Thank you for this video! I am 74 and my grandmother taught me how to air layer when I was 5 years old! You brought back wonderful memories of her and how much fun we had together in the garden!
Mike, you know I am an old gardener, and it isn't often that an old gardener can learn new tricks..... But I learned something by watching your video. Great job, interesting experiment. OAG
Thanks Charles! You're a role model for me. I aspire to be as energetic and cool as you when I'm your age. You teach me a thing or 2 as well and one of these days I'm going to make your chicken, mozzarella, and tomato sauce dinner. For anybody else interested, here's the link to his video: th-cam.com/video/xlsFQSQR0Pg/w-d-xo.html
SIR! The knowledge you shared with me in this video has changed my life. Ring-barking the branch to prevent all sugars from going down sounded good in theory but I've killed branches of slow to root trees because they weren't strong enough to survive without phloem. After watching your video I've air layered mulberry and carambola(very slow to root) by placing a pot of dirt on a high stool/pile of bricks/ladder up to the low branches. I Removed 1/2 to 3/4 of the bark, lightly scraped the cambium and put the exposed side of the branch down. After a month, 100% survival and vigorous roots. I just snipped and left them in the same pots.
Mike my name is William Smith-Manor I am one of your subscribers. I usually don't leave comments, but I have to comment and say thank you for all you do and share with the gardening family, and community. You are a genius. You have really change my garden life and the way I do things, this video was amazing thank you thank you thank you.
What a compliment! You are exactly the kind of people I make these videos for and it puts a good feeling in my heart to know they're helping other gardeners out there like you. Good luck and have fun in the garden, William!
I enjoy your videos. I found that using the 'Little Hug' drinks (the cheap coolaid stuff in little barrels for kids) works well. You don't have to use as much dirt and the bottles are sturdy but still easy to cut.
Beloved thanks for this video. I am so glad you did this experiment. I had a plum tree that was struggling and i was concerned about butchering it across. I think just putting the soil will just take longer but will still work,
Mike figs are prolific growers and although different amounts of scraping and girdling may work faster, often not even scraping results in a successful air layer. I get really good results using a small bag (similar to Ben's baggie method) and just scraping to expose the cambian in a few places. Aluminum foil wrapped around the air layer protects developing roots from the sun.
I did this with a fig late this season also. I was in a hurry and it was very low to the ground so I just took a thin slice of bark off, maybe an inch or so long at the node. It took 3 weeks, but yesterday I saw the first root. Today there is another visible. I’ve been worried for weeks that it wouldn’t work, but thankfully it did. Thank you for the additional information and I do like the longer, detailed videos. Come on folks- If I didn’t want to spend time watching videos of things I’m interested, I probably wouldn’t be watching TH-cam videos lol. Some people complaining about that just kills me. Thanks again Mike!
I followed your method last summer. I t worked so good! I potted them through the winter in pots on the South side of the house. I just planted them in March 2022. They are getting leaves. Thanks for this video. Rhonda
I air layer my Persimmon today. I wish I saw and watch your video before, but the good thing I learned something from your video. If in case my air layering is not successful today, it's an inside branch that I have to cut during my pruning. Thank you very much.
That's a great informative video, Mike. The one thing I might add is that when doing airlayers in the summertime, in a hot climate, like mine, here in south-central Washington state, it's a good idea to wrap the airlayer cup with aluminum foil to keep the soil in the cup from overheating from the sun.
Thanks Steve. I've always used foil in the past but decided not to this time because it was later in the season and I wanted the soil to heat up. You're right though, you live in a hotter climate and it might cook the cuttings.
I did airlayers on both my Golden Rainbow and Cardenillo this year. I used my grafting knife an scored the area. I just went down to white on both. I used rooting hormone as well. Both were successful and held their leaves. I did not girdle and had extreme root growth. Great minds think alike! Both trees are in their own pots and are thriving.
That's so great to hear. It's funny, I think we've all been taught wrong all these years with the girdling technique. My main purpose was to prove the theory for tougher to root plants like my rhododendrons so that's the next experiment but I'll have to wait until next summer to try it. Thanks for sharing and I'll bet you'll get a pretty penny for that Golden Rainbow.
I ended up taking one of the massive leaves off the GR after potting. It was having a difficult time feeding the three huge leaves and two figs. I also took the two figs off. It perked up immediately. I plan on putting one of my two trees in ground in the spring.
Awesome! That's cool! I never thought of trying to use slits instead of cutting all the way around. I have started doing air layers last spring for the first time. I've done them on my fig tree with no rooting hormone with about 90 percent success except for when I mess them up after I cut them off. I can't wait to use some of your ideas next spring especially the slits. I'm also going to try to air layer with water instead of dirt. I can't wait till spring! I hope to try air layering other types of plants too! Maybe a magnolia? Thanks for the informative video!
I will guarantee you success if you pay more attention to the pH balance of the water make sure it's a between a 5.5 and no greater than a 7.0 and I guarantee you will have success . I actually have an ionizer that does this very thing for me that produces various levels of ph balanced water that are truly amazing , truly replaces the need for any and all chemical uses !!!!!!!!9 HHBpHhelps Henry
One thing I wanted to point out. You answered a question for yourself and didn’t even realize it. When you mentioned how easy figs are to root. You Can do an air layer on fig without cutting at all and it will root. However many plants just will not work that easy. A lot of plants I’ve air layered and didn’t quite scrape good enough , totally callused over and healed without any roots. So I think it depends all on how easy the particular plant is to root .
Hee hee hee... by the second time you used the word "girdle" I knew exactly what you were doing wrong. I've been doing this for years by simply scratching a 2" section of bark away on half the branch with my housekey and laying it on the ground with a rock to hold it steady. So far, 100% success rate!
@@bobbrawley2612 Yep. No root hormone, no plastic womb filled with mulch, just scratch the surface with the key (which I assume permeates all the right layers) and then rest it on the ground with a rock on top. You can dig a little trench if you want, but I don't find it necessary. I do it in early spring to hydrangeas and rhodies, and just leave it alone until the next (not following) fall, and it's good to dig up and replant, or just leave to extend the original plant. If you leave it, you should cut the plant away from the mother after the first year, or it'll thrive at the expense of the original plant.
hi mike. this is the show i have been waiting 4. you did a fabulous job of explaining air-layering and easy enough for anyone to understand no matter where they are in their plant experience. not complicated and congrats on the success of your project. here's hoping that you can do it to the rhodie your having trouble in propagating. i can see a lot of work went into formulating this video and you " didagood. " later man, and thanks. carmine.
Thanks a lot, Carmine! This one did take a lot of time, filming, and editing but it proved to me that I can air layer a plant and keep the top intact so it stays very healthy and growing on the trees roots as well as forming its own. I'll probably start the air layer on the rhododendron next spring.
