Vic N

Thanks, Treebeard. I do have a ficus, but its never grown enough to do any work on ...... the rabbits seem to love it, pruned it right down to a stick late last summer. The cat is trying to do the same thing now, with it in the house! Vic

treebeard55

If our cat tried to do that, she'd be in more danger than the tree!

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

Phil

I'm surprised they could put up with all the Latex it gives out! Must be something tasty about it!

~Phil

__________________

Please, always keep in mind that the typewritten word does not always convey what you wish to say, and to always treat others as you would have them treat you. Think twice-submit once.
I started out with nothing....and still have most of it.
"Its hell out there, give them hell back." ~ Prowler/Victor Gray 12/31/1943 - 11/24/2008

BONSAI_OUTLAW

RedPine from BT and a few of my friends back in Texas have also had the same experiences with cats attacking ficus. It just seems that felines have a thing for figs.

Vic N

Treebeard and Outlaw, this cat is only a year old, but he may not see two!!

Phil. don't know about Latex but my critters are all bouncy!!

Vic

centaura

I tried an airlayer last summer on a chinese elm, but the spaghum that I kept around the site got too wet and started rotting the wood a bit. The layer did not take, and I have a bit of shari down the side of the trunk now. I would still like to try again this summer, I think I can hollow out the shari and make it interesting, but I need the air layer to succeed first. Any tips on keeping the medium kept around the layer from getting too wet? I had used spaghum moss wrapped in clear plastic, though I might not have had it tight enough were it was tied to the trunk above and below the layer.

-Centaura

BONSAI_OUTLAW

I have never cared for the plastic wrap type airlayers and I have done many of them. I prefer cutting a whole the size of the trunk in a plastic pot and then a slit down the side of the pot. You then slip this around the pot and either use duct tape or small wire to secure it. You can easily tell moisture content if the pot is clear. I do not bother to cover the top. This has worked countless times for me in the past.

I do not generally like to add links to other sites, but as Phil said this site is all about learning and if the info is somwhere else then far be it from me to subjugate and hold you back from your learning...This is basically how I like to do my airlayers and a pretty good thread I might add.
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/f9/japan...ring-6333.html

Phil

Excellent pictures and I like seeing the progression as I'm sure most others will who have never seen an air layering.

Never a problem here in any way. This site as said is about learning and if the knowledge that one can gain is from another site/link ( as long as no ones toes are stepped on ) then so be it. Bonsaitalk has been around for sometime and therefore has much input and posts that one can gain some good information from. Matt and his moderators are all great people and his site is well respected. I'm quite confident that many here go from site to site to gain whatever information they can gather as well they should. I have visited there myself once in a while although as of late I obviously do not have the time have to so as of late.

~Phil

__________________

Please, always keep in mind that the typewritten word does not always convey what you wish to say, and to always treat others as you would have them treat you. Think twice-submit once.
I started out with nothing....and still have most of it.
"Its hell out there, give them hell back." ~ Prowler/Victor Gray 12/31/1943 - 11/24/2008

treebeard55

Centaura,

I like to use the 2-mil clear plastic sold for drop cloth in paint stores. It's inexpensive, and semi-permeable: water vapor can't get thru it, but oxygen and CO2 can.

When the sphagnum starts to dry, I use a veterinary syringe (available at feed and farm-supply stores) to add a bit of water. The hole left by the needle is so small it can be ignored.

Hope this helps a bit.

__________________
Treebeard 55
Steve Moore
http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com

The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

JTGJr25

Hey, thought I'd ask this question here instead of starting a new thread. When is the best time to layer? I have a zelkova that I will be attempting to layer this year and want to know. I think it could be just after the leaves harden off, or when new growth begins to show?

Thanks, Tom