Air layering

[CrealCritter]

FYI...
Its been 39 days or 5 weeks and 4 days since I started this air-layer on this fallen peach tree. As you can see, it looks like roots are just now starting to form. So I closed the rooting ball back up and will check again around 8 weeks.

Patience...

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Lazy Gardener]

One of my apple trees is suckering. So... I'm thinking I should air layer that sucker. The sucker will provide good root stock for some more apple trees. What diameter of growth works best? The sucker is about 1" diameter at it's base. If I air layer, which will produce a good top for a new tree, I'll still have the original sucker, which can possibly be grafted to produce yet an other variety. There is a method of small back yard orchard management where they plant several trees in the same hole, and manage them as a single tree. I'll have to study the tree, and study the method to see if that would be practical in my situation.

 

[CrealCritter]

D

One of my apple trees is suckering. So... I'm thinking I should air layer that sucker. The sucker will provide good root stock for some more apple trees. What diameter of growth works best? The sucker is about 1" diameter at it's base. If I air layer, which will produce a good top for a new tree, I'll still have the original sucker, which can possibly be grafted to produce yet an other variety. There is a method of small back yard orchard management where they plant several trees in the same hole, and manage them as a single tree. I'll have to study the tree, and study the method to see if that would be practical in my situation.

Diameter doesn't seem to matter as long as it's not huge. If it's new growth or sucker as you say, I would give it a try. My limited experience tells me, new tender growth seems to work best when air layering. It may be a little late in the season to try and air layer though. it's best when the tree just came out of dormancy and the sap is flowing. It may still work but I would expect the failure rate to be higher in the heat of summer, than in the cool of spring.

I'm no expert here by any means. Just self taught, through trial and error. So I have to defer to those who have more experience than I do. I pointed to a couple of internet articles a few posts back, that I thought were informative and obviously demonstrated more experience, than I currently have.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Just another addition (hopefully helpful) on willow water rooting hormone.

I have numerous white willows growing around the pond. After reading this article, my whole pond might just be rooting hormone. Wouldn't that be something else I already know the pond water is great for fermentating chicken feed. I may need to try some on plants and see what happens.


I did use water out of the pond to soak peat moss in. Because I already know it doesn't have chlorine or clorimine in it, that might prohibit the nature of things in the green world. So I may have unknowingly double whammy'ed my air layer attempts with willow water rooting hormone.

Make Your Own Rooting Hormone From Willow Twigs

Make your own natural plant-rooting hormone from willow twigs for watering seedlings, transplanting and plant propagation.

mrbrownthumb.blogspot.com

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Hinotori]

I thought you needed fresh new growth twigs to make rooting hormone. I have lots of swamp willow I've used before. I used tips of new spring growth and the blender before soaking it. Same blender I use when I play at papermaking so it's fairly strong.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

D

Diameter doesn't seem to matter as long as it's not huge. If it's new growth or sucker as you say, I would give it a try. My limited experience tells me, new tender growth seems to work best when air layering. It may be a little late in the season to try and air layer though. it's best when the tree just came out of dormancy and the sap is flowing. It may still work but I would expect the failure rate to be higher in the heat of summer, than in the cool of spring.

I'm no expert here by any means. Just self taught, through trial and error. So I have to defer to those who have more experience than I do. I pointed to a couple of internet articles a few posts back, that I thought were informative and obviously demonstrated more experience, than I currently have.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

Thanks. Given that information, I'll just wait it out, and have a go at it next spring. More than enough to keep me busy w/o adding a new project.

 

[CrealCritter]

I thought you needed fresh new growth twigs to make rooting hormone. I have lots of swamp willow I've used before. I used tips of new spring growth and the blender before soaking it. Same blender I use when I play at papermaking so it's fairly strong.

I'll take your advise over an internet article, any day of the week. Expecially if it from a website called "mr brown thumb"

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I thought you needed fresh new growth twigs to make rooting hormone. I have lots of swamp willow I've used before. I used tips of new spring growth and the blender before soaking it. Same blender I use when I play at papermaking so it's fairly strong.

Do you use this for air layering? Would you try it in the heat of summer? I can get some willow.

 

[Hinotori]

I can't for the life of me remember which gardening book I got the info out of. It's been decades now. I know certain willows work better. You can just peel both bark layers off of new growth and use that to soak. The wood doesn't add anything.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

What about the leaves?