Hi Tia, There must be enough roots in the pot/bog that the roots are growing in to support the top portion of the tree which you are severing from the trunk. This may be hard to judge if your new to bonsai and/or new to airlayers, so I suggest that even in your nice zone 9 climate (I am a chilly zone 5 and have much zone envy! :) that you still wait at least another 1 1/2-2 months. Its always safe to cut the off-spring from the parent when the bag/pot is FULL of roots. Right now they may just be visible because roots naturally grow outward, so they hit the side of the bag or pot and grow down (or up sometimes). I am sure that behind those roots is a lot of soil that needs to be filled with roots before you make the cut. You gotta have lots of patience with airlayers...its almost impossible (with excpetions of course!) to wait too long, but very easy to kill the new tree and jump on it too quick. I airlayer about 12-15 trees minimum a year. I am airlayering a trident with a 8 inch trunk...it already has one year under its belt, but not enough roots. After this season, in the fall, I will severe the tree from the parent. Just my suggestions... Matt Ouwinga P.S. did you see my post a few weeks back of the process of severing a trident maple airlayer with 4 inch trunk from the parent stock?

thanks for the reply. I am pretty sure it is vinyl. I am amazed at the condition of the upholstery, i just wiped it down and it came up well. I think it may have been stored in a shed/barn for a bit, had some hay under the cushions lol. I am just debating on what to do with it. I was offered $100 for it and being as Christmas is coming up and money is tight i am temted. On the other hand, i do like it and for some reason i think it may be worth more then the offered price. I am hoping somebody may have some idea as to its value. thanks again.

A few years ago, when my former favorite sofa was on it's last lump, I was dithering about as you are. That sofa was a serendipitous find on-sale and was in my favorite color, a deep, forest green. So, when I went looking for a replacement, I was researching all the brands for a good solid couch that was also beautiful. I told my DH that I wanted to do a more 'neutral' color this time, in fact, I was SET on having a taupe or dark mushroom color. But when I started bringing home the fabric samples (probably checked out 2 dozen from different stores over a course of 3 weeks!) nothing really did it for us. If the color was good, my son would object that it wasn't soft enough. If the fabric was soft and touchable, the color didn't work in my living room. (I had just painted and made new window treatments, plus, my carpet was grey-blue...) Finally, I had to deal with my own prejudice. I get tired of safe tan and beige very quickly. If I had the knack of putting together a neutral beige or cafe or taupe room as some of you do, I would love to try it. But I can't. So I brought home a couple of greens--soft sage and deep moss. The deep moss corderoy chenille looked wonderful in my room with my other things. It was soft and I was assured it would wear well. I knew it would look good with my red dachshund sleeping on it. I was a little bummed that, after 10 years of a dark green sofa, I was only changing the specific shade of green. But a deep green is a good neutral for me, and my sofa moved quite easily into my new house too, where the walls went from Navajo White to Cornsilk yellow to Baby Turtle sage. Red

@matdrew, how handy is your husband? how much time and effort does he have to devote to this project? If the answers are very and lots, then the sky's the limit. There are some amazing DIY facelifts that have been shared on this site. I included a link to one below that involved replacing the doors and painting the boxes - if you search or post specifically looking for DIY facelift kitchens, you'll find more on GW and elsewhere in the blogosphere. But it's not clear from your posts here or on the decorating forum if you have a clear sense of what's entailed, both in terms of time/effort and in terms of budget. In a previous post, you mention that replacing the kitchen would be "at least" $6k. I'd guess at least 5 times that amount and probably much more since you mentioned you're in NJ. Doing a facelift with new doors, tops and backsplash would be a lot less expensive, but it's not necessarily inexpensive. In addition to the new doors and countertops, and a new surround for the fridge, you have to factor in the cost of paint, equipment, a new sink, faucet, garbage disposal, new hood, new microwave, hardware, tile and all the other little things. Plus of course all the time involved with the prep and painting and reconstructing the fridge surround - or the money to pay a pro to do these things. You mentioned using points to pay for the counters - have you actually gotten an estimate from a fabricator or are you estimating? Depending on the stone you pick and the number of slabs you need, you may find your estimate to be off. It can add up quickly, and the only way you're going to get the result you want is if you have a really clear understanding of the work involved. Your photos look like a liveable kitchen, but the rest of your house suggest a different style. So it makes to sense to work through what changes are possible. I think what a lot of the posters here are trying to suggest is that you could do a lot to change the look of your kitchen without necessarily doing tons of work or spending a lot. If you're committed to something bigger, then it's good to get a clear sense of the time, money and effort involved. Here is a link that might be useful: browniepie's DIY reveal