"Bonsai take time" - This line is commonly used to indicate how many years a tree has to be grown before it achieves the desired trunk thickness. I hate this popular misconception and blame it on mental conditioning.
If you start from seeds, cuttings or nursery saplings, then the given advice is true. But by using the air layering technique, you can have trees almost instantly, with the desired trunk thickness & some primary branches as well.
If your bonsai course did not cover this technique, then please ask your bonsai teachers the reason for omitting it. Air layering & air pruning SHOULD be included in your course.
Ground layering too gives similar & quick results. For best results, use an air pruning pot, instead of an air tight plastic wrap. Plastic wrap makes sense only if the tree is not in your possession, else it is a naive approach & will give deformed roots.
Bonsai time also depends on the planned size of your trees, species & climate - small to medium size can be had in months to a couple of years. Collecting good tree material from nature too can significantly reduce your bonsai time. While many bonsai artists believe in growing trunks, I believe in harvesting a trunk of the desired thickness & spending my time growing fine branches instead.
If your bonsai course did not cover this technique, then please ask your bonsai teachers the reason for omitting it. Air layering & air pruning SHOULD be included in your course.
Ground layering too gives similar & quick results. For best results, use an air pruning pot, instead of an air tight plastic wrap. Plastic wrap makes sense only if the tree is not in your possession, else it is a naive approach & will give deformed roots.
Bonsai time also depends on the planned size of your trees, species & climate - small to medium size can be had in months to a couple of years. Collecting good tree material from nature too can significantly reduce your bonsai time. While many bonsai artists believe in growing trunks, I believe in harvesting a trunk of the desired thickness & spending my time growing fine branches instead.
Air Layering = Instant Trees !
While this video shows how to make several bonsai from a nursery tree, what caught my eye was the double air-layering technique & the use of air pruning containers /colanders for air-layering.
Air pruning containers like this give superior root structure and density compared to that obtained using just a plastic wrap or a regular, smooth-walled nursery pot.
My own experience with double air layering :
Tribu Bonsai, Spain
Air pruning containers like this give superior root structure and density compared to that obtained using just a plastic wrap or a regular, smooth-walled nursery pot.
My own experience with double air layering :
For those who feel that air pruning is no big deal & that just about any container will do, I recommend watching this YouTube playlist & upgrading your knowledge :
and also read on this blog :
Using Colanders For Double Air-layering On Same Trunk
Though the initial rooting happened in a plastic pouch, the pot was quickly changed, without cutting the trunk, to a new setup comprising of 2 nursery flats, with a mesh bottom having a finer plastic mesh screen to keep the soil inside. Such a container not only air-prunes the new roots, leading to a denser root system but also provides better drainage & root aeration. This could have been done right from the beginning, instead of using a plastic pouch.
Large cryptomeria air layer – part 1
Large cryptomeria air layer – part 2
Source : bonsaitonight.com / Jonas Dupuich
 Trunk still has not been cut. It goes further below. |  |
Large cryptomeria air layer – part 1
Large cryptomeria air layer – part 2
What happens if you use an airtight plastic wrap or containers without holes on side and bottom ?
 Source : Muranaka Bonsai Nursery |  Source : Pinterest |
Do you want roots like these ? I certainly do not.
Airtight plastic wraps or containers without holes on side and bottom make sense only if the plant you want to air-layer is NOT in your possession, since frequent watering will be a challenge.
Also read - Air Layering With A Colander
How Pot Design Affects Your Air-layered Cuttings
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