Fun with Plants: Air Layering (pt.2)

Success on our cacao air layers! Here are steps to check when your air layer is ready for the next steps:

1. Take a peek into the attached ball of dirt and check for root growth. If the entire thing is soft roots, it’s ready to come off the branch!

PIctured: Checking out the root growth

PIctured: Checking out the root growth

2. Cut the branch off the plant and find it’s next happy home.

Pictured: Newly cut air layer branch

Pictured: Newly cut air layer branch

3. If you were able to let the roots grow to full maturity, you can put it straight in the ground, if not, give it some time in a pot and let it grow stronger roots.

  • If you decide to put it straight in the ground, be sure to turn the dirt and make sure it’s nice and nutritious for the new plant (ex., adding compost, fertilizer, charcoal, and mulch).

pictured: Putting newly cut air layer branch in the ground. soil has been turned and fertilized

pictured: Putting newly cut air layer branch in the ground. soil has been turned and fertilized

Lastly: love it, water it, fertilize it, talk to it, let it do its own plant magic, and one day it will feed you!

Fun with Plants: Air Layering

Air layering is a method of propagating plants, trees, or shrubs that focuses on duplicating characteristics of an original plant onto an offspring plant. Both the mother and the new plant will continue developing with no adverse effects while taking much less time compared to starting a plant from seed. While there are numerous ways to propagate plants, such as cuttings, layering, division, budding, grafting, and starting from seed (which can take months or even years) these processes often lose the identical genetic build up of the parent plant; while air layering allows for maintaining a genetically parallel new plant! 

What is Air Layering? 

Within plants, there are two main systems of vascular pipes: the phloem tissue located directly beneath the bark, and the xylem tissue separated from the first system by the cambium layer. The phloem tissue behaves like a conduit for the byproducts of photosynthesis such as sugar to be transported to the lower parts of the plant – the roots are nourished from this source. The xylem tissue transports nutrients and minerals, such as water, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, from the roots to the leafy parts of the plant and is much thicker than the phloem tissue. Air layering requires wounding this phloem layer to interrupt the flow of sugars and photosynthates to the roots resulting in their accumulation on this layer. This process encourages the growth of adventitious roots in the wounded area to start growing (roots as opposed to leaves) with a little help from a rooting hormone and a moist medium. 

Air layering is one of the most popular methods for propagating plants because not only does it ensure exact genetic material from the parent plant, but it’s also a simple process that doesn’t require a fancy degree, special tools or hormones, and is fairly straightforward for even the novice gardener. In a nutshell, air layering is accomplished through wounding the bark of the plant or tree, wrapping a bit of organic matter around the “scar,” most successful combination being aloe vera and  sphagnum or peat moss. Aloe vera is a natural rooting hormone and sphagnum or moss is for the roots to hang on to when it starts to expand. This is a process that often occurs naturally in the wild when a low hanging branch or stem touches the ground and begins to take root on its own. This is an asexual process that transfers the genetic parent material directly to the newly rooted stem, which eventually can be separated from the parent to start a new plant. For this process to be successful, it must be conducted in a moist environment allowing aerial roots to form, which is where some form of plastic wrap or any kind of encasement will help!

The process (in 3 easy steps!)

1- wound a section of the parent material at the stem of any branch, preferably, a healthy and strong looking branch; this can be completed through either peeling the bark or shaving/cutting it away with a tool. 

pictured: wounding a healthy and established stem

pictured: wounding a healthy and established stem

2- rub organic matter (sphagum/moss + aloe vera) around the wound 

pictured: rubbing aloe vera as the natural rooting hormone around the wound

pictured: rubbing aloe vera as the natural rooting hormone around the wound

pictured: blanketing moss around the wound

pictured: blanketing moss around the wound

3- secure it with any natural tie or twine, such as coir coconut fiber, and cover the entire thing with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap serves to conserve moisture, a necessary component for growth.

pictures: wrapping the organic matter around the wound by using banana trunk fiber as a way to tie tightly and securely

pictures: wrapping the organic matter around the wound by using banana trunk fiber as a way to tie tightly and securely

The rooting time for any plant to produce roots will vary, from a couple of weeks to a few months, but with a little patience roots will begin emerging – once the roots are visible, remove the wrapping, cut down the branch, and  pot it as you would any other plant. Simple, right? 

Lastly… Share with us!

We would love to see the unique ways you do air layering and the interesting plants you decide to do it with, so if you try this method let us know or tag us on your social media. We look forward to your plant stories and successes! Mahalo Aina!  

Fruit Review: Acerola Cherry

“I’m very into these acerola cherries (Malphigia emarginata), but they’re apparently quite common in like every tropical and subtropical region of the world so I’m just late to the party. There are a few of them on the farm and each plant tastes pretty different, which is cool, but this one’s my favorite: it tastes like a sharper-flavored cherry jolly rancher. The fruit is much softer than that of our temperate cherries and the skin doesn’t have the same snap, but instead of sweet and musky the flavor is incredibly bright and acidic. The skin on its own has an interesting spiced flavor that makes me think of mulled wine (?) and the pit is actually three disconnected brainy lobes like the one you can see in the first pic. It has one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C of any plant!

The mature plant is a gangly shrub, and a pollinator favorite. It’s not quite as majestic as some of the other plants but I like it!!

8.5/10” Caleb O’Reilly







Featured Food of the Week: Eggfruit or Canistel

Eggfruit or Canistel

Pouteria campechiana

Canistel is produced from an evergreen tree native to, and cultivated in, southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and El Salvador. The edible part of the tree is its fruit, known as an egg fruit.

The Fruit

The flesh is somewhat pasty and has a creamy mousse-like texture. The flavor is rich and is reminiscent of an egg-custard. The fruit may contain between one and six large brown seeds. Low is water content and high in calories.

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How do you eat it?

It can be eaten fresh. Cut fruit in half, remove the few shiny black seeds from the center, and scoop out the flesh. The thin rubbery skin is not edible.

The ripe fruit can also be made into jam, marmalade, pancakes, and flour. The ripe flesh is blended with milk and other ingredients to make a smoothie, when pureed it is sometimes added to custards or used in making ice cream. It is also used in a milkshake known as "eggfruit nog".

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Canistel Banana Creme Pie

Here’s a 3-ingredient Pie recipe using Eggfruit. All you need is Eggfruit, Banana, and Dates!

Ripeness

When ripe, it has the texture of a hard-boiled egg yolk. Eggfruits should give to the touch, indicating that their smooth pulp is ready for consumption. Though some find the smell off-putting, canistels also emit a musky aroma when ripe.

Why is it good?

Like other orange-colored fruits, eggfruit is high in beta-carotene and niacin. Which protects eyes, gives hair sheen, and maintains healthy skin. It helps with preventing and eliminating various inflammations in the body. Due to the high levels of minerals present in the fruit, it may help lower blood pressure. Lastly, the carotenoids help fight cancers, age related degeneration, depression, headaches, heartburn, and high blood pressure.

Egg_Fruit-2.jpg

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pouteria_campechiana

http://theindianvegan.blogspot.com/

https://steemit.com/health/

Images:

Forest Starr and Kim Starr, - Flikr

Featured Food of the Week: Eggplant

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Eggplant

*not a plant that grows eggs.

It's actually a fruit! Eggplant contains a lot of rich minerals, is high in antioxidants, and is very healthy for your heart!

Learn More >

Roasted Eggplant Recipe

Learn how to roast cubed eggplant. Healthy, less oil than frying, tasty caramelized results. Yummy finger food, or add to your favorite recipe.

You’ll need: 1 eggplant, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, & your favorite seasonings

See the full post >

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