I remember reading something about this when I was a kid (18 23) and was going to try this on my landlords trees. Now that I’m an adult. I’m going to try this on a bunch of my shrubs!😊
Very clear video, thank you. Perhaps you can address the following question. I understand that you are looking for a method to avoid 360 degree girdling. I've been wondering, when a branch is completely girdled, do the nutrients that support the generation of the new roots come from the leaves down to the girdled area, and into the new roots, or do the nutrients come from the roots up into the girdled area, and into the new roots? According to what you've seen, do the new roots arise from the bottom of the girdled area, the middle area without bark, or the top margin of the girdled area? Thanks, becoming more interested in tree biology due to my love of fig propagation. You and your peers have opened up a new world for me, and its wonderful!! Arnie
Yes, they'll collect wherever there's a cut area but maybe not in the same quantity. I know exactly what you're asking and thought long and hard about the same question but this worked out.
Funny how i got to the end and you actually did the thing i was going to suggest in this comment. I was thinking you could use a bit of the plants bark as a wedge to shim the bark away from the inner layers then put the cup on etc.
@@MikeKincaid79 based on your video we have bean for a while! Thank you for your sharing these things💚 i am always growing from seed and the plants i grow tend to be stretchier when from seed and i have a slop fest of treelike plants that i can practice this on.
Great thinking, Mike. Using small water or other bottles is much easier than the cup. Small bottles of Root Beer, usually brown, are easiest, sturdier, and have the small mouth to fit well around the branch. Of course one should drink the root beer first.... :-) I followed your guidance for rooting fig cuttings, and got good rooting and bud growth on 39 Chicago Hardy cuttings, with a few still trying and 6 dried out due to my deficient application of the parafilm and never spritzing with water. I have saved one Chicago Hardy tree on which to try air-layering, per your technique, on all but the main stem/trunk, as soon as it starts to grow strongly in late spring!
Darned good question, Mike! LOL I have given 2 each to 3 friends who wanted them, and can force a few upon my family members within driving distance, but .... Maybe someone will trade me 1 they have for 2 or 3 of mine? Anyway, I owe any success primarily to you, with some bows to Charles in CA and to Ross Raddi. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this great vid - full of good info!! I've always thought girdling the branch for air layering was too extreme and harmful to the branch. Thank you for the science behind it! And no, this video was not too long. It was just right.
Glad you enjoyed it! It worked well for figs but not sure if other plants would take well to not girdling the branch. I just never liked the idea of completely cutting off the nutrient supply in case it doesn't make it.
Dr. Surja Agarwal on the channel, "Gardening is my Passion", just did a video on air layering hibiscus. He is from India, and uses a cow dung/soil mixture and makes a 'dough' which he wraps around a node where he scrapes off layers, then wraps the dough section with plastic and the wraps that with twine. 30 days later he has roots for new hibiscus plants. He does 3-5 of those per stem. It is interesting. Thanks for sharing. I like longer videos because I learn more with more explanations and in depth information. Thanks!!
I have 1 air layer of a 1 inch thick trunk. I did not cut anything (I'll explain). It's been on for 1 1/2 months and I used a three liter coke bottle. The bottle is full of roots. Now I have only done it this one time, but from what I saw there is no need to cut nothing. Why I didn't cut? Because in most videos I have seen, the roots don't grow out of the cut, they grow out of the nodes, and those other little dots on the bark. I have rooted six cuttings and none of them had roots at the end of the cutting (where it was severed from the mother tree). All roots came like I said. Now the nodes will produce the big thick roots instead of a branch, and from the little dots on the bark, thinner feeder roots will develop. For me I think that cutting all it does is open a wound that will allow bacteria and fungus in, all my failed cutting when I dug them out, the cut part was rotten. So when I remove the air layer I will make the cut, and seal the exposed wood with a mix of resin, bees wax and candle wax. Hope this helps.
Hey Mike, another great video bud! But I'd like to throw in my 2 cents as far as your question goes. I would say that on any given area of the tree, there would be nutrients. So no matter what part of the branch you cut, there would still be nutrients on the branch above it, kinda like trapping the juices, it if that makes any sense. Great video once again!
We truly need to be aware even with our own body anytime there is a wound all living matter goes into a survival mode of healing never an alkaline response always acidic and leaves room for disease and illness down the road unless properly healed and given the time to do so in an alkaline Lake an acidic one just breeds more illness and disease this is what western medicine and all the chemicals and drugs give us more illness and disease not true healing . Truth is if we graft in any way any living matter it will fight to survive , I have come to the knowledge but every time we graft or clone or Force life on life in any way we're giving the seven generations if you do this for seven generations of any living being the deterioration in the lifespan become shorter and shorter until Extinction . but if we take things that have been genetically modified through these processes back the other way seven generations it can all come back to its original meant to be natural alkaline heirloom beginning . this I am very sure and very aware of !!!!!!!!9 HHBpHhelps Henry
@@henryphelps3590 , That seems about right__which is why you should not 'clone' the same part/branch/stem of the same plant multiple times. Reminds me of the movie, "Multiplicity" with Michael Keaton! 😳🌱🌿😺
@@debracisneroshhp2827 loving gratitude Deborah !!! I truly will not take up this practice it just rubs me wrong I truly enjoy growing from the seed . And believe for me anyway this is the only way it should be done loving and nurturing the seed always back to the soil . Also the leaf the stem and the root I leave for the soil I only eat the flower and the fruit for well over a year now and nine years I've been only fueling with living food except I've learned to fuel with raw vegetables is very destructive . I've been a follower of pH balance for over 9 years the whole time I've been a living foodist at now a fructivore frugivore as mankind is meant to be for 16 months now and I could go on a lifetime in speaking the most beautiful positive differences . And a much much healthier happier body !!! I have experimented and done a bit of the layering . actually helping a friend do this that love to grow grapes and it's a great way to expand the growth of your grape Vines . we did this with raspberries to in his garden . with great success . as I've come to consider grapes and berries on the sustaining side not the life building side I really haven't fueled with them in quite a while also we worked very hard to sever new Sprouts from the mother plant as soon as possible and we were very careful to only use New Growth from the mother plant every time . and the couple other Growers I know that practice the layering and cloning and grafting also which I really disagree with I won't do this practice at all or even help them do it . All would only do any of these practices from a mother plant the one that was really into this would only clone or graft from one mother plant that he established and one of the oldest mother plants he had was actually 14 years old but he was very adamant to only take from New Growth every year and he would only mother plant from a plant be started from seed . there was a gentleman I wish I could remember more of the details that would lead me to his show but I don't think he's doing the TH-cam anymore cuz I haven't seen or been able to find him . very interesting though he was very much into taking GMO modified fruits and vegetables back to their heirloom beginning . he was very ensuring had quite a bit of evidence of the 7-year or actually greater rule 7 generation because each plant from seed may not produce its first flower the fruit for three to four years . So the seven-year is only true to the vegetation that produces flour or its fruit in the first year . and I spend most of my time because my greatest love is building rich soil through composting . which over the years I've come up with a 7 year 7 step tradition that has produce the most richest soil . I've also been working towards establishing seven separate Garden zones so one is left untouched on a 7-year rotation . and working towards replacing machinery and equipment with farm animals . I have found if you want a beautiful garden goats are not the way to go for weeds they eat everything you don't want them . they do have their purpose in helping build soil and very useful in controlling suckers amongst well established trees . they will definitely devour you're new and young growth . I've had better luck with chickens donkeys and sheep . the chickens I've had would rather grazing in the grass then eat process seeds . the donkeys and sheep we replaced buy lawn mowers and trimmers and now I'm replacing the lawn mowers and trimmers with donkeys and sheep and chickens . and replacing the tillers with pigs and mules . All have to be managed and let into garden areas at the right time in the right seasons . I truly want to add alpacas bison oxen and always more chickens and donkeys !