@Cassie (8b Southern AZ, high desert) Hi Al, do you normally use the ring or the tourniquet method when you air layer your ficus plants? Or do you do a combination of both (you mentioned using a tourniquet and blanching part of the stem/branch?)? It would depend on the Ficus species. For most Ficus, I propagate by cuttings, because I've found that under mist or in a humidity chamber, you can start some really thick cuttings of many ficus species (3"+). This image of F salicifolia was a cutting started from the top of a much larger tree. Same tree as above - first pruning after rooting ^^^. Ficus microcarpa cutting ^^^ in process of rooting - note new buds opening. Removing the tops of trees in training is sort of a way to create an almost instant bonsai. Once the tree is fully rooted. a little wiring to reposition branches will turn it into a 'believable' tree, resembling something one might see in nature. If we take the misting and high humidity out of the equation, I prefer ringing the plant; however, even when I use the ring method, I often use a tourniquet immediately below the top of the ring. While I'm thinking of it, the rule of thumb for the ht of the ring is, it should be at least 1/5x the diameter of the branch/ trunk being layered. Also, when you peal the bark back on many species of trees, a very thin layer of vascular cambium usually remains attached to the sapwood beneath it. It is crucial to remove that white/tan layer of tissue as part of the layering process. I'm guessing my reason for layering is probably going to differ from yours. Most plants I layer is because they are seedlings, and as such have a very ugly root system. Strong roots that radiate horizontally away from the trunk and a trunk flare at the base of the tree eventually become a critical consideration for almost every bonsai enthusiast who has practiced bonsai for more than a decade. Eventually, we develop the idea that everything we do should focus on bringing out the tree's best potential, even if we are not the owner who sees it realized. Often, that will result in trees in training for 20 years before they even see a bonsai pot. I couldn't even guess at the number of times I've been a part of brain-storming over a tree, my own or someone else's, and making radical changes that turn a tree which is an acceptable specimen in its own right, back into a bonsai in training for the sole reason a better way to bring out the tree's potential was discovered. The image below is a Trident maple which was air-layered off of it's original set of roots which were way to ugly for my purposes. I used only the ring method for this tree (wire still attached if you look closely). Notice how the roots are almost perfectly spaced (some incongruity adds to the appeal of living plants) and radiating away from the trunk. That is what I was after. The tree below is a Korean hornbeam, and 3-image sequence below shows first what a tree's seedling roots usually look like. Many growers work hard at trying to get these roots straightened around, but I have learned better results cam be had in far less time and with less effort, bu layering the plant off of its old roots. This is one way of using the tourniquet method (below), which takes much longer than ringing/ girdling or a combination of a tourniquet and ringing/ girdling. With a tourniquet, as the diameter of the trunk increases the vascular cambium is compressed as the tourniquet tightens. This 'chokes off' downward movement of photosynthate (the plant's food) and auxin, the hormone that stimulates root development and branching. With food and a surplus of the tree's natural rooting hormone accumulating immediately above the tourniquet, you can be quite certain of a plethora of roots emerging within a short vertical space. With an understanding of the tree's wounding response, I deduced that drilling holes with a 3/16 brad-point drill turned with my fingers and filled with a insoluble rooting gel should help coax the tree into producing an exceptional root base. The roots in the first image (of the trident maple) are the result of this method. Ring + tourniquet method ^^^ BTW - I no longer use zip ties as a tourniquet as they sometimes fail/ break - especially on thick layers on branches/ trunks larger than 1". I use 2-3 wraps of aluminum bonsai wire in size 2-3mm with the ends twisted tight with pliers. The wraps should touch each other, which forces all rooting to occur above the layer. What type of soil do you use when you air layer, since you don't use sphagnum moss? I'm assuming this is one of the few times you want something moisture retentive - do you use a regular potting soil? Peat moss? Seed starting mix? I usually use gritty mix for just about everything I use a pot to layer. Below, there are 2 things going on. I had just finished establishing an air layer on the hornbeam in the background and I was working on pruning 2 China dolls and 2 asparagus ferns. I was layering the hornbeam because the trunk was much too long/ tall given the thickness of the trunk, so the best way to shorten the trunk was to layer it off of it's old roots and start a new root system higher up. The top of the ring cut is at approximately the ht of the duct tape holding the pot together. Below, is a hackberry tree being layered. You can see the gritty mix in the pot This is the same hackberry, same summer, after being separated from the mother plant. In case you noticed, it's planted deep on purpose. I will let it grow wild (almost completely unpruned) and begin work on it in spring of '24. And last question (for now!), what time of year do you typically start your air layering? Spring. I like to have them separated by the end of July. Do you try to time it to plant the new plant in June, or is some other time preferable? If we're still talking about Ficus, spring will always be the best time. If I was layering, I would start the layer on Ficus just before or when I move them outdoors. They really start to want to grow then, so we might as well take advantage of the tree's natural inclinations. I'm wondering if it's better to start the process in June, since you're effectively pruning the parent plant, which would put separating the new plant sometime in August? Geography plays an important role in deciding what the best timing is. I bet you would be fine starting your layers in early May, especially if your plants are outdoors. Then, you should have no problem separating in July-August. Thanks in advance! (And I suppose apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but made more sense in my mind than starting a fresh one and linking back here). No worries. Things are slow on the forum and my wife is recovering from some recent surgery, so I have to be home and indoors for a few more days, it looks like. I'm glad for the opportunity to kill some of the time it always seems so important to save. ;-) Al

