Air Layering Red Maple Suckers

[RobGA]

Last year we had to cut down a red maple and left the stump. A year later the sucker growth size has been impressive. Are red maple worth air layering into bonsai? I also have some suckers from a beech that we cut down. Same question.

 

[circledisk]

acer rubrum make wonderful bonsai. give it a try!

 

[dbonsaiw]

ABCarve has a thread on an awesome acer rubrum. The red maples tend to have larger leaves, but I like them.

 

[penumbra]

Root sprouts of maples tend to have very far spaced internodes. They are better described as exonodes. The will layer but they are also common as dirt growing wild. I do like them. The are the toughest maple I know of. Beech are not likely to layer but if you have the time you might try it.

 

[RobGA]

Root sprouts of maples tend to have very far spaced internodes. They are better described as exonodes. The will layer but they are also common as dirt growing wild. I do like them. The are the toughest maple I know of. Beech are not likely to layer but if you have the time you might try it.

I was thinking maybe to dig up the beech and divide the stump depending on what the roots look like. Maybe cut back some of the maple stems before air layering and see if I get some more branching. I was amazed at how much growth there has been in a year. Guess the massive root system the tree had contributed to the growth. I have a ton of red maples that grew from seeds all over the yard that are just little saplings. Those seeds sprout on anything they touch.

 

[Michael P]

The one with the curving trunk in the last photo would be worth a try.