~) all bird life is highly welcome . also very into becoming my own pretty much everything . and am now my own builder my own mechanic my own doctor becoming my own lawyer and finding a greater personal status in life . always aspiring to building the soil buy composting and becoming a grower and supplier of the flower the fruit . I've gotten into magnet fishing and metal detecting because I've been a scrapper forever and find this very enjoyable and productive way to help clean up and give our Earth Back To Nature unfortunately the Mindless polluting destruction never seems to end . most recently I aspire to be a writer and the comments on TH-cam have become my practice . so if you read all this and gotten through all the bad editing I truly send you very much loving gratitude !!!!!!!!9 Also as a living foodist only fueling with the fruits of vegetation for over 9 years now and only the flower the fruit for close to 16 months of that 9 years now . I truly feel and truly believe just from the response of my body even first-generation of Clone or graft and sticking to that rule doesn't matter that first generation is so inferior to the naturally given heirloom grown from seed nurtured with love and gratitude !!!!!!!!9 truly given by Nature when received when ready and given . even though or I'm still mainly surviving there no one's ever going to find it in a grocery store only the raped pillaged and taken too soon leaving me very rape pillage and taken in the grocery store . I truly affirmate for the day we looked across the landscapes and see more fruit trees and flowers then rooftops and dry and Barren used up Farm and Ranch Land . so sad to see to wake up and see truly the destruction done by the raping and pillaging of our beautiful Earth of her coal oil and gases for our selfish destructive only perceptive needs truly unnecessary other than to enslave and destroy . I truly believe that loving gratitude and pH balance spiritually is loving creators truly meant to be path. 🙈🙉🙊 and the other faceless 10 need to be exposed for all to see and find a better path . 🙊🙉🙈 truly the faces of government organized religion and Western medicine the puppets of the Puppet Master the self-appointed crown . ALWAYS • BEWARE • OF • THE • ENSLAVING • FENCES • THE • CROWN • HAS • HEAVENLY • HANDED • LAID • DOWN • - • &• • • the truth of peace light loving gratitude pH balance will bring equalizing freedom to all living beings !!!!!!!!9 ❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣😇 mutch loving gratitude for you Deborah !!! HHBpHhelps Henry
Yes, I did a lot of air layering to propagate plants, based on my experiments and experience, fig tree is the most easiest tree to root. If the branch touches the ground, it will automatically root! That's why a lot of people use really thick fig stem cuttings to propagate. Unbelievable! Check it out my channel.
WOW, THIS IS AN AWESOME VID! LOVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM! Learn alot! I've been watching lots of air layering techniques but like yours the best. I want to do my husband's childhood fig in Orangeburg, SC for my daughter-in-law & son, (bigger yard)in Arden, NC near me. And to share to others too! Sooooo GLAD you added the bonus too! Tks So Very Much! 👏🏼🙌🏼🤩💯💞🌴
Like I commented elsewhere a airlayer cut will work when only practical removal of bark circumfronce is done . I did it on a pear tree root grew out one side
What if you nip the tip of the branch. This would send the nutrients back down instead of growing higher? I ask this only because here up north I’ve picked up the practice of tipping the branches that have figs to push fruit development. Wouldn’t those extra nutrients go back to help with root development since there are no figs to ripen? Cool experiment if you ask me. I’m now going to my school and try to root wild black raspberries by trying to tip root the first year growths. Wish me luck.
I have one fig tree aside from others which are potted. The one that is planted on the ground, I bent down the twig down to the soil and cover it with some soil after clipping it so that the twig won't go away from the soil/ground. I think it only took one or two months, it rooted. Then I cut it and planted it in another space. No lot of hassles, right? Easy
Thank you, Mike. When you showed us the roots toward the end of this video, you said it was past the middle of September, but you didn't tell us when the layer would be removed. When did you remove it from the mother tree? Did you wait until dormancy? Lop it off in September? Or did you wait until Spring?
I didn't remove it and left the air layers in place all winter. They ended up not making it through the winter. I recommend cutting them from the parent tree now, potting them up, and protecting the new air layers.
Mike, where is your follow up video to this? I cannot find it. Also, isn't the xylem scraped away when you are scraping all the cambium away after you take all the bark off? I figured you would get them to root. It seems you can practically make a fig root just by looking at it. I would like to see how all this pans out though.
Hey Mike, I just had a thought about the cuts you made. Have you done some experiments with horizontal slits instead of vertical? My thinking is that a horizontal cut would make a bigger impact in the flow of the plant going from top to bottom (like it does in ‘notching’). So Im wondering how a horizontal cut would perform vs a vertical cut 🤔😅
Awesome discovery Sir. Excellent. 👍 Could you explain how you made the cut? Was it upwards or downwards and how deep? Did u do several cuts on halfside leaving the opposite untouched? Would like to see more progress with this new technique.
The slices I made were just through the soft surface layers of bark and cambium, I didn't cut that deep and I used a downward motion on the knife. I'll keep you up to date on how they're doing next spring.
@@MikeKincaid79 Ok thx Mike for info. Just to clarify if the stem is vertical you cut downwards underneath a node? I'll try it myself to see if it was successful. Another question did you add rooting hormone and do you keep wetting the potting soil or peat moss inside the plastic cup to encourage rooting?
Yes, cut downward along the length of the stem. I did add rooting hormone, it's in the video. I moistened the soil in the cup occasionally because I didn't seal it up with foil.
Totally explains the wilt on my air layer because I did girdle the entire branch. Now I wish I had seen this first and didn't do that. The leaves are still alive so I know water is getting up but I still don't see any roots. It's been almost two months. I'm hoping it's just because it needs a little more time and it wasn't a failed attempt.
Thanks, very true about the control. I need to do a real experiment with this when the fig orchard gets established. I think I would need multiples of each just to average out the results.
Zavia that's what I do too and it works great. The risk of going deeper or doing a complete girdle is that if the air layer fails you are more likely to kill that branch.
This rooting idea sounds good. It's almost the same as layering except you are taking the soil to the branch instead of the branch to the soil. Should work great.
Mike did you use seed planting soil, potting soil or your own blend? Secondly have you ever tried propagating a Magnolua tree or shrub? I have some I would like to try to do or is that wood too hard? Thx Great content!
this is exactly what I did on a Valdosta Mulberry because I constantly killing a young branch I air layered lol It's been only a week and I don't have to wait, you just confirmed my thoughts LOL
I just finished my first ever air layerd. Did 6. Started july 15 removed august 24. Girdeled 1in around with root hormone. Im glad i decided to check because there was no more room for roots. Massive root balls on all of them. One thing I learned was start the air layer on lignified wood. I did 3 on green wood and 3 on brown. The 3 on green have major shock problems. Hope they live. The other 3 are perfect.
