zeejet
Yamadori
Context:
There are several landscaping and home garden nurseries online (Mr. Maple, Mendocino Maples, Maples and More, etc.) that sell uncommon Japanese maple varieties in starter sizes for relatively good prices. However, pretty much all of their stock is grafted, and done so without much consideration for the aesthetic of the trunk (these grafts are usually quite ugly and noticeable. This is understandable as they primarily serve landscaping projects. Evergreen Gardenworks is a notable exception to this practice, but Brent currently does not carry Kiyohime or Shindeshojo in gallon size (I have no desire to start from the tiniest tree, especially for dwarf varieties).
My understanding of why they are all grafted is that it’s much easier to propagate this way than to try to root cuttings (low success rate for maples in general) and that propagating from seed will lead to at least some loss of parent character/genetics. As far as I know, this has little to do with the strength of the native root stock of these specialty varieties - am I wrong to assume this? Can I ground layer these to get the trees back on their own roots? Or is that a bad idea? I realize this carries a risk of killing the tree, but how else can I get these rare varieties for bonsai?
TLDR: Can grafted Japanese maples be air-layered and reverted back to their own roots? Or are the roots of most specialty varieties simply weaker than the standard green Acer palmatum rootstock?
There are several landscaping and home garden nurseries online (Mr. Maple, Mendocino Maples, Maples and More, etc.) that sell uncommon Japanese maple varieties in starter sizes for relatively good prices. However, pretty much all of their stock is grafted, and done so without much consideration for the aesthetic of the trunk (these grafts are usually quite ugly and noticeable. This is understandable as they primarily serve landscaping projects. Evergreen Gardenworks is a notable exception to this practice, but Brent currently does not carry Kiyohime or Shindeshojo in gallon size (I have no desire to start from the tiniest tree, especially for dwarf varieties).
My understanding of why they are all grafted is that it’s much easier to propagate this way than to try to root cuttings (low success rate for maples in general) and that propagating from seed will lead to at least some loss of parent character/genetics. As far as I know, this has little to do with the strength of the native root stock of these specialty varieties - am I wrong to assume this? Can I ground layer these to get the trees back on their own roots? Or is that a bad idea? I realize this carries a risk of killing the tree, but how else can I get these rare varieties for bonsai?
TLDR: Can grafted Japanese maples be air-layered and reverted back to their own roots? Or are the roots of most specialty varieties simply weaker than the standard green Acer palmatum rootstock?
