Air layer Trident Maple

[Bougy Fan]

I would leave it until Spring now - even in Brissy it is getting a bit too cool for successful cuttings. As the tree will go dormant there is no advantage in pruning now. Once the buds start bursting prune it back and then put the air layer on.

[Ray M]

This is the tree I want to air layer I have put the red line of where is was thinking, well I was thinking a bit lower but then I thought it might be safer leaving a branch on the lower section just in case it does not shoot back.

I was going to cut most of the branches off and restart everything in spring,

Hi mtarros,
As a number of members have already said, leave the tree until you see new buds. If you do it then you should have a new tree in 2-3 months.

If you cut where the red line is you will have to remove the two branches under the red line. When you remove branches that are in the layer area you need to use a knob cutter and remove the branch right back to the hard wood.

Regards Ray

[dansai]

I'ld be chopping at the the blue line to preserve the movement in the trunk and use the new leader as Bougy Fan has suggested. Makes for the start of a nice line as indicated by the green line. Remove everything else, use as cutting if you want, and let it grow strongly. You will probably get buds low down you can let go to fatten the lower trunk. With Tridents you should build your trunk first and worry about your branches later once the trunk gets close to the size and shape you want.

M1 - Virt.jpg

[mtarros]

I'm not air layering until spring or until buds start to open, I was just showing the tree for ideas.

5 min after posting I looked at the pic and decided that I'm air layering where the blue line is and using the green trunk line.

I'm happy with the trunk thickness of the lower trunk, I only got the tree to layer the top off to make a small tree.

I will also try cuttings too so I can have a bit of a play, do root cuttigs grow too?

[shibui]

I've tried root cuttings of tridents several times with no success. Sometimes the cutting looks ok and cambium stays green for 6 months or more but they never grow shoots.
Stem cuttings grow ok for some but I don't have much success with them either but they do grow really well from seed.

[kcpoole]

You must be an air layering master then Ken

Nope just lucky I guess

Ken