Really cool to hear about your experiment right now. I just started an experiment with air layering figs the other day. We're late in the season so my fingers are crossed.
Hey Fig Bro.. I air layer without removing any bark or even scoring the bark on fig trees. Especially where the growth is still green , the greener and fresher the growth the faster it generally roots. So no scoring or bark removal at all and you can get rooted air layers on fig trees with very very high success rates. I been testing it for 3 years and it works consistantly. Especially when done in the earlier parts of the year when its warm and trees are actively growing. I will do some this year and put it on here.
Great content! Oh man wish you added a third experiment where you remove the layers all around the branch so we get to compare that approach vs. partial removal vs. only slits.
Thanks for this video is full of alot of information that I still hadn't fully grasp the concept yet. I'm a lot closer. I'm a slow learner maybe the hit my head took earlier in the week. Lol
Absolutely love how you present your knowledge, to put this short I cut too deep with saw on magnolia shrubs cleaning them up in a couple spots should I proceed with Air layering (predicting I sawed through xylem on 1/3 caliper)
Man iv learned so much watchn ur vids dude. Thanks. I wanted to ask ur opinion. Iv been watering my cuttings w creek water i shake it profusly to get air in the water and dissolve a asprin in it and iv had great luck so far. A tip from a vid an indian guy put out. I guess u prolly already knew that trick but thought id pass it on. Keep it up bro
Awesome! Yeah, the aspirin contains salicylic acid which is also a hormone that plants produce to cause vegetative growth. It's not a rooting hormone but it will help with plant growth. Hadn't hear of shaking the water up to aerate but it makes sense. I've got some ideas on this water aeration for propagation. Videos to come eventually.
I watched some earlier vids with the root pod but added a comment to the wrong vid. Doh! This video is the best one I have seen for explaining the hows and whys of it, so thanks all your work. I got some root pods delivered this week and am dying to try them out.
They’re great. I think you’ll really like them. I used the peat in those because the pods are a smaller area and I wanted a material that held more moisture.
Is it possible that this particular Rhody is somehow a monocot and not a dicot and therefore has a complex vascular bundle, opposed to a uniform banded one and requires you to do a slit upwards opposed to a band taken away? Just a shot in the dark but can't learn if I don't ask.
You don't want the medium in the cup to dry out so if it starts to dry out then you would need to add a little water. That being said, if you seal it up tight enough, it should root before it dries out. Yes, the plant will supply water to the top of the air layer because it's still attached.
i have the same with my RdB airlayers. Strange thing is that Ross Raddi does not have the problem with his BM. its full with airlayers and still is giving fruit and have healthy leaves.
I think I'm going to try this with Ziploc quart freezer (7x7 1/2") bags on my Hollies. Cut a notch in the top thru the zipper for the branch & split open down the middle. Can I use just Peat Moss for the medium as I have a lot of it already?
I really need to get one of those. Picked up some Christmas tree ornaments that I'm turning into air layering pods and the dremel is a slow method that makes a huge mess.
Thank you for this video! I am 74 and my grandmother taught me how to air layer when I was 5 years old! You brought back wonderful memories of her and how much fun we had together in the garden!
So glad to jog the memories!
Mike, you know I am an old gardener, and it isn't often that an old gardener can learn new tricks..... But I learned something by watching your video. Great job, interesting experiment.
OAG
Thanks Charles! You're a role model for me. I aspire to be as energetic and cool as you when I'm your age. You teach me a thing or 2 as well and one of these days I'm going to make your chicken, mozzarella, and tomato sauce dinner. For anybody else interested, here's the link to his video: th-cam.com/video/xlsFQSQR0Pg/w-d-xo.html
hes dead Rest in peace
SIR! The knowledge you shared with me in this video has changed my life. Ring-barking the branch to prevent all sugars from going down sounded good in theory but I've killed branches of slow to root trees because they weren't strong enough to survive without phloem. After watching your video I've air layered mulberry and carambola(very slow to root) by placing a pot of dirt on a high stool/pile of bricks/ladder up to the low branches. I Removed 1/2 to 3/4 of the bark, lightly scraped the cambium and put the exposed side of the branch down. After a month, 100% survival and vigorous roots. I just snipped and left them in the same pots.
So glad to hear it!
Mike my name is William Smith-Manor I am one of your subscribers. I usually don't leave comments, but I have to comment and say thank you for all you do and share with the gardening family, and community. You are a genius. You have really change my garden life and the way I do things, this video was amazing thank you thank you thank you.
What a compliment! You are exactly the kind of people I make these videos for and it puts a good feeling in my heart to know they're helping other gardeners out there like you. Good luck and have fun in the garden, William!
This is the best video l have ever seen on the net regarding tree propagation. Detailed & Well presented. Well done Mike . Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
I like your longer videos. You can't put a timer on knowledge. Thank you!
You are welcome, Lena! Thanks for your kind words.
I enjoy your videos. I found that using the 'Little Hug' drinks (the cheap coolaid stuff in little barrels for kids) works well. You don't have to use as much dirt and the bottles are sturdy but still easy to cut.
Beloved thanks for this video. I am so glad you did this experiment. I had a plum tree that was struggling and i was concerned about butchering it across. I think just putting the soil will just take longer but will still work,
It certainly will.
Mike figs are prolific growers and although different amounts of scraping and girdling may work faster, often not even scraping results in a successful air layer. I get really good results using a small bag (similar to Ben's baggie method) and just scraping to expose the cambian in a few places. Aluminum foil wrapped around the air layer protects developing roots from the sun.
Thanks for the info, Chris!
I did this with a fig late this season also. I was in a hurry and it was very low to the ground so I just took a thin slice of bark off, maybe an inch or so long at the node. It took 3 weeks, but yesterday I saw the first root. Today there is another visible. I’ve been worried for weeks that it wouldn’t work, but thankfully it did. Thank you for the additional information and I do like the longer, detailed videos. Come on folks- If I didn’t want to spend time watching videos of things I’m interested, I probably wouldn’t be watching TH-cam videos lol. Some people complaining about that just kills me. Thanks again Mike!
Thanks, Shawn, glad you enjoy the videos and I think I'm going to just keep doing what I want here. To heck with the debbie downers, lol.
Till now this is the best video of air layering on TH-cam .. thank you.
Wow, thanks so much for the nice comment!
Such a great and informative video! Thanks so much for sharing, It has helped me a lot during my preparation for horticulture exams!
Wow, that's cool to hear! Good luck in school!!!
Really like the use of the plastic cup. I've always used plastic wrap, but it really makes a mess. This looks so much easier. Thanks a lot.
It's much easier to have a formed cup to work with.
I followed your method last summer. I t worked so good!
I potted them through the winter in pots on the South side of the house.
I just planted them in March 2022. They are getting leaves.
Thanks for this video.
Rhonda
I cut all of the bark. However, I will try slicing this year.
Yeah, no problem. Glad it worked out well for you Rhonda.
Ricky Schroder gestures makes learning better. Always an informative video Mike!
Lol, thanks for watching, Tony!
I air layer my Persimmon today. I wish I saw and watch your video before, but the good thing I learned something from your video. If in case my air layering is not successful today, it's an inside branch that I have to cut during my pruning. Thank you very much.
