Air Layering is an asexual plant propagation technique often used for plants larger or more difficult to propagate by regular cuttings. Plant propagation by this technique has several advantages.
Like most asexual plant propagation techniques, air layering results in a new plant that is genetically identical to the parent plant.
Many plants are difficult to root by traditional cuttings which entail the removal of a plant part from the parent plant. Until new roots form, the cutting must survive with the water already contained in the plant part that was removed.
By using the air-layering technique, the part that becomes the new plant remains attached to the parent plant and is able to obtain water from the intact root system.
Another advantage of air layering is larger plants are able to be obtained more quickly than with traditional cuttings. Most cuttings are small, due to minimization of water loss.
Since the new plant resulting from air layering remains attached to the parent plant during rooting, it can be much greater in size.
A disadvantage of air layering is that the number of new plants is limited by the number of limbs or branches available to be air layered.
How to Propagate by Air Layering
- Select a point on a stem about 4 to 8 inches from the shoot tip. Remove any leaves in the immediate area.
- Wound the plant at this location.
- For dicots (like camelia, figs, or roses), use a sharp knife to make 2 cuts completely around the stem. The cuts should be 1 to 1.5 inches apart and should penetrate down to the woody center of the stem.
- Make a third cut connecting the previous two cuts. Remove the ring of bark.
A strip of bark is removed from the stem to induce rooting.
- Scrape the exposed surface to ensure the complete removal of soft cambium tissue.
- For monocots (like dracaena and dieffenbachia), make an upward-slanting cut into the stem. The cut should penetrate the stem to about 1/3 its diameter. Do not cut through the stem or allow it to accidentally break off.
- A toothpick or matchstick can be inserted into the wound to keep the cut from closing Use a small paintbrush or Q-Tip to dust a small amount of rooting hormone on the exposed surface.
- Place one or two handfuls of moist sphagnum moss (un-milled) around the exposed area. Wrap a piece of clear plastic (i.e kitchen plastic wrap) around the sphagnum moss. Make sure none of the moss protrudes out the ends of the plastic wrap.
- Secure the plastic above and below the sphagnum moss with twist ties or string.
- Aluminum foil or black plastic can be used to cover the plastic wrap to exclude light.
Plastic wrap is placed around the moistened sphagnum moss and securely tied in place. The plastic wrap can be covered with aluminum foil and/or black plastic to exclude light. The new plant can be removed when sufficient roots have formed in approximately 6 to 8 weeks.
Roots should appear in the sphagnum moss in approximately 6 to 8 weeks. For some species it could take longer.
The sphagnum moss should be checked frequently to keep it from drying out. Add water if necessary.
When a good root system is visible through the clear plastic, it will be ready to be removed from the parent plant. Remove the foil, twist ties and plastic and cut the stem below the air layer.
The plant may be potted up into a container with a commercial potting mix and placed in a suitable location to allow the root system to develop for a time before transplanting into the garden or its final location.
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