Makes sense to me--thanks very much for the input. I don't have access to a greenhouse, but I'll improvise something to raise the humidity and temperature, once the leaves drop and I cut it loose from the parent.

Yes, I second what Jon is saying. The prob. with leaving the air-layering on there is it becomes a maintenance issue! Too dry in there, you'll end up with zilch. (Altho' sometimes you can get away with resurrecting it but too risky over the winter).

For all you *shrubbers* (as opposed to tree-ers) out there: easiest *air layer* is to mound up some loamy soil or compost around the base of your fig bush & either weight down a branch with a rock or ground staple it (?coat-hanger bent into a U-shape?), mound soil over the branch, wet it down, cover in plastic and wait 4 - six weeks & voila. You'll have root city.
Works like a charm here if I get them going May through July.
I've done a number of these the past few years.

FYI, here's a follow-up shot of last year's Black Mission air layer that I was initially worried might have been too big to root successfully. I cut it from the mother tree as soon as the leaves fell, and planted it in this Costco pretzel jar. Normally the transparent plastic is shaded by a layer of corrugated cardboard, and it sits in a shallow tray filled with an inch and a half of water to keep the young root system from drying out. New root growth is already spreading out against the sides of the "pot".

No picture :(

Odd--it was there when I posted, and now it's gone. I wonder if it vanished because I went back to edit a typo?? I'll try again.

Ken, you have a thing of beauty there!

Thanks Jason--it's always exciting when you try something new and it works!

i've received two airlayers thus far from figfriends, both were amazing.  if i had my choice, i would airlayer every time instead of sending cuttings.  it's so much more effective and the plant seems to take off and develope a thousand times better.

what you show is solid proof.

how old is that, again?

I started the air layer in mid-July of 2010, but unfortunately, didn't record the date when I cut it loose. I'm guessing it was late November or into December. I don't think there's been much, if any, branch growth since starting it--just that little bit of new green in the last few weeks. I'm probably not out of the woods yet, since as it continues leafing out it might begin to transpire more moisture than it can take up through its new roots, but I'll keep a close eye on it and it it starts looking stressed I can always move it into some filtered shade. Right now it's in full sun, which seems to make the new leaves grow in a little smaller and thicker, so maybe it will be able to acclimate okay right from the start.

I am excited to see what everyone is doing with this technique. I did 6 Black Madeira air layers starting kind of late in the season. They took longer to root (what else is new) than other air-layers I had done. Took them off in late Fall, and put the in the greenhouse for the winter. They have thrived there and are ready to go to the people who reserved them last Fall. I will definitley do more air-layers in the future.  I did a similar number of Panache air-layers but was not as attentive with keeping the rooting medium wet, one got too heavy on the tree, and broke off and I screwed one up when removing it from the water bottle for potting up - Still, ended up with 3 winners.

I'll resurrect this older thread to get some thoughts from the experienced ones here.  Has anyone done any studies on whether figs do better with girdling versus not girdling/wounding when attempting an air layer?  

Air layers have worked well for me in the past (using girdling) and I'm thinking I'll try it again this year without girdling in case some of the air layers don't "take" or I forget to keep the soil media moist enough.  Without girdling there would seem to be no harm done to the tree if it happens to fail.  Thoughts?

Tim i never have girlded any of our airlayers and to date only 1 has failed me being my fault from not securing the bottle to branch.

I do the same scoring and rooting hormone I use on cuttings.

This is the exact technique I have used to successfully air layer hardy Chicago ,VDB, MVSB, atreano and Sicilian red.

Here is my air layer I did today on a smaller Panache branch that would other wise be pruned for crossing.

Every time I girdle for an airlayer the branch dies. That's it. I got a few suckers on my hardy chicago that I am attempting a layer on. I just cut the bottem off of a gal pot and sunk it in the soil around the shoot, fill with soil and hope for the best.

Darn i was useing the small tiller today around inground Hc that has a few airlayers and snagged the green stretch stuff holding bottle to trunk and ripped setup right off . lol
Oh well.

Martin ,
just stay away from your potted trees if you have the power hedge trimmer going.

Kerry lol.

I can tell you firsthand dont wear sandals useing the weedwacker and watch were your fingers are placed on limbs when useing a pruner. 
Don't ask how i know. ; )

Also never ever lazily grab top of lawnmower with 1 hand and and use other hand to pull start it as the dang muffler just might be sitting off to the side waiting to burn some fingers  .
Don't ask how i know.  ; )

Lawn tractor is much easier and faster as it has a wider cut but if you have a 5 inch drain pipe in back of yard with a slight hill above it never ever try to use the lawn tractor to cut that part as one can flip tractor and themselves and come tumbling down .
Don't ask how i know .  ; )

Use the weedwacker for that part but just don't wear sandals in doing so !


Just a few tips that can save a lot of pain.
Don't ask how i know.

Martin,

I think you mean to say "Don't wear sandals AND SHORTS while using the weedwacker."  Don't ask how I know.  ;)

I have to ask. :)
Did you use a weed eater with sandals?