You're welcome and I hope it works for you!
That's a great informative video, Mike. The one thing I might add is that when doing airlayers in the summertime, in a hot climate, like mine, here in south-central Washington state, it's a good idea to wrap the airlayer cup with aluminum foil to keep the soil in the cup from overheating from the sun.
Thanks Steve. I've always used foil in the past but decided not to this time because it was later in the season and I wanted the soil to heat up. You're right though, you live in a hotter climate and it might cook the cuttings.
I did airlayers on both my Golden Rainbow and Cardenillo this year. I used my grafting knife an scored the area. I just went down to white on both. I used rooting hormone as well. Both were successful and held their leaves. I did not girdle and had extreme root growth. Great minds think alike! Both trees are in their own pots and are thriving.
That's so great to hear. It's funny, I think we've all been taught wrong all these years with the girdling technique. My main purpose was to prove the theory for tougher to root plants like my rhododendrons so that's the next experiment but I'll have to wait until next summer to try it. Thanks for sharing and I'll bet you'll get a pretty penny for that Golden Rainbow.
I ended up taking one of the massive leaves off the GR after potting. It was having a difficult time feeding the three huge leaves and two figs. I also took the two figs off. It perked up immediately. I plan on putting one of my two trees in ground in the spring.
I smash the like button before the video started I know it's gonna be awesome as always!
Hey thanks man!
Did your longitudinal cutting on my black medeira with clonex. 6 weeks later massive roots in 5.5 inch ball airlayer. Thanks for the great info.
Awesome! Glad to hear it.
Awesome! That's cool! I never thought of trying to use slits instead of cutting all the way around. I have started doing air layers last spring for the first time. I've done them on my fig tree with no rooting hormone with about 90 percent success except for when I mess them up after I cut them off. I can't wait to use some of your ideas next spring especially the slits. I'm also going to try to air layer with water instead of dirt. I can't wait till spring! I hope to try air layering other types of plants too! Maybe a magnolia? Thanks for the informative video!
I'd love to hear how the magnolia turns out!
I will guarantee you success if you pay more attention to the pH balance of the water make sure it's a between a 5.5 and no greater than a 7.0 and I guarantee you will have success .
I actually have an ionizer that does this very thing for me that produces various levels of ph balanced water that are truly amazing , truly replaces the need for any and all chemical uses !!!!!!!!9
HHBpHhelps
Henry
@@henryphelps3590
Thanks for the tips!
I’ve learned this technique since I was in grade school in Asia, Gardening is been taught first day of school in rural parts but in the city not much!
Thanks for sharing! It's a great lesson to learn.
I just don't understand how some people actually disliked the video. It's so informative and detailed documented. People are just weird
LOL, thanks for that!
Great demo, Mike. I'm going to do some air layering as a way of shaping my existing fruit trees.
Air layering and pruning is a beautiful marriage!
One thing I wanted to point out. You answered a question for yourself and didn’t even realize it. When you mentioned how easy figs are to root. You Can do an air layer on fig without cutting at all and it will root. However many plants just will not work that easy. A lot of plants I’ve air layered and didn’t quite scrape good enough , totally callused over and healed without any roots. So I think it depends all on how easy the particular plant is to root .
I think you're right
Hee hee hee... by the second time you used the word "girdle" I knew exactly what you were doing wrong. I've been doing this for years by simply scratching a 2" section of bark away on half the branch with my housekey and laying it on the ground with a rock to hold it steady. So far, 100% success rate!
Great affirmation!
You are kidding? Scratch with a house key just one half of the branch and that's an successful airlayer. Good to know
@@bobbrawley2612 Yep. No root hormone, no plastic womb filled with mulch, just scratch the surface with the key (which I assume permeates all the right layers) and then rest it on the ground with a rock on top. You can dig a little trench if you want, but I don't find it necessary. I do it in early spring to hydrangeas and rhodies, and just leave it alone until the next (not following) fall, and it's good to dig up and replant, or just leave to extend the original plant. If you leave it, you should cut the plant away from the mother after the first year, or it'll thrive at the expense of the original plant.
Did you accomplish this scratching also on a fig tree? How about other kinds of plants or trees?
hi mike. this is the show i have been waiting 4. you did a fabulous job of explaining air-layering and easy enough for anyone to understand no matter where they are in their plant experience. not complicated and congrats on the success of your project. here's hoping that you can do it to the rhodie your having trouble in propagating. i can see a lot of work went into formulating this video and you " didagood. " later man, and thanks. carmine.
Thanks a lot, Carmine! This one did take a lot of time, filming, and editing but it proved to me that I can air layer a plant and keep the top intact so it stays very healthy and growing on the trees roots as well as forming its own. I'll probably start the air layer on the rhododendron next spring.
I remember reading something about this when I was a kid (18 23) and was going to try this on my landlords trees. Now that I’m an adult. I’m going to try this on a bunch of my shrubs!😊
Have fun!
Mike
I think this is one the most informative videos ive seen on air layering!
Youre awsome man.
Thanks Gal!
Very clear video, thank you. Perhaps you can address the following question. I understand that you are looking for a method to avoid 360 degree girdling. I've been wondering, when a branch is completely girdled, do the nutrients that support the generation of the new roots come from the leaves down to the girdled area, and into the new roots, or do the nutrients come from the roots up into the girdled area, and into the new roots? According to what you've seen, do the new roots arise from the bottom of the girdled area, the middle area without bark, or the top margin of the girdled area? Thanks, becoming more interested in tree biology due to my love of fig propagation. You and your peers have opened up a new world for me, and its wonderful!! Arnie
The sugars collect at the cambium on top of the girdled area.
@@MikeKincaid79 so if you air layer using the method you describe in this video, without a full girdle, the sugars don't collect?
Yes, they'll collect wherever there's a cut area but maybe not in the same quantity. I know exactly what you're asking and thought long and hard about the same question but this worked out.
Funny how i got to the end and you actually did the thing i was going to suggest in this comment. I was thinking you could use a bit of the plants bark as a wedge to shim the bark away from the inner layers then put the cup on etc.
We must be on the same wavelength!
@@MikeKincaid79 based on your video we have bean for a while! Thank you for your sharing these things💚 i am always growing from seed and the plants i grow tend to be stretchier when from seed and i have a slop fest of treelike plants that i can practice this on.
Mike, you are a agricultural genius!!!
Great thinking, Mike. Using small water or other bottles is much easier than the cup. Small bottles of Root Beer, usually brown, are easiest, sturdier, and have the small mouth to fit well around the branch. Of course one should drink the root beer first.... :-) I followed your guidance for rooting fig cuttings, and got good rooting and bud growth on 39 Chicago Hardy cuttings, with a few still trying and 6 dried out due to my deficient application of the parafilm and never spritzing with water. I have saved one Chicago Hardy tree on which to try air-layering, per your technique, on all but the main stem/trunk, as soon as it starts to grow strongly in late spring!
That's awesome, Charles! Now what are you going to do with 39 Chicago Hardy figs, LOL.
