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
2- rub organic matter (sphagum/moss + aloe vera) around the wound
pictured: rubbing aloe vera as the natural rooting hormone 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
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!
