so i'm doing two air layer on one sucker. problem is, one of the air layer is now full of roots.. well.. not to a point that it's starting to circle around, but i see fat roots everywhere.

but the other air layer is not doing anything. there is no roots visible.

what i did was put the air layer on the top of the sucker, and another one on the side branch before that top air layer. the bottom side branch is putting out the roots well, but the top of the sucker is not.

any idea as to why this so?

pete

Pete this is just a guess but I believe that the plant provides (enzymes/ hormones/insert correct term here) in response to a pecking order and the limbs are first on that order. I am deriving this from a citrus discussion we had on encouraging flushes. A citrus branch WILL NOT GROW if it has fruit on it. Remove the fruit and it will then grow. The fruit removal triggers a release of something that my mind can't remember. There isn't any reason why other processes in plants do not behave similarly.

MAYBE?

charles, you might be right. i think i'll remove the branch air layer as soon as possible and remove all the branches and breba on that sucker.

pete

while waiting on the branch to finish rootin, i'm going to put choke on the upper air layer to see if that will push the roots out.

pete

Well... for a moment, it was getting me nervous.

Upper air layer has root!!!

I put choke on it... Saturday? When I checked it today, its pushing out fat roots.

Life is good.

Pete

What do you mean "choke"?

If you have roots today, my guess is they were in the process of forming anyway, not from something you did just on Saturday.

No matter the cause, congratulations. :)

I know.. but it's like voodoo, hocus pocus... I like to think of is a magic :)

Pete

You mean you just threatened it, rather than actually putting some sort of fig tourniquet around the stem.

With fig people you never know. ;)

is that what people call it? tourniquet? i thought it was choking the branch to have it give up.. lol

pete 

Ditto to what Gina said - already there just now they can be seen poking through with your eyes.
Always nice when things workout . ;  )

you are both right. i mean, i'm finding out more and more that fig really doesn't need me. i'm just trying to rush things.. but when it's time for the tree to do what it needs to do.. it will do it.

pete

Pete - did it say "uncle" then put out the roots? lol

noss,

from the pictures i uploaded, take a look at the last one.  you will see that i put plastic wrap tie on the bottom of the air layer below where the roots should be coming out. from what i read, that supposed to force root or something.

like gina and martin said, i'm sure the roots where already there, just that i coulnd't see it.

pete

joann..

it didn't get a chance to say "uncle". i put the choke on it and it had hard time talking.. :)

pete