Darned good question, Mike! LOL I have given 2 each to 3 friends who wanted them, and can force a few upon my family members within driving distance, but .... Maybe someone will trade me 1 they have for 2 or 3 of mine? Anyway, I owe any success primarily to you, with some bows to Charles in CA and to Ross Raddi. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this great vid - full of good info!! I've always thought girdling the branch for air layering was too extreme and harmful to the branch. Thank you for the science behind it! And no, this video was not too long. It was just right.
Glad you enjoyed it! It worked well for figs but not sure if other plants would take well to not girdling the branch. I just never liked the idea of completely cutting off the nutrient supply in case it doesn't make it.
@@MikeKincaid79 Agreed!
Dr. Surja Agarwal on the channel, "Gardening is my Passion", just did a video on air layering hibiscus. He is from India, and uses a cow dung/soil mixture and makes a 'dough' which he wraps around a node where he scrapes off layers, then wraps the dough section with plastic and the wraps that with twine. 30 days later he has roots for new hibiscus plants. He does 3-5 of those per stem. It is interesting. Thanks for sharing. I like longer videos because I learn more with more explanations and in depth information. Thanks!!
Thanks for sending me to his videos.
Well done Mike. Keep up the great work, and education. Happy propogating.
Thanks, Andrew.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video. Great work!
This is a wonderful discovery! I'm down in South Alabama and will definitely be trying this!!!! 👍😍 Thanks and God bless you and your family. 💖🙏💖
Thanks, Deb!
Loved all of the explanation Mike! Very interesting! So cool! Thanks for the lesson Mike! Hugs 🤗🤗♥️
Love a good education. Thank you Professor Mike.
You got it, Paul!
I have 1 air layer of a 1 inch thick trunk. I did not cut anything (I'll explain). It's been on for 1 1/2 months and I used a three liter coke bottle. The bottle is full of roots. Now I have only done it this one time, but from what I saw there is no need to cut nothing.
Why I didn't cut? Because in most videos I have seen, the roots don't grow out of the cut, they grow out of the nodes, and those other little dots on the bark. I have rooted six cuttings and none of them had roots at the end of the cutting (where it was severed from the mother tree). All roots came like I said. Now the nodes will produce the big thick roots instead of a branch, and from the little dots on the bark, thinner feeder roots will develop.
For me I think that cutting all it does is open a wound that will allow bacteria and fungus in, all my failed cutting when I dug them out, the cut part was rotten. So when I remove the air layer I will make the cut, and seal the exposed wood with a mix of resin, bees wax and candle wax.
Hope this helps.
Yes buddy you are perfectly right.
Hey Mike, another great video bud! But I'd like to throw in my 2 cents as far as your question goes. I would say that on any given area of the tree, there would be nutrients. So no matter what part of the branch you cut, there would still be nutrients on the branch above it, kinda like trapping the juices, it if that makes any sense.
Great video once again!
Thanks for the 2 cents. I welcome all ideas!
We truly need to be aware even with our own body anytime there is a wound all living matter goes into a survival mode of healing never an alkaline response always acidic and leaves room for disease and illness down the road unless properly healed and given the time to do so in an alkaline Lake an acidic one just breeds more illness and disease this is what western medicine and all the chemicals and drugs give us more illness and disease not true healing .
Truth is if we graft in any way any living matter it will fight to survive , I have come to the knowledge but every time we graft or clone or Force life on life in any way we're giving the seven generations if you do this for seven generations of any living being the deterioration in the lifespan become shorter and shorter until Extinction . but if we take things that have been genetically modified through these processes back the other way seven generations it can all come back to its original meant to be natural alkaline heirloom beginning .
this I am very sure and very aware of !!!!!!!!9
HHBpHhelps
Henry
@@henryphelps3590 ,
That seems about right__which is why you should not 'clone' the same part/branch/stem of the same plant multiple times. Reminds me of the movie, "Multiplicity" with Michael Keaton! 😳🌱🌿😺
@@debracisneroshhp2827 loving gratitude Deborah !!! I truly will not take up this practice it just rubs me wrong I truly enjoy growing from the seed . And believe for me anyway this is the only way it should be done loving and nurturing the seed always back to the soil . Also the leaf the stem and the root I leave for the soil I only eat the flower and the fruit for well over a year now and nine years I've been only fueling with living food except I've learned to fuel with raw vegetables is very destructive . I've been a follower of pH balance for over 9 years the whole time I've been a living foodist at now a fructivore frugivore as mankind is meant to be for 16 months now and I could go on a lifetime in speaking the most beautiful positive differences . And a much much healthier happier body !!!
I have experimented and done a bit of the layering . actually helping a friend do this that love to grow grapes and it's a great way to expand the growth of your grape Vines . we did this with raspberries to in his garden . with great success . as I've come to consider grapes and berries on the sustaining side not the life building side I really haven't fueled with them in quite a while also we worked very hard to sever new Sprouts from the mother plant as soon as possible and we were very careful to only use New Growth from the mother plant every time . and the couple other Growers I know that practice the layering and cloning and grafting also which I really disagree with I won't do this practice at all or even help them do it . All would only do any of these practices from a mother plant the one that was really into this would only clone or graft from one mother plant that he established and one of the oldest mother plants he had was actually 14 years old but he was very adamant to only take from New Growth every year and he would only mother plant from a plant be started from seed .
there was a gentleman I wish I could remember more of the details that would lead me to his show but I don't think he's doing the TH-cam anymore cuz I haven't seen or been able to find him . very interesting though he was very much into taking GMO modified fruits and vegetables back to their heirloom beginning . he was very ensuring had quite a bit of evidence of the 7-year or actually greater rule 7 generation because each plant from seed may not produce its first flower the fruit for three to four years . So the seven-year is only true to the vegetation that produces flour or its fruit in the first year .
and I spend most of my time because my greatest love is building rich soil through composting .
which over the years I've come up with a 7 year 7 step tradition that has produce the most richest soil .
I've also been working towards establishing seven separate Garden zones so one is left untouched on a 7-year rotation .
and working towards replacing machinery and equipment with farm animals . I have found if you want a beautiful garden goats are not the way to go for weeds they eat everything you don't want them . they do have their purpose in helping build soil and very useful in controlling suckers amongst well established trees . they will definitely devour you're new and young growth . I've had better luck with chickens donkeys and sheep . the chickens I've had would rather grazing in the grass then eat process seeds . the donkeys and sheep we replaced buy lawn mowers and trimmers and now I'm replacing the lawn mowers and trimmers with donkeys and sheep and chickens . and replacing the tillers with pigs and mules . All have to be managed and let into garden areas at the right time in the right seasons . I truly want to add alpacas bison oxen and always more chickens and donkeys !~) all bird life is highly welcome .
also very into becoming my own pretty much everything . and am now my own builder my own mechanic my own doctor becoming my own lawyer and finding a greater personal status in life . always aspiring to building the soil buy composting and becoming a grower and supplier of the flower the fruit . I've gotten into magnet fishing and metal detecting because I've been a scrapper forever and find this very enjoyable and productive way to help clean up and give our Earth Back To Nature unfortunately the Mindless polluting destruction never seems to end .
most recently I aspire to be a writer and the comments on TH-cam have become my practice .
so if you read all this and gotten through all the bad editing I truly send you very much loving gratitude !!!!!!!!9
Also as a living foodist only fueling with the fruits of vegetation for over 9 years now and only the flower the fruit for close to 16 months of that 9 years now . I truly feel and truly believe just from the response of my body even first-generation of Clone or graft and sticking to that rule doesn't matter that first generation is so inferior to the naturally given heirloom grown from seed nurtured with love and gratitude !!!!!!!!9 truly given by Nature when received when ready and given . even though or I'm still mainly surviving there no one's ever going to find it in a grocery store only the raped pillaged and taken too soon leaving me very rape pillage and taken in the grocery store .
