Airlayer of a Jacaranda

[Phill C]

Hi team, I have undertaken my first airlayer project on a Jacaranda branch that is shooting straight out of the base of the large parent tree. The branch itself is about 60mm in diameter where I have started the airlayer. As I said, this is my first ever airlayer attempt, which is a very large one, but go big or go home right. Fron the research I've done, the general gist is it usually takes over 4 months to establish enough roots to sever the branch, but thats generally on much smaller branches. Im wondering what the general timeframe is for something much larger? Should I be looking at leaving this for a couple of seasons before even thinking about severing it?
Thanks for any advice!

[BonsaiBobbie]

The branch doesn’t look too big in the photo, so it should be able to be cut once it has enough roots. It probably will be quicker than four months.

But, I am wondering about the timing. Had the jacaranda dropped its leaves and started to regrow them? It is very late in the season, and they should just be about to do that in most locations Jac’s grow in.

For an air layer to work you need a good amount of leaf material above the cut.

[shibui]

I checked and Jacaranda grows reasonably easy as cuttings so should also layer.
Larger does not always mean slower. Usually it's more about the age of the wood and this looks like a very young and vigorous stem so should root quicker than an older piece.
Having said that, there's a lot of other factors that determine how quickly a layer will produce roots - Species being layered, temperature, moisture, local climate, health and vigour of the parent, how much sunlight, how much foliage above the layer, orientation (vertical/horizontal and so much more.
Rather than concentrating on calendar months, you really need to watch what's happening and work with the tree rather than the calendar. Check after a few months to see if there's any roots and every few weeks after that until you think there's enough roots to support your layer. Clear wrap makes it much easier to see when you have roots. When I use black plastic pots I simply dug down gently with a finger to see if there are any roots forming (Need to take care not to break what roots have started. New roots are brittle)
I find plastic wrap better for layers in the garden because it holds moisture so I don't have to remember to water all the time. Open pots like your layer seem to work better in the nursery where they get watered whenever the other plants get watered. If you can keep the media damp the open pot will still work in the garden setting, but, depending what media you've used it may need water twice a day through hot weather.
Be warned that, as the layer starts to grow roots those roots will also start taking water from the pot so it will dry out even quicker. I've lost a number of layers in late rooted stage when I did not keep up with watering enough.

Good luck with the layer. I'd be more than happy to see regular updates as things progress (or even if things don't go as expected)

[treeman]

Unfortunately this will never make a good quality bonsai - If that's what you want to do....

[BonsaiBobbie]

Unfortunately this will never make a good quality bonsai - If that's what you want to do....

Off to Bonsainut you go…

[treeman]

Unfortunately this will never make a good quality bonsai - If that's what you want to do....

Off to Bonsainut you go…

Meaning?

[Phill C]

I checked and Jacaranda grows reasonably easy as cuttings so should also layer.
Larger does not always mean slower. Usually it's more about the age of the wood and this looks like a very young and vigorous stem so should root quicker than an older piece.
Having said that, there's a lot of other factors that determine how quickly a layer will produce roots - Species being layered, temperature, moisture, local climate, health and vigour of the parent, how much sunlight, how much foliage above the layer, orientation (vertical/horizontal and so much more.
Rather than concentrating on calendar months, you really need to watch what's happening and work with the tree rather than the calendar. Check after a few months to see if there's any roots and every few weeks after that until you think there's enough roots to support your layer. Clear wrap makes it much easier to see when you have roots. When I use black plastic pots I simply dug down gently with a finger to see if there are any roots forming (Need to take care not to break what roots have started. New roots are brittle)
I find plastic wrap better for layers in the garden because it holds moisture so I don't have to remember to water all the time. Open pots like your layer seem to work better in the nursery where they get watered whenever the other plants get watered. If you can keep the media damp the open pot will still work in the garden setting, but, depending what media you've used it may need water twice a day through hot weather.
Be warned that, as the layer starts to grow roots those roots will also start taking water from the pot so it will dry out even quicker. I've lost a number of layers in late rooted stage when I did not keep up with watering enough.

Good luck with the layer. I'd be more than happy to see regular updates as things progress (or even if things don't go as expected)

Thanks for the advice!! I thought because of the size of the branch that a pot would be better, but I'll definitely keep the clear plastic wrap in mind for my next attempt.
Ive wraped the imediate cut with plenty of sphagnum moss, then filled the rest of the pot with a standard potting mix. I'm hoping the moss will retain enough moisture.
I'll definitely keep the updates coming.

[Phill C]

The branch doesn’t look too big in the photo, so it should be able to be cut once it has enough roots. It probably will be quicker than four months.

But, I am wondering about the timing. Had the jacaranda dropped its leaves and started to regrow them? It is very late in the season, and they should just be about to do that in most locations Jac’s grow in.

For an air layer to work you need a good amount of leaf material above the cut.

Hmm it had dropped its leaves but had minimal new growth coming through. Maybe I've jumped the gun a bit. Time will tell...

[Phill C]

Unfortunately this will never make a good quality bonsai - If that's what you want to do....

What makes you say that?

[treeman]

Unfortunately this will never make a good quality bonsai - If that's what you want to do....

What makes you say that?

40 years of mistakes

[BonsaiBobbie]

Unfortunately this will never make a good quality bonsai - If that's what you want to do....

Off to Bonsainut you go…

Meaning?

Your comment wasn’t very constructive. Which is how I find Bonsainut. Kind of like “why do bonsai if you aren’t going to do it well”.

[BonsaiBobbie]

The branch doesn’t look too big in the photo, so it should be able to be cut once it has enough roots. It probably will be quicker than four months.

But, I am wondering about the timing. Had the jacaranda dropped its leaves and started to regrow them? It is very late in the season, and they should just be about to do that in most locations Jac’s grow in.

For an air layer to work you need a good amount of leaf material above the cut.

Hmm it had dropped its leaves but had minimal new growth coming through. Maybe I've jumped the gun a bit. Time will tell...

Fortunately they are a very hardy plant, so there is a good chance it'll be ok.