Great day all, and hope you had a Happy Halloween!

A very generous member was kind enough to send me a rooted RdB, which was the last fig on my wishlist (until today, when I had to start a new wishlist with CdD thanks to seeing Herman's & Mike's!).  In exchange, I agreed to send him cuttings of my LSU Hollier & Cajun Gold.

He knows the plants were just rooted in March and aren't ready to take cuttings yet; and he has agreed to wait.  I'd really like to get him something ASAP and my Hollier looks perfect for air layering, but the wood is still a little green. 

This will be my first air layer, and, while I'm "guessing" that the wood does not need to be as hardened off as it would for a cutting, I wanted to get some opinions on the readiness of the Hollier to do an air layer.

Here's some pics:

The first Hollier is almost 6' tall since March and has those two lower branches that look ideal for air layering:



You can get an idea from the picture how green the wood still is, however, towards the very bottom of the branch, which is where I would do the air layer, it's not quite as bad:



What do you think?  Should I try an air layer now, or wait for a while?

Also, just as a little off-topic fun from sunny South Florida...anyone else getting blueberries in November? ;)



Thanks for your help!

Absolutely, you can air layer that.  My Ronde de Bordeaux was getting very tall and I air layered it right above the brown to green transition area.  It did just fine and is still doing great in the new pot.

As long as your plant has active growth, you can do an airlayer. It might take longer as the days are shorter, but it should work. I set one up a few weeks ago on one of mine - smaller than yours. I havent' checked to see if it has roots yet however. There is no hurry - I just want a back-up for a special fig.

The first air-layer I did was on Jon's Ischia Black (VdB type, not UCD). It was on a very young plant, a few months old and just about a foot tall. I did not cut away a band of bark however since it was so young I thought it might not have developed a cambium layer yet. I don't remember exactly, I think I might have made a few small nicks in the stem... and it started just fine. I gave it to a friend and a year later (in ground) it's now larger than the ones I have in pots.

Thank you!  Based on your recommendations, I did start an air layer just a few minutes ago.  It will be my first attempt at air layering, but from everything I've seen, as long as I don't let the medium dry out, the plant should do most of the work.  I'm anxious to see how it turns out.  I didn't use any rooting hormone, but I did take three 1" long thin vertical strips of bark off of three sides.

Just dont make your medium too wet or it will rot the tree,  just moist

I don't mind waiting Jon:)    

Yep my BB are blooming too have almost 200 bushes, it is mostly the Emeralds, Windsors and sweetcrisps.  Just means they are happy.

Give it about a month and you should be seeing some nice roots :)

You could have even set up multiple air-layers on all three stems, if so inclined to have 5-6 newly rooted trees.  There are a few threads on this forum showing multiple air-layers on an individual stem, which effectively turns the original tree into a "stock" plant.  All very interesting to see.

Check:  Air Propagators sold by Parkway Greenhouse for quick and easy air-layering.  I've used them with great success, and they are very convenient to use.  But the old soda bottle method works just as well.

Good luck with the new trees.


Frank

Did you see this video? It helps getting an idea.....

I solved my air layer problems using 2 kits. One is this one, the Air Propagator. The other one is called the Rooter pot. To the folks that I sent fig trees to last week, I used the air propagator to make your tree. Since I started using these, I have 100% success rate. I recommend them.

Dennis, based on your comment you like the Air Propagator the best? I am wondering about the amount of water that is soaked up
by the disc. Does that stay too wet and did you have to adjust that?

Hey, Mike, I don't use the disc that comes in the kit. It's just plain jane peat that's compressed. When you add water, they expand. I use this stuff called Pete's potting mix. I also use the red gel or honey after I scrap the bark. Pete's potting mix drains better than those compressed disc and I give the air layer liquid hormone every 5 days. After watering it. In 20 days, I can have a nice root ball depending on the amount of 70 degree temperatures. Which reminds me....I need to go hit a few air layers now.

Dennis, thanks for the info. I have been using Rooter Pots and
Q-Plugs and I really like them. I may give the Air Propagator a try.

The "Air Propagator" system is cheap, efficient, and very convenient to use.  Each half of he propagator balls come with four holes which are to be tied/wired shut to form a small spherical rooting chamber around the stem to be layered.  I wire two holes on the same side of the rooting-ball permanently, and the propagator will then swing open and can be closed around the stem like a clam shell, or, a book.  I fill both halves of the rooting ball with moistened, long-strand, sphagnum moss, and close the two halves around the stem and wire the unit shut, to form a rooting chamber.  I periodically re-moisten the sphagnum moss as needed with a turkey baster or squirt bottle.  When roots form and fill the ball-shaped chamber, snip the stems off the original tree, slip out the new root ball -  moss and all -  then plant the newly rooted air-layers into a 5 gallon training bucket.  Your done, and the air propagators can be reused indefinitely.  They are ready at a moments notice, and are very convenient to carry in the trunk of your car.  After all....you never know when you might want to throw an opportunistic, air-layer, on a desirable tree.



Frank

Frank, thanks for the step by step process you use. Sounds very simple and effective. Which size have you found to be good
for most propagation? Just curious if the medium would be sufficient or would I need the large to cover most trees.

Mike, and others....

Almost two years ago, when I ordered my 'Air Propagators', the larger size was not an option, or, available.  The smaller, original size is good for stems up to about 3/4" diameter or thinner.  Any stems larger than this diameter will need the larger propagators.

While the ball shaped, rooting chamber has a limited amount of space for the actual rooting medium, moss, etc. it was perfectly adequate for its intended use, i.e. to quickly air-layer a stem, and then continue to grow the new rooted plant in a larger container.  Air-layers started in Spring will have the majority of the growing season to re-establish, and continue to grow in a new location, or container.

My step by step description took me longer to write, and post, than actually using the "Air Propagator".  Bottles, aluminum foil, plastic boxes, all work, but the "Air Propagators" are amazingly quick and easy to put into use.  That's why I bought a set.  I hate work, and the "A-P" are convenient.  You could set up 6 air-layers in the time it takes to prepare a soda bottle, plastic box, etc.   Like I said, all the other methods will work just fine, but I like the convenience factor. 

The best part comes when the ball is filled with delicate roots.  You just open the "A-P" like a book, and gently lift out the rooted mass.  Then, just simply, slip the new packed, root-ball into a prepared container, and watch your new tree grow.  Unless you rip up the new roots from rough handling, there should be no set-back when your new tree is severed from the original plant.

I also use a thin, bamboo-skewer "cheater stick" to check the rooting area within the ball, for adequate moisture.

Good luck.


Frank

Is there a special time to do air layering?  I want to attemp this with my really tall Brown Turkey but what I fear is the lower half does not have any growth on it.  Would you recommend this?

here is the fig tree that I want to air layer

Purple/Kevin-

As long as the tree is actively growing, you can do air-layers.  You can even do multiple air-layers on that trunk =  more trees.

Is that 'Spanish Moss' growing and hanging off of some kind of rack?   Interesting....


Frank

Frank I am not sure the name of the moss but the my anut told me it is called Hermit Beard in Thai.  She only know the Thai name.  It take in water in two ways... if it gets wet or through air-roots.  It was free and cool.  I hang it on a wire that is a circle with zzzz partern bends in it.  They sell them here in Bangkok for 25 cents.(wire rack included)