Air layer_Acer campestre

Air layer_Acer campestre

The "Babyka" ( local name of A.c. ) has a nice thick,  slightly curved base with the first signs of bark cracks.   A good prospect to become a reasonably nice bonsai. But what about the three thick surface roots?  No brainer just get rid of them.  Easy.  But it took me a good number of years to decide on action.   So we have lost at least three years.  

Earlier this spring I have finally made my mind.  Air layer.   It was clear right from the first thought that the standard sphagnum wrap covered in plastic will not provide the result I aimed at. A reasonably flat root ball with a great number of new roots spreading radially all around the base...

A ring of bark has been removed as close to the big roots as possible - I knew it will hamper their removal  in the later stages but I did not want to shorten the trunk.  Dusted with the rooting hormone.  Then I have cut approx 5 cm wide strip from the plastic  pot and then I have  placed it around the base of the tree.  Finally the "pot" that has been created with this strip of plastic has been filled  with a soil ( mixture of zeolithe, terramol and peat with chopped sphagnum moss ) and a decent layer of a sphagnum moss on the top of it.

Despite the fact I tend to use the oversized plastic boxes you can see that the tree is not allowed to "invade"  the whole cube of the pot.  There is a layer of polystyrene that helps to achieve a reasonably flat root ball ( see the last pic )

New roots nicely developed all around the base.  OK, I know this is an Acer - so not a big deal...
As far as the big roots are concerned.  Only one of them could have been cut off with a saw.  The other two were chopped bite after bite with the knob cutter.   It took me ages to finish it...

I have planned to place the tree into a wooden box.  But due to the size of the roots the one I have made ready was too small.  So the tree has been placed into another plastic container.  It will stay there till the next spring and then it will be repotted into a flat wooden box.  This will start the first part of its new future - building the trunk and nebari.

Next week I will publish an article about the airlayer on a Pyrus pyraster and next but one on Prunus mahaleb.