree will still be sending those extra nutrients to the top half.. I'm not sure if I'm wording that correctly.. --- But they were saying that it would significantly increase the health and help speed up the rooting process.. Have you heard about this?

Never heard of that. From what I've heard, if you leave a strip of bark, or don't cut your bark circle wide enough, the bark and cambium will grow back together and the layer will never root.

I've always cut the bark away completely, except in houseplants that have no bark. In that case I simply cut a notch about 3/4 through the stem and wrap in moss and plastic.

[slothrop]

From what I read in that book, it seems like he was saying that when you keep a tiny strip of bark connecting the top to the bottom would increase the amount of nutrients sent to the top of the tree, but it seems just as likely to prevent rooting.

I started the air layer a few days ago, and I wrapped it in tin foil to try to expedite the growth. I'll post some pictures when I get a chance.

How often should I inject water into the moss pocket?

Also, some of the rooting hormone seemed to come off while I was placing the moss in the pocket.. I attempted to keep it on as much as I could, and I even sprinkled a tiny bit more in around the trunk and in the moss, hoping that it would help(though I'm not sure if it will).. Is there an easier way to keep the powder on the trunk in the future? I tried wetting the trunk before applying the powder, and it might've still been intact when I was adding the moss, but I'm not 100% positive. I've seen a gel growth hormone, too, and I think that might work better...

[Bonsai Tyro]

slothrop, on 22 October 2009 - 02:52 PM, said:

....How often should I inject water into the moss pocket?.....

When ever it starts to get dry. Do not let it dry out completely though.

As far as growth hormone goes I wet the surface first then dust it on, don't cake it on, then cover with moss.

[slothrop]

I was trying to wrap the moss around it after I applied the powder, but it kept falling off so I had to wire the bottom of the plastic wrap in place before I could get the moss around it. I'm sure some of it stayed on but some might've been lost... I guess we'll see in a few months =)

Would you suggest taking the moss off in 4 months or so to see if roots have sprouted? Is there another way to tell when they're growing? This is obviously my first time..

[shiloh1]

What about fertilizing during an air layer? More - less - same schedule? Different fertilizer?

[Treefan]

Don't fertilize the layer, just the tree. You don't take the moss off to see anything because the roots should fill the ball and be quite obvious through the plastic - and the more the better before you separate the two pieces.

[slothrop]

Sounds good to me. I'll wait until the root ball gets large to actually make the chop.

[slothrop]

Here's what it looks like right now.

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[Gerhard]

Slothrop,

If there is plastic under the tin foil, you'll be able to see the roots when you take the foil away without disturbing the layer at all. Good luck with your first layer. I hope it will be a learning experience for you that will not cost you the life of the tree. So far I can see no reason why it should not work. You have to remember that Carmonas are "temperamental" and would most probably let you know when you are pushing it a little too far, but hang in there.

gve