Kanjohakuhi

A "Kanjohakuhi" is a Japanese term that means air-layering, a technique of developing roots by peeling bark off a trunk. The process involves rooting and taking the skin completely off the area from where the peeling is done  . This technique can be used to create new bonsai material from an already mature tree, or to improve the nebari (root flare) of an existing bonsai. It can also be used to propagate rare or difficult-to-root species of plants.

Air-layering is usually done in spring or early summer, when the tree is actively growing. A strip of bark is removed from a branch or trunk, exposing the cambium layer. The wound is treated with rooting hormone and wrapped with moist sphagnum moss. The moss is then covered with plastic wrap or foil to keep it moist and prevent infection. After a few months, roots will start to grow from the cut edge and into the moss. The branch can then be cut off below the roots and potted as a new plant.