Arilayering Japanese Maple - FAILED

[klosi]

I tried airlayering a small JM branch. I put the sphagnum around the cut and wraped it with plastic foil. The branch, as seen on the picture, died or at least all the leaves dried out.

What went wrong?

 

[Dav4]

I suspect you removed too much of the wood beneath the bark, which supports the foliage while new roots formed. That branch is dead, so removing the wrap and moss to examine the layer site would be helpful to confirm my suspicions.

 

[klosi]

That is possible, since when I was making the airlayer I had a feeling that I can't go too deep when removing layers of bark, so I removed everything up to the point when only the realy hard wood remained.

 

[barrosinc]

You have to interrupt the phloem, which is where the sugars go down from leaves to roots. But, the cambium can become either xylem or phloem, depending on the needs of the tree.
So if you leave cambium, the phloem will regenerate. If you go to deep, and interrupt all the sapwood, the leaves will not recieve sap flow and die , which seems like your case. Sometimes, the leaves just receive enough sap to live, but it looks like autumn above the layer (I had a maple going all red, but leaves did not fall off and the branch got successfully layered).

 

[0soyoung]

I had a maple going all red

Applying root hormone that is too strong will do this.

 

[barrosinc]

Applying root hormone that is too strong will do this.

I didn't use hormone.

 

[klosi]

Thanks @barrosinc for the picture.
I've seen all the pics and I know the theory (not all as it seems), but when it comes to being practical... That's not me

I'll open the device tomorrow if there's nothing left to lose now.. :/

 

[thumblessprimate1]

What cultivar or Japanese maple? I have a lot of success with some maples. Then there are others that I've never been successful with. I'll try again after a while. Doesn't hurt to try a few branches again.

 

[klosi]

I have no idea what cultivar it is... It's been in the garden for some time, it's not mine, it's my realtives but I doubt they know what cultivar they bought.

So here, I opened the package and took a few (not so good) pictures:

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Unlikely that you removed too much or too little. Try a more air layers again next year and the next; review the steps before you do. If you fail after adjusting your technique, it may just be a difficult culivar.

 

[Dav4]

Unlikely that you removed too much or too little. Try a more air layers again next year and the next; review the steps before you do. If you fail after adjusting your technique, it may just be a difficult culivar.

I agree. I actually remove wood below the cambium with bites from my knob cutter ( essentially much more aggressive then what you did) without a problem, so I'm at a loss as to what happened here.

 

[barrosinc]

That actually doesn't look bad...

 

[klosi]

Hmmm.. I'm clueless now So this is not only the wood part left?

I have no idea why the branch died then...

 

[0soyoung]

Looks to me that the cambium below the girdle died. The symptoms

all the leaves dried out

are consistent with this. I have a 'Higasayama' that does this. I tried older and younger branches for several season and always met this same result - it is a cultivar related thing.

Your girdle making technique looks good, @klosi. Try a different cultivar, your results will very likely be better.

 

[klosi]

OK, thanks for you're insight and kind words.
I'm just having trouble imagining that there is something under this part and that this on picture is not the wood part but xylem.

 

[CWTurner]

I've had the same problem 2 years running trying to layer a paperbark maple (acer griseum).
CW

 

[Giga]

I've had the same problem 2 years running trying to layer a paperbark maple (acer griseum).
CW

Very difficult species to layer and even germinate seeds