How Is Air Layering Different From Other Bonsai Techniques?

Air layering is a technique you will hear being mentioned all the time in bonsai, but it is actually very different to a lot of the other techniques we use, so I thought I would go through how exactly it is different.

If you are not sure exactly what air layering is, you should read this first – What Is Air Layering For Bonsai?

Air Layering Is A Propagation Technique

Air layering is used a lot in bonsai …but it’s not really a bonsai technique, it is a propagation technique.

This means it is just a way to turn one tree, in to two, and so you will find air layering is used all across the gardening world.

There are of course a lot of benefits to air layering that really are very favourable to bonsai, so this is why it can seem like it is a technique only used by us. I would say that we do seem to use it a lot more than others.

It really is a very good way to multiply your trees and just grow your collection with little effort, which does make it quite different from any other techniques we use, which are mainly just focused on making the trees we already have look better.

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Air Layering For Bonsai)

We Can Use It To Jump Start A Bonsai

Air layering is great as it allows us to really jump start a future bonsai. We can take a branch that we see potential in and basically cut it off and use it.

We can get material to train as bonsai from all sorts of different places, but none of these other techniques will give us the same potential as air layering. 

I’ve seen people basically develop the end of a branch of a larger tree, into a pretty developed bonsai…then just air layered it off and the tree was “done”. Well of course a tree is never done, but it was certainly a lot further along in its development than any other technique could achieve in the same time period. 

Air Layers Give You Full Control Of The Root Plane

The level of control you have over the roots when you air layer is very different to other techniques we use in bonsai.

For most other techniques the tree shows us what it has and we try and nicely ask it to do better …which means a lot of pruning and hoping we get things under control.

If you look at nursery stock, seedlings or yamadori …we have to see what roots the tree has and prune them and try to encourage them to grow all the way round the tree and in one horizontal plane. There can be a bit of a back and forth over a number of years to get this to happen, but with time you can basically end up with one radial, flat root plane.

This doesn’t happen in air layering …you look at the tree and you tell it exactly where you want the roots to be. You can decide where the one horizontal root plane will be and at what angle. Then in most cases you should be able to get it grow 360° around without much effort.

This makes air layering a very easy way to get a very good root plane that other techniques cannot rival.

You Can Get Much Thicker Trunks Compared To Other Bonsai Techniques

One of the best parts about air layering is that you can do it on a branch of any size. So long as you can cut all the way around it, you can air layer it.

This means we can start a new bonsai tree with a pretty thick trunk, which is different to a lot of other techniques. If you are starting trees from cuttings or seeds it may take years to get the same level of thickness as an air layer.

Of course you can still get thick trunks when you dig a tree out of the ground or from a nursery, so air layering isn’t the only way to get a good trunk, but it is certainly a good option.   

Air Layering Is A Very Low Risk Technique

When you look at a lot of techniques we use to start a new bonsai, they can be quite risky and can seriously weaken the tree, which is never ideal. I would say a large percentage of trees die in that initial conversation from tree to bonsai.

If we think about digging a tree up from the ground, like we do with yamadori, this is pretty high risk. If the tree has a huge tape root, or just not many roots in general then pulling it out of the ground and potting it up is extremely risky and the survival rate clearly shows this is true.

The same can even be said for nursery stock, where quite often drastic root work is done to reduce the size of the tree. If you also look at taking cuttings, this is also pretty high risk, you are removing all of the trees resources and hoping it can produce its own roots before it dies.

Air layering is very different to all of these techniques as the section of the tree we are interested in is always connected to the main tree. We make our cut on the branch, but it is still getting resources sent from the roots, so it will remain healthy.

All we need to do is sit back and wait for there to be enough roots for the section we want to support itself. So long as we can be patient and allow this to happen, then there should be no problem when we remove it.

The risk only comes when we do this too early and the roots are not quite strong enough, but this is something we can easily avoid with a little bit of patience.  

Air Layering Is A Very Fast Technique

When I say air layering is fast … I mean it’s slow, but it’s fast.

In terms of human time, the process is slow, it will take a good few months to see the roots and remove the tree but in terms of “bonsai time” it’s extremely fast.

You can spot a branch you like the look of and do your air layer and within a few months you can remove it. You now have a new tree with a good root plane, a decent trunk and maybe even some good primary structure set in place.

This would normally take a good few years to achieve if you where using some of the other techniques to start a bonsai.

Conclusion

As you can see air layering is a pretty unique technique, it is very different to most of the other techniques we use to start bonsai.

It is one of my favourites and I think plenty of others will agree with me. If you have not tired it yet, you should, it’s awesome when you spot a branch and think “if I could remove that, it would make a great bonsai” … you can remove it, so give it a try.

If you are not sure how to, you can read about it – How to Air Layer For Bonsai