I am a newbie in this forum.
Right now I have an air layer fig tree that I plant couple months ago. Now I see a sucker that grow side by side with the main tree..... My question is , what is the best way to seperate the sucker ? Do I need to wait until the sucker grow bigger ? Or wait until the wood turn brown before I do the separation ?...... Any suggestion or input will be highly appreciated...... Thanks guys

Regards,
Ong
Jakarta ,Indonesia

The tree is about 1 m high, I plant it in the size 30cm pot

The sucker is about 30 cm high

The closer look at the sucker that grow side by side with the main tree

Wait until it gets a little bigger the do an air layer on it. If its still green just pluck the leaves where the layer will be. That's it. Good luck.

Yes. Exactly.

If you would like to have a constant source of air layer material, leave a couple nodes above soil level before you set the air layer. (10-15cm). When you separate that air layer it will prompt the lower nodes to put up more suckers, then repeat. Have Fun!

Thanks guys for the information..... So basically I do not separate the sucker, but do the air layer on it.
Does it will hurt the main tree if I do the separation on the sucker ? Just curious to know. Thanks guys



Jakarta, Indonesia

Are you trying to remove the sucker and trash it or are you trying to make another tree? If all you want to do is seperate the sucker and throw it away, you can do that anytime. Try to cut as close to the main truck as possible.

Yes, that tall fig sucker is still way too-green to separate...

I am not even sure if it is a shoot or a sucker!
If a sucker; does it even has its own roots yet?
(maybe adding an extra inch of potting soil may help it do so.)

Let it mature some more (think: brown skin); then depending on
the amount of roots, you may need to top-trim it (as cuttings) too.

@ adelmanto, I try to separate the sucker to get another tree of it.........
@gorgi..... It is a sucker ,not a shoot..... The thing is I don't know how root on it ......
Because the sucker is just about 1 month something.... Thanks for the advise
I'll wait maybe another month before do the separation...

Jakarta, Indonesia

@gorgi.... Please look at my profile pic, because I cannot upload it in this post....
I don't know what is the problem, but every time I upload the pic (after the attachment is done)
When I click add reply, my pic will disappear.......
That is the pic of the shoot. Correct me if I'm wrong......

     I took off 2 green suckers this past season from two different trees and they were both successful, however the suckers were attached to the main trunk just below the soil level, therefore they both had small root systems of their own (just a couple of root hairs)...I notice that yours is attached to the trunk above the soil level, so I would take the advice mentioned above, and wait until the wood hardens off and then do an air layer...good luck.

@ Vince, thank for the input..... Actually the sucker that I have is coming from under the soil and the
bark near the soil is starting to change colour to brown colour, I try to post the pic that show better.
My attachment always doesn't show in the post. How tall is your sucker when you separate them ?....
Could you post the pics ?
Thanks

     The suckers were only about 4 to 5 inches tall, with leaves, (1 Kadota & 1 Alma), and because they had small root systems they survived...I also took 3 or 4 "above ground" cuttings(small green branches)as an experiment to see if they would root...I put them in root riot cubes in late spring-early summer, and they also rooted in about 30 days(I trimmed back the leaves so that the energy from the cuttings could concentrate on growing roots)...these cuttings also survived...as far as pictures, I have none available, because all the cutting & sucker plants were given away to local gardners and fig growers.

The look of the sucker by today....

They sprout off a node from main trunk under soil .
Eventually it can be airlayered.

@ Martin ... So the sucker still have to be air layer ?... If I want to separate the sucker.

What will happen is sucker grows very fast and will develop some roots also between the main trunk and up to point where it comes out , if separated when plenty of roots develop the sucker itself should be cut small to match the root system.

Also when sucker first comes out one can use a hook wire to secure it and as it grows you another hook and bury some more so you have more stem under to develop roots.
Thats just another method that work.

The safe way and works well is here in picture useing what ever you have at home in this case a large soda cup i found outside with lid.
Similar to your sucker growing i cut cup placed around green branch and just waited until it showed lots of root then trimmed of upper part of sucker to match amount of roots.
Suckers can grow fast and faster than main plant itself.

Click to enlarge.
Hope this helps give idea's.

Thanks guys for the suggestion .......
At last I decided to seperate the sucker, not air layer it.......
This the picture of the sucker after 2 days.....