PROPOGATING PLANTS BY AIR LAYERING

1. NAME :ABHISHEK TIRKEY
TOPIC: PROPAGATING PLANTS BY
AIR LAYERING

2. PROPAGATING PLANTS BY
AIR LAYERING

3. Air layering is a propagation method for woody plants that
allows you to root branches while still attached to the parent
plant. It is useful for plants that are hard to propagate by
cuttings or if you want your new plant to have a larger size
than could be accomplished by taking cuttings.
It should work for most, if not all, woody houseplants, and
even for outdoor plants.

4. Step 1: Tools and Materials
Step 2: Preparations
Step 3: Cut the Branch
Step 4: Insert the Plastic
Step 5: Wrap With Moss
Step 6: Wrap With Plastic Foil
Step 7: Cut the Rooted Branch
Step 8: Potting Up
STEPS

5. Step 1: Tools and Materials

6. • The plant you want to propagate
• A sharp knife
• Sphagnum moss (should be available at garden centers)
• 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
plastic bottle or yogurt 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 couple of weeks). It should be just a bit longer than the
width of the branch you want to root.
• Scissors for cutting string and plastic foil
• Water
• A bowl to soak the moss

7. Step 2: Preparations

8. • Soak the moss, then squeeze out the excess water. You need
enough to make a fist-sized ball if you lightly press it together.
• Cut the plastic foil/bag and hard plastic to the proper sizes (about
30x30 cm and slightly larger than the width of your branch,
respectively).
• Cut two pieces of string, long enough that you can wrap it around
your branch a 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-less branch.

9. Step 3: Cut the Branch

10. 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 the knife towards it with your fingers (as seen in the
picture). Place your thumb so that the knife blade would, if you cut
all the way through, move past it rather than directly towards it -
that way, if you accidentally cut too far, you minimize the danger of
cutting yourself.

11. Step 4: Insert the Plastic

12. Take the small piece of plastic and insert it into the
cut.
This will keep the cut from closing up again,
encouraging the plant to grow roots instead.

13. Step 5: Wrap With Moss

14. Take your damp moss and wrap it around the cut. It should
make a fist-sized ball, all around the cut. Don't press it
together too tightly, it should feel... sponge-like.
Given time, the plant - encouraged by the moisture and the cut
- will grow roots into this moss.

15. Step 6: Wrap With Plastic Foil

16. Holding the moss in place with one hand, wrap the plastic foil
around it. It might be good to have a helper at this stage - this is a
bit tricky the first couple of 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-thirds cut, it may be in danger of breaking).

17. Step 7: Cut the Rooted Branch

18. After a couple of weeks or months (depending on the plant and its
growing conditions), you should see roots growing through the
moss.
I prefer transparent plastic to wrap around the moss - makes it
easier to check the progress.
If it takes longer than a few weeks, you might want to open the
plastic foil and make sure the moss is still damp. Otherwise, just
leave it alone and wait.
When you can see well-developed roots, cut the branch below the
moss ball.

19. Step 8: Potting Up

20. Remove the plastic wrap, but leave the moss ball alone so as not
to damage the roots. Pot the new plant up using a good-quality
potting mix and a smallish pot - I prefer not to go over 15 cm
diameter for that first pot, smaller than that if the 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-
small rootball, the soil will stay wet for a long time, because the
plant can not yet take 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, keeping the soil moist enough that the plant doesn't wilt,
but never, ever truly wet.