Greetings all;

As I sit here watching the snow slowly melt in my back yard, I'm considering
trying my hand at air-layering later this spring.

I have a number of good donor trees. A great Acer palmatum "Bloodgood", a
crab apple, and a weeping cherry.

Basic questions ..... When performing an air-layer should one leave the
entire branch in-place during the root development process, or should it be
cut back to a more reasonable length ? Should I wait for the roots to appear
(end of the growing season) before shortening the branch and cutting it from
the donor tree?

I'm not certain what role existing leaves play during root development. If I
chop the branch back prior to the appearance of roots, I assume there'll be
less leaves, less need for roots, and therefore the roots will grow slower.
(Newbie assumption !!)

All comments greatly appreciated.

Mark Hill - Harrisburg, PA - Zone 7

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Marc Zimmerman++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++