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Propagating Plants by Air Layering
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Air layering is a propagation method for woody plants that allows you to rootbranches while still attached to the parent plant. It is useful for plants that arehard to propagate by cuttings or if you want your new plant to have a larger
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Pop Bottle PlantPropagator (GrowingMint)by LoganMackey
Propagating Plants by Air Layering by Ivynettle
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size than could be accomplished by taking cuttings.
I've used this method successfully for- Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)- Long-Leaf Fig (Ficus binnendijkii)- India Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica)- Fiddle-Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)- Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola)- Elephant Yucca (Yucca elephantipes)- Cornstalk Dracaena (Dracaena fragrans - pictured below)It should work for most, if not all, woody houseplants, and even for outdoorplants.
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Step 1: Tools and materials
- the plant you want to propagate - a sharp knife- Sphagnum moss (should be available at garden centres)
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- a piece of (preferably transparent) plastic foil (an old plastic bag will do fine)(about 30x30 cm)- string- a piece of thin, hard plastic (I used a piece of a plant tag, a piece of a plasticbottle or yoghurt tub or something similar would work just as well. Basically,you just need something thin that will not decompose if it's damp for a coupleof weeks). It should be just a bit longer than the width of the branch you wantto root.- scissors for cutting string and plastic foil- water - a bowl to soak the moss in
A couple of weeks later, you will also need:- a flower pot- potting mix- maybe a stake and more string.
Step 2: Preparations
- soak the moss, then squeeze out the excess water. You need enough tomake a fist-sized ball if you lightly press it together.- cut the plastic foil/bag and hard plastic to the proper sizes (about 30x30 cmand slightly larger than the width of your branch, respectively).- cut two pieces of string, long enough that you can wrap it around your brancha couple of times and easily tie it, about 20-25 cm)- choose the branch you want to root, and the place where you will cut it(preferably just under a node - that's the place where a leaf is/was attached).If necessary, remove some leaves - you'll need about 10-20 cm of leaf-lessbranch.
Step 3: Cut the branch
Make an upwards-slanted cut about halfway to two-thirds through the branch.Take care not to cut so far that the branch breaks.The way I've learned it, you support the branch with your thumb, then pull theknife towards it with your fingers (as seen in the picture). Place your thumb sothat the knife blade would, if you cut all the way through, move past it ratherthan directly towards it - that way, if you accidentally cut too far, you minimizethe danger of cutting yourself.
Step 4: Insert the plastic
Take the small piece of plastic and insert it into the cut. This will keep the cutfrom closing up again, encouraging the plant to grow roots instead.
Step 5: Wrap with moss
Take your damp moss and wrap it around the cut. Like I said in step 2, itshould make a fist-sized ball, all around the cut. Don't press it together tootightly, it should feel... how to describe it? ... sponge-like.Given time, the plant - encouraged by the moisture and the cut - will grow rootsinto this moss.
Step 6: Wrap with plastic foil
Holding the moss in place with one hand, wrap the plastic foil around it. Itmight be good to have a helper at this stage - this is a bit tricky the first coupleof times. Tie the plastic tightly below and above the ball of moss.If necessary, tie the branch to a stake to support it (being halfway to two-thirdscut, it may be in danger of breaking).
Step 7: Cut the rooted branch
After a couple of weeks or months (depending on the plant and its growingconditions), you should see roots growing through the moss. This is why Iprefer transparent plastic to wrap around the moss - makes it easier to checkthe progress.If it takes longer than a few weeks, you might want to open the plastic foil, andmake sure the moss is still damp. Otherwise, just leave it alone and wait.When you can see well-develloped roots, cut the branch below the moss ball.
Step 8: Potting up
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Remove the plastic wrap, but leave the moss ball alone so as not to damagethe roots. Pot the new plant up using good-quality potting mix and a smallishpot - I prefer not to go over 15 cm diameter for that first pot, smaller than that ifthe plant is little enough to stay upright in a smaller pot.The reason behind this is that if the pot is a lot bigger than the still-smallrootball, the soil will stay wet for a long time, because the plant can not yettake up so much water, and this can cause the roots to rot.So you should also take care with watering during the first few weeks, keepingthe soil moist enough that the plant doesn't wilt, but never, ever truly wet.
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Akin Yildiz
canucksgirl
Ivynettle (author) canucksgirl
canucksgirl Ivynettle
headoiltycoon
out of all the cool things one can do with plants, air layering must bemy favorite, and most interesting aspect of growing. thank you forsharing your knowledge, i am still yet to try this one day :)
Thanks Ivynettle for this Instructable! I have the same umbrella plantand require air layering to deal with a loss of leaves. There are 3branches coming from the soil in the same planter and all 3 branchessuffered defoliation. The top half of the branches are healthy and full ofleaves, and there is frequent new growth, making the poor plant a bittop heavy and vacant looking in the lower half.
I have 3 questions for you:
1. Can I perform this air layering method on all 3 branches at onceor is that not advised?
2. What should be done with the branches after the air layeringprocess is complete and the branch is cut below the new rootball? (i.e., does the "stump" have to be discarded, trimmed or willit continue growing after the upper portion is detached?
3. Can I begin the process now (December), or do I have to wait forSpring?
Your advice is appreciated.
1. I think doing all three branches at once shouldn't be aproblem.
2. It might take some time, but the lower part should resprout.Depending on how long the bare branches are, you might wantto cut them back some more, and then it's waiting, waiting,waiting. :-) Don't forget to reduce watering until the plant growsnew leaves - without leaves, it will need very little water, andkeeping it too wet means the roots might rot. (I usually lift thepot to see how heavy it is.)
3. Generally, plants grow more strongly the more light there is.You don't necessarily HAVE to wait, but it's probably a goodidea.
Thanks for the reply. (on Q3, that's what I thought, so I'll haveto mull it over.)
Thanks for that going to try it on a Japanese Maple that has had failedcuttings from.
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There's also a method where you cut a ring of the outter woodymaterial away leaving the "core" exposed. Depends on the type ofplant
This was very instructive! Thank you for sharing that, I have a tree thatI have never been able to clone.. hopefully this will work!!
A great walk through on the technique.I'm the 'plant lady' of my friends and family.Whenever we have plants that need a little extra love they end up atmy house.I've used this method on a lot of varieties with great success.<3
i love the idea that someone is out there experimenting with othermethods of propagation i have learned about using honey recently andi really enjoy anything i can do without having to spend money or driveall the way to town to spend money and gas THANKS ALOT andKEEP POSTING
This is cool, I'm going to try it!
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