Air Layering is EASY - Japanese Maple Separation (Part 2)

Today is all about separating and (hopefully) potting-up five Japanese Maple Air-Layers. I started these at the end of May courtesy of my neighbour and her two beautiful trees. Before this, the biggest air-layer attempt on a maple was about a pencil thickness! From my Short, you will know I have had success on at least one of them. So what about the rest…
(I carried this out late August and the backlog of editing meant you had to wait - sorry)
God Bless & Happy Bonsaiing.
Xavier
If you want to see more stuff on Japanese Maples:
• Japanese and Trident M...
And links to the sites for Nillysbonsai & Arkefthosbonsai:
/ @nillysbonsai9636
/ arkefthosbonsai
-- TIMESTAMPS --
00:00 A pre-separation check with my mobile phone.
01:00 Japanese Maple Air-Layer One.
05:16 So how many roots do we have?
09:18 Japanese Maple Air-Layer Two - cut back.
10:01 Japanese Maple Air-Layer Three.
12:11 So how many roots did we get?
13:14 Japanese Maple Air-Layer Two again.
16:48 Potting up Air-layer Three.
20:08 Japanese Maple Air-Layer Four.
22:25 So how many roots did we get?
23:53 Japanese Maple Air-Layer Five.
26:40 A final root count!
Equipment & Acknowledgements:
I use a Panasonic Lumix DMC 330 Bridge Camera
All video production using AVC Video Editor Software
Sound equipment courtesy of: johnaronphotography.co.uk
Handmade Ceramics by: Dawn Isaac of deiceramics.com
Music:
Healing by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
*Please be aware that all details of products used are given for your benefit only - I do not receive any financial recompense. I just think they are good value and you should know where to buy them if interested.
#airlayering #japanesemaple #bonsaiuk #bonsai

[@BONSAIenCORTO]

Thanks for sharing. For me, the best way to get a new maple bonsai tree.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

That is so true. i could not afford to buy a development maple of these sizes. thanks for watching :)

[@earthladyadventures5018]

i have had a bunch of people ask me why i use rocks and i couldn't remember where i seen it and know i do and can point them your direction. keep up the woundeerfull work.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks. Rocks are also good for opening coconuts...although we dont get that many growing in Grantham :)

[@guywatson-bognorregisbonsa7370]

An 80% success rate seems pretty good to me as well. Excellent job. Looking forward to seeing how they've all progressed further in the Spring. 👍👍

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Cheers Guy - so am I :)

[@earthladyadventures5018]

great job, these trees are going to turn out amazing with time. i can't wait to see how they turn out. i have faith in you and your experience. 😊 i'm learaning so much from you and your videos. Thank you.❤

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

That's so kind of you to say. Cheers

[@francien5001]

Great job, thanks for sharing with us.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thank you for watching Francien - I am so pleased how this worked out :)

[@BlueJayBonsai]

Nice work and great successes! Very exciting when you see roots! 👍🐦💙

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

You can't beat a good root! For all the dramas of trees dying in the sun this has certainly made up for it.

[@earthladyadventures5018]

exactly 4 out of 5 is fantastic 😊

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I was pretty lucky but I wish i hadn't chucked the one that was just calloused. I should have planted that up. What came next was the real disaster...my sphagnum experiment!

[@johnhetherington1253]

Some nice air layerings 👍

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I am just about to have another look at the root development for these. Fingers crossed :)

[@oachkatzlsmum]

So Xavier, are you shure, you want to keep all of these lovley new trees? 4 out of 5, That’s awsome. 👍 Always happy to help, if you need some space for further development. 😄😉 Martina 🙋‍♀️

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Yes - but my Maples don't speak German so they would feel very isolated :)

[@oachkatzlsmum]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat Not necessarily. My trees are developed kind of polyglott. 😉 I’ve some paper birches from Ireland, Italian Pines ,which seeds I‘ve collected in the garden of Miramare and a Swedish whitebeam yamadori from suburban Stockholm. So excellent neighbourhood ensured. 😄 I‘m able appealing to them, not only in English, but also in French or Spanish, if desired. 🙋‍♀️

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@@oachkatzlsmum I give up - I am still battling with french on Duolingo. My wife gave up on my Spanish long ago. Hablo muy mal!!🙉

[@oachkatzlsmum]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat Singing songs in your desired language can help improve pronunciation. Maybe give it a try?

[@oachkatzlsmum]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat Busca lo más vital 😊 (KZbin von subtitulado)

[@AlexBraunton]

Awesome results mate!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I am so happy with those and my Hawthornes too. The next video shows a big failure though...

[@bonsaikastur]

I open them before cutting them. If there's only a callus, i remake that layering and close it for next season.

[@BONSAIenCORTO]

Pues si señor, es una ideaca....

