Hello,
I am at the beginning in bonsai art ( from 2 years )
I have an acer deshojo





and plan to air layer in place marked with 2 green lines this June
and next year in place marked with 1 green line
to make a shohin ( and 2 more trees )

is that a good idea to go this way ?
please advice,
Kris , Poland

It looks like a great plan.Do you know if they back bud? If they do, the stump that is left would make a fine "third tree".

howdy kris,
love the deshojo such a vibrant red... good plan with the first A/L but it looks to me the branch might make a nice new trunkline with some wiring

i agree to wire those brunch instead of replacing them with smaller brunches...a reqular pruning on a healthy tree rezult to a bounty of brunch.

I don't see the importance of air-layering this tree. The bottom half of this tree has some nice movement and taper in the trunk. The top part however isn't desirable. At least not so much that i would sacrifice a year of development of the bottom part. It doesn't have nice movement or taper, and it won't make a nice Hokidachi either, at least not in the next 15 years or so.

I would just chop it of now and start developing your bottom part and it may look like a nice looking bonsai in a few years or so.

Or, maybe you can use the parts as thread-layers to create the first two branches on the bottom part. like in my picture.

thank you for advices , i give up a/l

well if you give up the a/l try doing a defoliation in mid summer if you are not happy with branch placement .healthy maples will backbud like crazy. or you can just chop off all the branches and leave the trunk next spring ...
ive learned over time that an "instant" bonsai just doesnt work it takes time,patience,planning and patience

yes patience, of course, but the moment to cut or chop comes and lack of experience makes a hand trembling
i thought about air layering just to have possible (additional) trees , but mainly i intend to work on bottom part of the tree like here



but the question is if the tree will back bud when i chop 2 main branches....

oh i understand pefectly what you are going through. i still hesitate lobing off tree tops :sick: ... ok the big thing is how long has this tree been growing in this pot. i ask becuz if it has been growing happly in this pot for some time and not gone trough a root pruning in the last year you would be able to prune back everything and the tree will come back. it will backbud around the old branch scars.
airlayering was a great idea to begin with.it is a skill that will come in handy in the future and if it doesnt work you still learn a lesson instead of just cutting a branch.a 2 or 3 for 1 tree is always a bonus