Can someone tell me if I might've messed something up? This is my first rather invasive project (others have been simple trimming and directing branches of pre-bonsais). I started the airlayer in Sep last year and just cut it down today. Socal climate, daily temp 55-80 depending on the day. I practically followed the instruction and timing from chatgpt. The string is my wife's cooking twine so hopefully that'll biodegrade in a season or two. The foil is intended to direct new roots down toward the rock instead of fanning out to the right of the rock. How long should I keep this away from direct sunlight? I've trimmed about 1/4 of the top foliage. My plan is to slowly bring soil level down over the next 2-3 years until the whole rock is visible.
by I-drink-hot-sauce
3 Comments
I think it will survive but you might want to keep it buried for a lot longer than a couple years before moving down the soil line. I’d say in a year cut off the bottom of that pot and let the roots go into a massive cloth pot, you will need a lot of growth to produce the swelling needed to bind it to the rock.
About sunlight, keep it in bright shade for a week or long then slowly give it sunlight. Like first 3hrs of sunlight, then 5 and slowly move it to full sunlight. This prevents shock and helps the plant slowly adapt and recover
Looks like an interesting project. I wouldn’t be using your wife’s cooking twine because it will cut in a very very very quickly as it as a tree expands and gets bigger. I would be using some grafting tape wrapping metal around it and I would actually be putting the root ball of the tree there were crevice or something like that so it looks more natural. What do you think? Never be wrote it because it will kill the tree.