It's growing sparse because it isn't getting enough light. They need as much light as you can give them. Such as direct sunlight in a southern facing window. Right up in front of the window, not a few feet away. When you moved it, you probably moved it into a location with less light, hence the leaf drop. They really don't like to be moved around, if you can avoid it. Putting it outside next summer when the nighttime temps are above 60° will definitely fill it out. Pruning will also increase back budding.

Look at you! Strong work, T! If you must prune now, do no more than pinch the apical meristem (growing tip of the branches), then do your more aggressive pruning next Father's Day - around the summer solstice (Jun 21). Your tree will respond with the maximum amt of enthusiasm then, when it's full of vim and has plenty of stored energy in reserve. You're ultimately looking for more ramification, which is a word used to describe leaf and branch density. If you cut every branch back to 2 healthy leaves (in summer when the plant is at peak vitality), this is what will happen - new branches will form in the axils (crotches) of leaves immediately proximal to the pruning cut/pinch. From that point forward, you should religiously pinch every new branch back to 2 leaves once it has 3 mature leaves on it. That's the most effective way to maximize ramification. From 1 branch you get 2, from 2 - 4, from 4 - 8, from 8 - 16 ...... Within a very short time your plant will be so full you'll be thinning branches to let light into the interior so the tree doesn't shed leaves and/or branches. Bring it up again in early June and we can make a plan. Al

The best time to do any kind of heavy pruning is not Spring, as in the first day of ...... But Spring, as in the last day of, sounds about right to me. There are 3 reasons for this. 1) In early spring, indoor trees are only sort of maybe thinking about getting a little serious about starting to grow like they might mean it some day. On the last day of spring, they will probably be at the peak of vitality, and their food/energy making ability will be peaking as well, so the recovery time, during which they will be more vulnerable to biotic AND abiotic pathogens, will last only a small fraction of the time it would should you prune now. 2) If you prune your tree now, it's going to put on a lot of growth with long internodes that will work at cross purposes with you trying to ensure your tree is compact and full. What do you do with all that leggy winter growth and the leggy growth your tree has now? How about leave it alone until June, then prune hard? It would be to your tree's advantage. Pruning hard in June means you take off ALL leggy growth from the previous winter. In the summer months, all growth will be tight - with very short internodes. Then, starting in Fall, let the tree grow wild (unpruned) all of next late fall/ winter/ early spring, and remove the leggy winter growth again in June of '20. This means that all internodes from the time you start your pruning sessions, will be short and your tree will be as tight as it can be within the effects of influences like light, temp, and fertility. 3) All plants have natural rhythms. Learning to work with their growth cycle instead of against it is much better for and easier on your trees; and, it makes you a better nurturer for planning your heavy work to take advantage of when your plants are at their best, while making allowances when when the vitality level of your plants is at low ebb, and Also, it doesn't much matter how sharp your pruners are because whatever internode you cut through when you prune is going to die back to the first proximal node, even if you used a laser beam. What you do with your tree now will determine what you'll have to work with in the future. IOW, you probably shouldn't expect the tree to provide you with a structure YOU can build on. You'll need to do that yourself - but it's very easy in this case. I see 3 trunks and a bit of a single wild branch. Is that right? The wild branch should be pruned back to 2 healthy leaves. Of the 3 trunks, the thickest should be the tallest. The next thickest should be pruned back so it is about 2/3 the ht of the tallest trunk after the tallest has been pruned. The thinnest trunk should be about 1/2 the ht of the tallest after it's been pruned. Important: When you make your cuts, make sure the top leaf on the trunks you're cutting faces AWAY from the vertical midline of the pot.If this ^^^ was your pruning cut, you can be sure the branch in the axil (crotch) of this leaf will grow to the right (absent effects of phototropism - growing toward the light). If you'd cut just above the lower leaf, you can be sure it will grow to the left. Plan your cuts so the new branches will grow outward from the center and not inward. If you're interested in what I'm saying, I'll help you with how to keep your tree from getting so far out of control it needs a hard prune to reset it to something you can build a canopy on. Obviously, you don't want your canopy at ceiling ht where (lack of) light will be a serious limitation. Al