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TucsonKen

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 
So far, the few air layers I've done have only been on fully-lignified wood, but I assume, from other posts about summer cuttings, that green wood ought to work fine as well. Can anyone report on their experience with green wood air layers?
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Ken
Tucson, Arizona
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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
Hi Ken,
I have two green wood air layers under way, but not much to report as yet.
also two green wood cuttings underway, the only thing I can say about those is that they are not drying up and dying.

grant
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Grant
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rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Ken,

Good question.

Never attempted to air layer green wood but have had good success rooting green wood cuttings.

Good luck with the project
satellitehead

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
It would be very hard to find the cambium layer on green wood.

Is it necessary to peel away cambium layer on green growth?

I have a ground shoot on my Marseilles Black VS that is almost 12" tall right now and I wanted to airlayer, so I am interested in the process if anyone has written about it.
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Jason
Atlanta/Grant Park area - z8
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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
I tried it this year on my Tashkent. I cut off  little slivers of the bark to the cambium layer at different intervals going around up for about 5 inches. I used a box cutter and sliced off strips in upside down V's going to about 1/4 to 1/3" wide. I alternated around the width going up the distance of the 5 inches. I used a clear plastic bagfilled up with peat and perlite.

I wasn't happy with FMV  so I chopped the existing tree off and kept the air layer  attached to the root system instead.

When I changed everything around, I removed the air-layer and saw roots emerging in several places along where I cut. They were about 2- 3 inches long after 3 weeks. With a little tweaking-maybe using foil for more heat penetration- I thing you can do it just like any other one. Just maybe a little more time since its growing as well.
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Dominick
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TucsonKen

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Jason, I had read in a post recently that girdling isn't necessary, but that you can just sand the nodes a bit to break through the bark surface. Dominick's experience seems to confirm this, so I plan to try some green shoots along with a couple of more mature branches and compare the results.
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Ken
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JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Bass shared this link >> http://treesofjoy.com/blog/?p=85 << to his blog with photos in this post back in June.

I followed his steps and rooted three all green wood 3-4" Smith cuttings that I pinched off an air layer that I potted in mid-July. All are doing well, about 6-7", now uncovered, and on a shaded porch with indirect sunlight. I will check for roots and likely separate them once they lignify.

The photos were taken the day I pinched, potted, and covered.

Attached Images
jpeg smith008.jpg (163.71 KB, 25 views)
jpeg smith009.jpg (177.96 KB, 22 views)
jpeg smith010.jpg (119.15 KB, 27 views)


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jd | tallahassee.fl | zone 8b
rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Jimmie,

I started a Smith cutting about 18 months ago if I am not mistaken. I do know it was from over a year ago.
Up to a month ago it was no larger than the largest one you are showing.
Had it in the house all Winter long. Wouldn't budge.

So last month I decided to take it out of the cup and loosen the soil and re-pot with new soil ( potting mix ). So far it looks like it was a good idea.

Hope your pull through, I hear many good things on this fig.

Good luck
JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Thanks Rafed!

See those white circles on the main stem of the air layer in the attached photo. That's where I pinched them off. The layer and those little ones appear to be doing well.

Attached Images
jpeg smith004A.jpg (120.55 KB, 26 views)


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jd | tallahassee.fl | zone 8b
rafed

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 
Looks good Jimmy,

Is that a Smith too?
daygrower

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
I put a green wood aielayer on my Nero I wanted to pinch the tip to make it branch so I went down about 6" and just broke a couple leaves off wraped it in sphagnum and foil
It took a little longer to root but when it did there were alot more roots in the foil
I have potted it up and it is doing well
I did have to take cuttings off the top though in the time it took to root it grew another 15"
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Jim
zone 8b
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JD

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Rafed,

Yes. It is a Smith. In the photo attached, the Smith is tripled branched in the pot on the right and the air layer shown in post #9 is the one on the left.

FYI. LSU Scott's Black is the tree in the pot on the left. Those were breba.

Attached Images
jpeg smith000.jpg (297.21 KB, 18 views)


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jd | tallahassee.fl | zone 8b
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