I truly affirmate for the day we looked across the landscapes and see more fruit trees and flowers then rooftops and dry and Barren used up Farm and Ranch Land . so sad to see to wake up and see truly the destruction done by the raping and pillaging of our beautiful Earth of her coal oil and gases for our selfish destructive only perceptive needs truly unnecessary other than to enslave and destroy .
I truly believe that loving gratitude and pH balance spiritually is loving creators truly meant to be path.
🙈🙉🙊 and the other faceless 10 need to be exposed for all to see and find a better path .
🙊🙉🙈 truly the faces of government organized religion and Western medicine the puppets of the Puppet Master the self-appointed crown .
ALWAYS • BEWARE • OF • THE • ENSLAVING • FENCES • THE • CROWN • HAS • HEAVENLY • HANDED • LAID • DOWN • - • &• • •
the truth of peace light loving gratitude pH balance will bring equalizing freedom to all living beings !!!!!!!!9
❣❣❣❣❣❣❣❣😇 mutch loving gratitude for you Deborah !!!
HHBpHhelps
Henry
Figs gives roots even if you don't crack or cut the Bark
That is the real truth. I have successfully rooted stems without any scratch!!!!!!
Yes, I did a lot of air layering to propagate plants, based on my experiments and experience, fig tree is the most easiest tree to root. If the branch touches the ground, it will automatically root! That's why a lot of people use really thick fig stem cuttings to propagate. Unbelievable! Check it out my channel.
Thanks. We need to trim a schefflera. Why not make a new one?
Sounds like a great idea!
WOW, THIS IS AN AWESOME VID! LOVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM! Learn alot! I've been watching lots of air layering techniques but like yours the best. I want to do my husband's childhood fig in Orangeburg, SC for my daughter-in-law & son, (bigger yard)in Arden, NC near me. And to share to others too! Sooooo GLAD you added the bonus too! Tks So Very Much! 👏🏼🙌🏼🤩💯💞🌴
You're welcome, Myrna! Good luck with your project and I hope you have a ton of success!!!
A new video on airlayering is always welcomed. Mysterious and unattainable. The holy grail of garden Dome. . Ok roll the film. I'm buckled down
Thanks mike, awesome 👏 I’m gonna try this on a lemon and a Japanese maple 🍁
Good luck! Let us know how they turn out.
Like I commented elsewhere a airlayer cut will work when only practical removal of bark circumfronce is done . I did it on a pear tree root grew out one side
Thanks Mike, will be trying this on a rose, a camelia, and a crape myrtle next summer.
I'd love to see the results! Are you in the Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/346884795717132
What if you nip the tip of the branch. This would send the nutrients back down instead of growing higher? I ask this only because here up north I’ve picked up the practice of tipping the branches that have figs to push fruit development.
Wouldn’t those extra nutrients go back to help with root development since there are no figs to ripen?
Cool experiment if you ask me.
I’m now going to my school and try to root wild black raspberries by trying to tip root the first year growths. Wish me luck.
I do like the method you mentioned. Good luck on your projects!
I have one fig tree aside from others which are potted. The one that is planted on the ground, I bent down the twig down to the soil and cover it with some soil after clipping it so that the twig won't go away from the soil/ground. I think it only took one or two months, it rooted. Then I cut it and planted it in another space. No lot of hassles, right? Easy
Thank you, Mike. When you showed us the roots toward the end of this video, you said it was past the middle of September, but you didn't tell us when the layer would be removed. When did you remove it from the mother tree? Did you wait until dormancy? Lop it off in September? Or did you wait until Spring?
I didn't remove it and left the air layers in place all winter. They ended up not making it through the winter. I recommend cutting them from the parent tree now, potting them up, and protecting the new air layers.
Mike, where is your follow up video to this? I cannot find it. Also, isn't the xylem scraped away when you are scraping all the cambium away after you take all the bark off? I figured you would get them to root. It seems you can practically make a fig root just by looking at it. I would like to see how all this pans out though.
Hey Mike, I just had a thought about the cuts you made. Have you done some experiments with horizontal slits instead of vertical? My thinking is that a horizontal cut would make a bigger impact in the flow of the plant going from top to bottom (like it does in ‘notching’). So Im wondering how a horizontal cut would perform vs a vertical cut 🤔😅
I agree 100% and love your idea. I'll have to do a video experiment about it next summer when air layer season resumes.
Mike, Learning is everything and you are a great teacher. Thank You so much. I love it.
Awesome, thanks for being a part of it, Sam!
@@MikeKincaid79 Mike, I am going to send a letter to your mail PO Box 1705
Does this work for all trees like oaks or other hardwoods? Also does this work on weeping branches?
All trees are a little different but in the end, this method will work for just about anything, including weeping branches.
Awesome discovery Sir.
Excellent. 👍
Could you explain how you made the cut?
Was it upwards or downwards and how deep? Did u do several cuts on halfside leaving the opposite untouched? Would like to see more progress with this new technique.
The slices I made were just through the soft surface layers of bark and cambium, I didn't cut that deep and I used a downward motion on the knife. I'll keep you up to date on how they're doing next spring.
@@MikeKincaid79
Ok thx Mike for info.
Just to clarify if the stem is vertical you cut downwards underneath a node?
I'll try it myself to see if it was successful.
Another question did you add rooting hormone and do you keep wetting the potting soil or peat moss inside the plastic cup to encourage rooting?
Yes, cut downward along the length of the stem. I did add rooting hormone, it's in the video. I moistened the soil in the cup occasionally because I didn't seal it up with foil.
So interesting! Thank you, Mike!
Totally explains the wilt on my air layer because I did girdle the entire branch. Now I wish I had seen this first and didn't do that. The leaves are still alive so I know water is getting up but I still don't see any roots. It's been almost two months. I'm hoping it's just because it needs a little more time and it wasn't a failed attempt.
At this point, I'd give it more time. Sometimes it can take 3 months or more to get good results.
Tqvm! Will try it out
I've been looking for this information for a while......
Thank you very much, this all makes sense.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice. But also I remember when you did the roses 🌹 branch cutting. It was successful too 💚🌱
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍❤😘🌹
Neat experiment! A control with a full girdling would have been interesting to juxtapose.
Thanks, very true about the control. I need to do a real experiment with this when the fig orchard gets established. I think I would need multiples of each just to average out the results.
Let us know if it ends up working with you Rhododendrons. Great video btw. Thanks for lessons.
When I air layered my last few fig trees I just scratched the surface of the bark and they did great.
Great! Sounds like you're ahead of me on this one.
