After reading about everyone saying how easy it was, this past summer my wife and I made our first foray into air layering some branches on our Violette de Bordeaux, Blue Celeste, and Black Mission. This was driven by the rotting of too many of the cuttings I have tried to root over the last couple years.

We used moistened green sphagnum moss in small disposable water bottles. A soldering iron was used as a hot knife to cut open the bottles and open a hole in the bottom for the branch to pass through. Packing tape and aluminum foil sealed in the water. Periodic checking of the moss for moisture surprised me at how long it stayed damp in the hot summer we had. The Black Mission and VdB rooted readily, while the Blue Celeste took much longer.


The Supplies


Using the soldering iron to cut open the bottle


Girdling ~1" wide strip with my grafting knife on the VdB


Applying the damp sphagnum moss-filled bottle with the girdle near the bottom


After tape and foil

 
The Black Mission after about one month, ready to plant

 
Potting up in a 1-gal with pumice, sand, and peat moss

 
 
Black Mission after potting   

 
Black Mission and VdB in the 'nursery'

This was a fun experiment, I'm sure I will try it again if I have any long branches that will otherwise get pruned. It sure beats checking cuttings every day for proper humidity levels/mold.

Nice results good job

I think I am going to try this year as well assuming some of by above ground growth its still alive. Thanks for the pictures.

GREAT JOB!!!

Nice work, nice documentation of the process.  I am also going to try air-layering this year for the first time, but here I still have a long while to wait for warm weather :(

Great job...air layering is definitely the way to go, if you want a ready made tree....

Good job!  My first air layer was on VdB too!  I made two.  One for me and one for my son's family.  They are young and too busy for kids.  They water it now and then, when I come over and inquire...... LOL. 

I plan on doing several air layers this year on my favorite fig trees.  Trees I would hate to lose to gophers.  I'll keep the extras in containers just in case of death to gopher.

Suzi

GRATE FIRST ATTEMPT AND YOU DID IT LIKE A PRO. I believe that this can be done on any tree. I did it to my plum tree over winter and just planted it 3 weeks ago and it is in full bloom. If i would have took a cutting and not a air layer it would have not bloomed for 5 years. Air layers keep the trees to their true age. So definitely rhe way to go

Super nice roots, nice photos. :)

I've also used empty water bottles cut down for air-layering. I was successful using a good pair of pruning sheers to do the cutting instead of anything hot.