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I think if it had been my tree and in my garden I may have done that too. But, it was my neighbour and i did promise that everything would be done and cleared by September. Cheers for your advice. :)

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

Great results. My air layers are a bit hit and miss. Often I get big callouses, few roots.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I know - this is the first year I hav ehad such great results. I'm at her tree again next year :)

[@TonysBonsai]

So much potential with these trees. I'm really looking forward to seeing these bad boys develop. I'm not so sure I'd be as keen as you to explore the roots next spring though? I'd be allowing them to grow and investigating the roots in Spring 2024. I doubt they'll put loads of roots on in the next few months, and I think you might just end up setting them back. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts and others' thoughts on this.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

This is the exact reason I have gone for sphagnum this year. if you see the results with Peter Chan and Nilly it is clear that you get a massive amount of root growth in just a few months. That is what I am hoping to see happen.

[@TonysBonsai]

I hope you're right!

[@phillipwaterman5721]

Bonsai phill very good quality video allwaysputinmoss Thanks mate keep upthegood work

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Cheers Phil - hopefully that moss will give me quicker and better root growth :)

[@houghtonbonsai]

Great Results Xavier m8, reminds me i need to check my hawthorn layers 🤣🤣

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks Ryan - it was a good year for airlayers. Hopefully, will see you at Doncaster this Sunday?

[@houghtonbonsai]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat yeah I’ll be there m8

[@sbragaglia]

4:1! Not bad at all! 👌

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thanks Stefano. I think my final airlayer count across the species was: 7/10

[@sbragaglia]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat mine so far is 2/2. Then I stopped. Better to stop when one is still on top of its own game! 😉 Naaa… this year I had to move, I had 2 invasions of caterpillars… next spring!

[@janethowell9048]

I think that one you threw away as a failure had the start of roots. I went out to check my air layers. All 5 had that white knobbly ring at the cut site and one had it’s first roots coming out of it. I think your “failure “ would root if planted.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

I noticed that about 3 days later and you are probably right. I would guess that if I had just taken 2 air-layers I might have beeen a little more observant and put it into sphagnum anyway. I made a rookie mistake I think...

[@susanbossert6833]

Well done on 4 out of 5 air-layers. You inspired me to check on my holly air-layer -- it's JUST beginning to root. Too immature to cut it off the parent plant yet.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Cheers Susan. You are going to have to tell me how that airlayer gets on. I have a a couple of small english holly that I am currently trying to bonsai. :)

[@susanbossert6833]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat Will do. This one is an errant branch that was going to be trimmed off anyway, so I figured I didn't have anything to lose with trying an air layer. If it works, I'll have an adorable start to a small-leaved holly bonsai.

[@NgabonsaiReborn]

nice sharing sir👍👍👍👍

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Thank you and thanks for watching. :)

[@BonsaiCornwall]

Brilliant mate, I have a similar video in progress. A huge deshojo in my village, I air layered last week of June. Would you advise taking them off before next week? My plan was to wait until spring

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

You can wait but if it is already full of roots and you can keep it protected I would think about separating. All my layers are sitting in trays with about an inch of water. But...I have never separated this late. Cheers

[@grobonsai]

What is it with earwigs and air layers!?

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Tell me about it Darren - little blighters nipped me finger too! By the way...just seen Aussie Bonsai Blokes Top 7 as he puts back a bottle of Shiraz :)

[@andrewclack4881]

what kitty litter do you use. Im waiting on my trident and japanese maples to as I started them late

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

You need a moler clay cat litter. This will be terracotta in colour. Kitty Friend from Pets at Home (huge pink bag) or Tesco low dust non clumping (in a much smaller bag) are commonly used. Also oil spill absorber from Euro Car Parts (Uk) is similar stuff. Do not use anything gray coloured that will clump and turn to mud when watered.

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Kittyfriend 30 litre bag for £12.50 + postage from vetshop (online order). ive just seen the reduced price so Im going to buy 5 more bags for next year. Thanks for getting me to look :)

[@JackC1961]

Hi Xav. Whats the best time of year to start an Air layer?

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

When you reach between 10 and 20000ft? Seriously, I do all my deciduous layer at the end of May. Juniper can technically be done most of the year.

[@JackC1961]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat cheers Xav, I’ll have to wait till May. We have a lovely winter blossom I want to layer 👍

[@Candice.BonsaiScience]

Here to see junipers . . .

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

Junipers are my new love but I have such a backlog of stuff to upload that my recent work will be more likely a Halloween Nightmare Special :) So can I convince you to share your 'Top 7 in under 7' with the bonsai community too? Aussie Bonsai Bloke and Nigel have done it now along with some really great littl creators. When i say little, I don't mean they are little...well they could be. Rambling and digging holes again :)

[@Candice.BonsaiScience]

@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat can you hunt me the questions list? I’m on the road heading to work with Andrew Robinson on some of my trees!

[@XaviersBonsaiRetreat]

@@Candice.BonsaiScience You mean you didnt watch my challenge :( On my channel it is called the the Bonsai Creaters Top 7 in Under 7. No pressure but Sam knocked back a bottle in his performance :)