@@MikeKincaid79 I have a long way to go to catch up with rooting cuttings though!
Zavia that's what I do too and it works great. The risk of going deeper or doing a complete girdle is that if the air layer fails you are more likely to kill that branch.
Can i do this to the stem of my rose that has flowers? Thanks for the video.. more power to your channel..
Thanks! I don’t see why not.
This rooting idea sounds good. It's almost the same as layering except you are taking the soil to the branch instead of the branch to the soil. Should work great.
Yes, exactly!
Excellent, what a revelation!
Mike did you use seed planting soil, potting soil or your own blend? Secondly have you ever tried propagating a Magnolua tree or shrub? I have some I would like to try to do or is that wood too hard?
Thx
Great content!
Thanks, Rhonda! I used finely ground fir tree bark: th-cam.com/video/RSPLOLNXTD4/w-d-xo.html
Great tips Mike thank you for sharing .
No problem 👍
Make a experiment . coffee grounds or tea grounds for air layering is a Soil substitute I will try it in the future
great video Mike, going to try this out next spring. do I need to wait for the tree to begin showing leaves. thanks
I'd wait until it's actively growing in the spring.
this is exactly what I did on a Valdosta Mulberry because I constantly killing a young branch I air layered lol It's been only a week and I don't have to wait, you just confirmed my thoughts LOL
I just finished my first ever air layerd.
Did 6. Started july 15 removed august 24. Girdeled 1in around with root hormone. Im glad i decided to check because there was no more room for roots. Massive root balls on all of them. One thing I learned was start the air layer on lignified wood. I did 3 on green wood and 3 on brown. The 3 on green have major shock problems. Hope they live. The other 3 are perfect.
Really cool to hear about your experiment right now. I just started an experiment with air layering figs the other day. We're late in the season so my fingers are crossed.
All the shocked ones came back the next morning.
I wonder if anyone else cringed at 13:05...those fingers😬😊
Mike did you moisten the mulch before taping it up? thx
I did, and I watered occasionally over the weeks it was rooting.
Hey Fig Bro.. I air layer without removing any bark or even scoring the bark on fig trees. Especially where the growth is still green , the greener and fresher the growth the faster it generally roots. So no scoring or bark removal at all and you can get rooted air layers on fig trees with very very high success rates. I been testing it for 3 years and it works consistantly. Especially when done in the earlier parts of the year when its warm and trees are actively growing. I will do some this year and put it on here.
That’s fantastic! Thanks for sharing that. I’ll give it a go this season. Heck, maybe I’ll make a video about it.
Great content! Oh man wish you added a third experiment where you remove the layers all around the branch so we get to compare that approach vs. partial removal vs. only slits.
Great suggestion!
Mike it is great video. Can we adapt this method for Bougainville villas?
I believe so but I don't have any personal experience with that plant. I plan to get some eventually and try it.
Thanks for this video is full of alot of information that I still hadn't fully grasp the concept yet. I'm a lot closer. I'm a slow learner maybe the hit my head took earlier in the week. Lol
Dang it, Mark, quit hitting your head, lol!
Where will mark pass out next week 😁
Haha, you need to start the channel. I'll be the first sub.
Absolutely love how you present your knowledge, to put this short I cut too deep with saw on magnolia shrubs cleaning them up in a couple spots should I proceed with Air layering (predicting I sawed through xylem on 1/3 caliper)
As not to waste the plant I purchased
It wouldn't hurt anything to give it a try. Right now would be a great time to start the air layer.
Man iv learned so much watchn ur vids dude. Thanks. I wanted to ask ur opinion. Iv been watering my cuttings w creek water i shake it profusly to get air in the water and dissolve a asprin in it and iv had great luck so far. A tip from a vid an indian guy put out. I guess u prolly already knew that trick but thought id pass it on. Keep it up bro
Awesome! Yeah, the aspirin contains salicylic acid which is also a hormone that plants produce to cause vegetative growth. It's not a rooting hormone but it will help with plant growth. Hadn't hear of shaking the water up to aerate but it makes sense. I've got some ideas on this water aeration for propagation. Videos to come eventually.
Mike, why do you use peat moss for air layering and bark for cuttings?
I used bark for this air layering project.
I watched some earlier vids with the root pod but added a comment to the wrong vid. Doh!
This video is the best one I have seen for explaining the hows and whys of it, so thanks all your work. I got some root pods delivered this week and am dying to try them out.
They’re great. I think you’ll really like them. I used the peat in those because the pods are a smaller area and I wanted a material that held more moisture.
I’m fixing to try this today!
Let us know how it works out.
Very detailed video, you did a good job here !
Thanks!
Can I air layer a maple during winter. Is it too late to start now.
I'd wait until spring, when the tree is actively growing.
Is it possible that this particular Rhody is somehow a monocot and not a dicot and therefore has a complex vascular bundle, opposed to a uniform banded one and requires you to do a slit upwards opposed to a band taken away? Just a shot in the dark but can't learn if I don't ask.
Sorry, the particular Rhody you mentioned was withering when using the girdling method.
I learned so much from this video! Thank you
Glad to hear it, Heather!
Do you water the air-layer cup, or do you just water the pot and the plant waters the air-layer itself?
You don't want the medium in the cup to dry out so if it starts to dry out then you would need to add a little water. That being said, if you seal it up tight enough, it should root before it dries out. Yes, the plant will supply water to the top of the air layer because it's still attached.
It appeared the cup on your second plant was actually sitting on the ground. Would this method work on independent volunteer suckers on a fig tree
Absolutely, in fact, you can just dig them up in the winter and re-pot. no air layering required.
Hey, this is great. I'm about to embark on Air Layering my fig. Was wondering how yours worked out. I can't find a follow up video Mike. Ta!
They rooted but I started it too late in the summer so the little roots didn't make it through the winter here. I'm starting earlier this year.
Guava.. what month is good to layer it
Late spring, early summer.
Hello Mike,
If u do a airlayer by girgling the full branch of a fig, do u also get weak grow ore yellow leaves in the fig branch?
Yes, and that's why I wanted to try it this way, where I leave part of the bark intact.
i have the same with my RdB airlayers. Strange thing is that Ross Raddi does not have the problem with his BM. its full with airlayers and still is giving fruit and have healthy leaves.
I think I'm going to try this with Ziploc quart freezer (7x7 1/2") bags on my Hollies. Cut a notch in the top thru the zipper for the branch & split open down the middle. Can I use just Peat Moss for the medium as I have a lot of it already?
Yes!
Wish I saw this video before chopping into my koto no ito a a month ago with some clone-x gel at hand. Still no roots.
Beloved i want to know how to do layering WITHOUT coco cure or peat moss
Like you mentioned, just place it in the soil.
Thanks Mike!
Thanks, pal.
Very good new technic to airlayering !
Great video. I' give it a try on both methods.
It works great! Have fun, Janice.
Very interesting mike thank you .
Tip. You can buy a cheap soldering iron to melt holes in the cup, and lid to get a tight fit around the limb.
I really need to get one of those. Picked up some Christmas tree ornaments that I'm turning into air layering pods and the dremel is a slow method that makes a huge mess.