AusBonsai

I am thinking of buying a number of large bonsai stock 75-100 litre plants. The main thing i want out of this is a thick base trunk to develop a larger tree. However i am thinking, why throw away the rest of the tree, how about multiple air-layering. Given the sample photo i am thinking of:

1) air-layering the top area and then chopping off,
2) following year do the second air-layer and chop off,
3) then trunk chop in a V the bottom trunk part to form the basis of the larger tree.

How does this idea sound?

Is it possible to perform the multiple air-layering on those trunk sections in 1 year? ie simultaniously?

My thinking is that due to the fact it is on the same trunk how will this go?

If i was air layering two seperate branches higher up could i perform multiple layers in the one season? Has anyone tried this with success?

Not sure about other species but I have preformed multiple air layers on a benji fig. But there was foliage in between the air layers that were on the same trunk. Being that you are down in Sydney you would be best to wait until it warms up whatever you decide.

Yep the proposed date for the layering would be twards the end of the year once the spring growth has settled down and then chop it in following Autumn/Winter? Or is this too long and i should get it into the ground quicker to allow it to build more roots in the pot before winter sets in?

Hi Karraway2, multi layers can be done on numerous tree's .I have done Japanese maples up to 9 layers ina season , Zelkova's tripple layered on the same trunk with side branches to feed the layer and even Japanese black pines up to 3 on the same trunk ..Each layer must be feed by its own foliage /branches .The topics are here but i couldn't tell you where .Just look under the main plant names and you should be able to find them .

Cheers Alpineart

No worries doing multiple layers at the same time
I have done Azaleas, Black pines, Banksia. No worries

As alpine says, make sure each section has Branches to feed the Layer and no worries

Ken