Banksia Integrifolio air layer advice what to do next

[MattM]

I removed my air layer off of the parent plant today.

My questions are;
- should I remove the short stem of foliage I left on the plant?
- should I cut back the branches even further towards the base of the trunk?
- the plant is under the carport. Should it see any daylight or morning or evening daylight?

I desperately want to keep this plant alive.

Thanks,
Matt


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[shibui]

I'd be happy to leave the foliage on. There's plenty of evidence that leaves actually help a tree recover from trauma to the roots as long as there's not too much to stress the reduced root capacity.
It is relatively hot over most of Aus at the moment so some shade would probably be advisable so it does not stress too much while the new roots get really active. Morning sum would be good for a few weeks but most trees have a wide range of tolerance so a bit more or less will not usually spell the end of most trees.

My experience is that most trees bud near the tops of most trunk chops so if you want shoots on the trunk you should cut just above where you want the new growth. Cut soon to avoid undue stress on new growing roots or leave until the tree is well established. Either will work.

That's a substantial banksia air layer so well done on getting it this far. An inspiration for others to follow. Please update whatever the outcome.

[Rory]

My experience is that most trees bud near the tops of most trunk chops so if you want shoots on the trunk you should cut just above where you want the new growth. Cut soon to avoid undue stress on new growing roots or leave until the tree is well established. Either will work.

This advice is paramount for styling Banksia. I have trunk chopped oodles of Banksia, only to be at the same point years later when I did not have any strong growth down low where I really wanted it. You need to go hard early on and not waste your time. Most Banksia will shoot from the thickest, highest point to ensure a higher chance of survival and they usually put all their effort into growth from that point. I can concur this with most of my Banksia. I actually find B. integrifolia is one of the worst for this....as they don't shoot readily from down low on older wood, and must be cut back hard early on if this is what you want.

I have not air layered Banksia, but with trunk chops, I try to leave all the foliage below this on (if it has any) to feed and give the tree a stronger recovery. Banksia do not need a lot of root to keep foliage healthy. The proportion of root required to maintain more foliage is much lower than a lot of other genus. In other words, you can remove a crap load of roots and keep a lot of foliage on it for good health.
Maintaining a LOT of foliage on Banksia is the key to their health and quick recovery, especially after heavy cutbacks or winter etc.