Pruning prior to air-layering next year

[SpankyLuvsDarla]

Zone 7b… borderline 8a. I have a red dragon and acer Palmatum that I want to take some air layers from next spring. My question is whether or not I would be safe to shape the canopy above the air-layer point now? The acer in particular would have a very wide canopy above the point. I’m concerned it might be too much to support with the new root system.

 

[0soyoung]

Think it through.​

• Foliage generates auxin and carbohydrates to grow (adventitious) roots.
  • More foliage is better
• Foliage needs water from roots because they allow evaporation of water. New adventitious roots have a limited capacity to adsorb water
  • After separation, less foliage is better because it requires less water to be adsorbed by new adventurous roots.

 

[SpankyLuvsDarla]

I’ll post a pic later about the size of the canopy. I’m worried that the root system can't sustain the size. The trees are at a second home I’m selling in a year and I want to take part of the garden with me.

 

[DavidBoren]

These are all things I was wondering, as well. Maybe not the exact same trees, but the same questions.

 

[Shibui]

Location is important for many plant related operations. You've given a zone but we can only guess that you are in northern hemisphere and now late summer.
Pruning late can stimulate new growth which may or may not harden off before leaf fall. Earlier would have been OK but later depends on location and how acers respond to pruning at that time.

As mentioned, more growth above usually stimulates better root growth on layers. If there's time for regrowth prior to layering then by all means prune but if not leave it be.
If you are worried by too much above the roots at separating time that would be a suitable time to reduce the top growth. That way you get the best of both - plenty of growth to drive roots then reduced growth for new roots to support after separation.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Red lace leaf are often impossible to layer, take the whole tree

 

[penumbra]

I also have my doubts that your layer will be successful. Dissectums don't usually layer or root from cuttings and if they do, they will probably not survive on their own roots.
The time to dig your plant for transplanting would be late winter prior to bud break. Perhaps you can do a graft or know someone who can.

 

[SpankyLuvsDarla]

This is the red dragon. Photo is from earlier this summer. I’m in 7b zone. I read some other posts about air layers with this variety and I’m skeptical. I’d love to take the tree to our new home, but it’s pushing 30 years old. I don’t want to kill it with a move.

 

[penumbra]

You could have it professionally dug and b & b, it is definitely do-able but could be costly. When I was younger I moved trees larger than this as a matter of course.
I is difficult to approach this type of tree with a mechanical tree spade.

 

[Lorax7]

Red lace leaf are often impossible to layer, take the whole tree

It can be done. I have see a laceleaf variety on its own roots as a bonsai. Wasn’t my tree though, so I don’t know the particulars of what was done to get it to layer. If the OP is going to attempt to layer, I’d say do not prune it now. They’re going to need all the foliage mass they can get to grow those adventitious roots.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

If a tree can be propagated by cuttings, it can be air layered, so my mentioning references to cuttings is also a list of cultivars that can be air layered.

I recall reading a maple book, perhaps Vertree's? It had lists of cultivars that were known to be easy to roots as cuttings, the list did include several disectum varieties. There are more than just one or two dissectum varieties that will root from cuttings. The book also had a list of cultivars that were noted for being difficult or impossible to root, and on the list was a note stating that MOST disectum cultivars were difficult or impossible to root. Now the standard was to root in commercially viable numbers. The mad hobbyist who could be happy with one in 50 cuttings actually rooting was not considered a success in the book. There are many new cultivars that have come out since the book was published. So my suggestion with dissectums in general is to first try air layering a branch rather than the whole tree off the understock. If the branch takes, then you can air layer the main trunk (scion) off the understock.

If you look at Evergreen Gardenworks catalog, Brent Walston clearly can get cuttings from a few dissectum cultivars. 'Inabe Shidare' , and 'Seiryu' are the two dissectum maples he has on his catalog today that are cutting grown.