Air Layering = Instant Trees !

"Bonsai takes time" - This line is commonly used to indicate how many years a tree has to be grown before it achieves the desired trunk thickness. I hate this popular misconception and blame it on mental conditioning.

Watch playlist on YouTube

If you start from seeds, cuttings or nursery saplings, then the given advice is true. But by using the air layering technique, you can have trees almost instantly, with the desired trunk thickness & some primary branches as well.

If your bonsai course did not cover this technique, then please ask your bonsai teachers the reason for omitting it. Air layering & air pruning SHOULD be included in your course.

Ground layering too gives similar & quick results. For best results, use an air pruning pot, instead of an air tight plastic wrap. Plastic wrap makes sense only if the tree is not in your possession, else it is a naive approach & will give deformed roots.

Bonsai time also depends on the planned size of your trees, species & climate - small to medium size can be had in months to a couple of years. Collecting good tree material from nature too can significantly reduce your bonsai time. While many bonsai artists believe in growing trunks, I believe in harvesting a trunk of the desired thickness & spending my time growing fine branches instead.