Well, I finally looked at the illustration in question.
That's a good idea to do before assessing it, because this is not
about taking two airlayers off the same branch. It is about
taking one airlayer on an upward growing branch off a lateral
branch. The purpose is to create good rootage and a strong base
for the new tree.
When you remove the airlayer, you eliminate the distal
tip of the branch and keep the middle part which has rooted.
John Naka was very competent and knew what he was talking
about. None of the things in his books were techniques he had not
successfully performed himself.
By the way, DO NOT scan the illustrations and post them.
This book is definitely copyrighted and this should be respected.
You will probably be banned from the forum for a while if you do
post it.
Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Tex John

Jim,
This is far beyond my experience, but Naka's hand drawing does
show roots on both the trunk-side branch cut and and the
branch-tip branch cut.
Definitely odd looking. Maybe someone can upload a scan to the
forum?
John

On 11 Jan 2005 at 8:50, Kitsune Miko wrote:
I have the book in ASCi it looks like this"
|airlayer
|
______ ______ _______ branch tip

| |

cut cut

There is a bottom cut, but not all the way through at the two cut
sites. They are stuffed with moss, wrapped, and cut off when
roots form on either side of the above indicated airlayer. My
question is whether roots also from on the piece more towards the
branch tip.

This seems to be a variation on the
put-a-pebble-in-a-slit-and-burry-in-the-ground technique. but ont
hat one the roots form at the end of the growing tip.
Kits

Based on the biology of trees (plants!) and how nutrients, water,
etc. are moved around, I cannot imagine how you could get roots
in both places; you might be in danger of getting roots at
neither place.

_I_ would not risk it in a plant that I really wanted to get at
least one layer off of. Do the bottom layer now, then the other
layer in a few years when the new roots are fully supporting the
new plant.
Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL

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