• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Bonsai Tonight

An educational website about bonsai development

  • Blog
    • How-to Guides
  • Podcast
  • Shop
    • Bonsai
    • Books
    • Soil
    • Soil (wholesale)
    • Supplies
    • Tools
    • Video Consulting
    • Northern California Bonsai Resources
  • About
    • Workshops

Air layering a zelkova bonsai

April 29, 2011 by Jonas Dupuich

Air layering is a great technique for improving bonsai with flawed roots. Simply add new roots, and a new tree is born.

Janet, a founding member of Bay Island Bonsai, the author of suisekiart.com, and a longtime friend, sent me some photos of a recent layer project that unfolded over the past year. She had a zelkova with poor roots but enough potential to warrant an air layer. She started the layer in January of 2010. Six months later there were plenty of new roots, but not enough to separate the layer. To encourage more roots, she and Boon built a pot for the layer. The new roots loved the bonsai soil and the layer was separated the following January. The photos below are from Janet and Boon.

Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug

Ready for the next step

The bag is full of roots

Extracting moss from the roots

There are plenty of roots, but not enough to separate the layer

The new pot in place

Zelkova air layer – July 2010

Upgrading the layer from bag with moss to pot with soil is a great technique for speeding up the development of new roots and ensuring a successful transition when the layer is removed. The alternative – leaving the roots in the bag – produces fewer of the fine roots that are desirable for bonsai.

Six months later, there were plenty of new roots. Removing the layer was a simple process, the rootwork similar to any other repotting. The new tree is off to a great start!

Ready for separation

Zelkova air layer, ready to be removed – January 2011

Air layer removed

Instant bonsai – layer removed

Ready for its own pot

Plenty of new roots – the layer is ready for a new pot

The tree will be ready for some cutback this fall, and serious branch development can begin next spring. I’m looking forward to seeing what becomes of this beech zelkova.

✕

Subscribe to Bonsai Tonight

New Posts Delivered Every Tuesday and Friday

Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time. Powered by ConvertKit

Filed Under: Bonsai Development Tagged With: Air Layer, Beech, Zelkova

Previous Post: « How to repot a young Japanese black pine (2 of 2)
Next Post: How to air layer cryptomeria for bonsai »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roger A Ayres says

    April 29, 2011 at 7:37 am

    Great tech. I will keep this as a very helpful tool. Thanks for your efforts with Bonsai tonight. It is a highlight for my week.

  2. Danny P says

    April 29, 2011 at 8:33 am

    Thanks for the article. Do you know if they removed all the moss and used all bonsai soil in the temp bot? Also you call it a beech at the bottom and in the tags although the title and the pictures look like a Zelkova.

    • xwires says

      April 29, 2011 at 8:49 am

      Danny – thanks, it is a zelkova. I don’t know for certain, but I think they removed most, but not all, of the moss, and then potted the tree in straight bonsai soil.

  3. Janet Roth says

    April 29, 2011 at 9:09 am

    @Danny P, Yes we removed the moss. And yes, it’s a zelkova. We put a large layer of moss on the top of the soil though – keeps it moist and insulates it so helps the surface roots.

    It should start leafing out soon – it’s always last after my hawthorne (which is just barely beginning).

    Thanks Jonas !

Footer

Follow Bonsai Tonight

Subscribe

Instagram ● Facebook ● Twitter
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • About

P.O. Box 6560, Alameda, CA 94501 · 510-915-2025 · jonas (at) bonsaitonight (dot) com

© Copyright 2009-2023 Bonsai Tonight · All rights reserved · Privacy · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. You can opt-out if you wish. Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT