Air Layering_Too late?

Hello all,

I wanted to air layer some apple & pear trees. I was originally under the impression to start this in the summer while the tree is in growth but, have read recently that Spring is the time to start.
I'm in Northwestern PA, ~hardiness zone 5.

Is it ok to start air layering right now ?

Thanks

Anyone? I'm replying because I want to know the answer too

Yes you can air layer now and all the way to the beginning of August.

you will need either willow water or rooting hormone, sphagnum moss and a water proof wrapping material.
(I use Visqueen pieces cut to wrap around the branch and moss twice and long enough to be tied to the branch above and below where I want the roots growing).

For layering this time of year pick a branch that is at least as large in diameter as your thumb, make 4 narrow V slits 3" long in the bark, these need to be deep enough that you almost get to the solid wood but not through it.
Next put rooting hormone into the slits then moisten the sphagnum moss with willow water or room temp non chlorinated water.
Wrap this around the rooting area so it is two to three inches thick (5 to 8 cm) next put on the wrap and tie off with butcher twine (cotton twine) just tight enough to keep water from leaking out.
You will need to check for drying out of the moss, you want it damp all the time. Once you can see roots poking through the moss you are ready to cut the branch free and plant in a 5 gal nursery container or a pail with drain holes or directly in ground.

If all you have is treated, city water, no problem just heat the water and pour into a container that is large enough that you can stir easily so the chlorine will gas off.
You need to prep your water at least two days before you will use it so you can be sure to have all chlorine removed from the water.

Notes:
Willow water can be used in place of rooting hormone if it is fresh.
In this case, soak the moss then lightly mist the cuts with the willow water before you continue as above.
If you have any questions or problems let me know so I can help you.

Spring time layering is usually recommended because roots will form a tad faster.
The only time of year you can't air layer is winter dormancy, this starts 8 weeks before leaf fall.

Air Layer early enough that your new rooting will have time to really establish after being removed from the mother tree and planted.
I have some pear, mulberry and fig trees that I will be layering a few branches on next month (near our peak heat).
Just so you know it is viable to layer in the summer; I've done layering on Fig, Peach, Pear, Apple, Plum and grapes in August and rarely loose a start.

Redhawk

Ah, glad to hear it's not too late!

I actually went a head and did some trees this morning - before I saw your response. I went off of information I gathered from y0utube videos.
Some of the branches I did were thumb size in diameter, others were about the size of pencils in diameter. From what I heard, pencil size is an acceptable minimum diameter.
I also heard that rooting hormone is not necessary so, I didn't use any.

The method I used was as follows:
made a girdling cut all the way around a new growth branch ~1-2 inches tall. Took a knife and completely scraped off all the cambium as well (Perhaps removing ALL the cambium was a mistake?).
took a potting mix made for seedlings & cuttings - ingredients from memory: (Sphagnum peat moss, dolomite lime, wetting agent, maybe some growth hormone?) placed around cut as you mentioned.
wrapped that w/ plastic wrap secured with duct-tape, then covered with aluminum foil to prevent sunlight penetration.

This is different than what you suggested, do you think what I did will have a chance?

In 43 years of grafting and air layering I have never had success with the girdling technique, that doesn't mean it won't work, just that it doesn't work for me.

Rooting hormone is insurance, I did this professionally so I didn't want nor could I afford to not have success all the time.

Yes you can use small branch diameters, but think of it this way, the larger the branch, the better root system you can develop, the better the root system the better chance of survival the new tree has.
Then you have growth time, the smaller diameters take longer to get big enough to start fruiting.

The Cambium layer is where all growth originates, if you remove that, new roots have to grow so the new tree will live, if the leaves wilt you have a failure.
The slit method keeps the branch's ability to get nutrients from the mother tree while it grows the new roots.
The slit method also allows you to dictate where roots are going to originate and how many main roots you will end up with.
Girdling allows the branch to make those decisions instead of the propagator.

What you did will work, but it is more dependent upon exterior conditions (heat, humidity) the aluminum foil keeps out light, it actually isn't a necessary step.

check your work weekly so the moss doesn't dry out ever, if it does you lost that game most likely since those roots need to stay moist to stay alive.

If you decide to try my method you will have all successes, I spent several years perfecting a method that doesn't fail very often, in fact I have never had a failure with it.
I recommend you check one or two after a couple of weeks, if you don't see little white bumps formed or forming (the start of new roots) then strip it down and use some root hormone and re-wrap with fresh moss that is moist.

If you don't have, don't want to buy rooting hormone and don't have willow trees to make willow water with, Vitamin B-12 will induce root formation, we use V B-12 to water in newly transplanted trees, it stimulates roots to grow thus preventing shock.

Redhawk

What you're saying makes logical sense to me. I thought about how leaving some/most cambium intact would be a good thing.
Thanks for replying back again, it's great to hear tips from one who really knows what they're doing.

Just to make sure I understand you, I made a drawing of what I think you mean concerning the cut's. Please critique.

Thanks.

Yes, that drawing shows one of the best methods, you can also make simple straight lines with your cuts, both work great.

I usually make my cuts with two strokes, both at about 30 degrees so the cut makes a V, this gives the root hormone more space to cling or if your hormone is coming from willow water, it give it more area to penetrate and start the root formation process.

Ok thanks! Seems way simpler(hopefully better) than the girdling method - wonder why the girdling methods shows up all the time when researching?

I'm going to try your method on a pear tree next, will keep you posted on the results.

Thanks again.

The girdling method is most often used (by me) for changing the root pattern of Bonsai Trees, where you really want even spacing all around the trunk of the tree.
Even when doing this I do not completely girdle the tree since that makes it a live or die situation and with my Bonsai trees selling for 50 to 500 dollars, I really don't want to loose a few years work.

I have no idea why so many people seem to think this is good method, perhaps they think it will make better roots?

I always put it forth like this: If you want to kill a tree, you girdle it, this stops all nutrient flow in the tree and it will most assuredly die.

What I have always wondered is how many of the people recommending this method actually do air layering or grafting on a regular basis and if they do, what is their success rate?
I've never seen anyone touting girdling for layering mention their own success rate or how many they do in a year.  
I think it is one of those urban legends that people read and say "well, of course" and then they spread it around like they know what they are talking about, but they are actually clueless.

Would this work on an English Walnut?  I lost one I planted this spring. I'd rather have it on it's own roots than buy one on black walnut.

Do you use last year's wood or is it just the diameter that is an issue?

Do you cut them off and plant in the fall or wait until spring?

hau Ken,

Yes this will work on English Walnut, Try to use one year old growth (it does better than new growth since it already has stronger internal structure).
For all deciduous trees it is best to plant out about 2-3 weeks before spring, this way the new tree wakes up in its forever home soil. At the first sign of leaf out water the tree deeply with a B-12 solution, this will stimulate new root growth.
In the USA they use black walnut for root stock for two reasons, it is easy to get here and it is a tad more resistant to some diseases, I used to have three English walnut trees that were on their own roots because I layered them from a friends walnut grove.
This was in California but I don't see any problems with doing the same anywhere else (I had 6 English walnut trees in New York, they were all non-graft trees and they did great for me.

For English walnut I would try to give the new trunk a full growing season to form the new root ball.
When the roots start to show through the moss ball I would open it and add a layer of new moss so it can get some really good roots growing.
I would then, about the end of the growing season, cut and pot the new tree so I could overwinter it with root protection from freezing.
Then just before spring I would do my final planting, that way you won't loose your new tree because the tender roots froze in the sphagnum moss ball on the parent tree.

Thanks! I'll try some this week. On their own roots the juglone doesn't seem to be a problem.

I guess you meant early in the spring is best. Still not much to lose by trying a couple now, and I might even learn something.

hau Ken,  yes you can do some now and they will work just fine.
Starting in the spring just gives you more time to let roots form and grow before you have to cut and plant.
Starting now means you have two options for when you release the new tree from the parent:
A). Potting up; The starts you make now will fare best if you can pot them in 5 gal. containers for over wintering (in a place where the soil won't freeze while they are dormant).
B). Direct in ground planting; To plant them in ground this fall, just monitor the root growth, when the leaves are turning it is time to cut and plant the new trees.
Water them in well when planting and then give them a thick mulch layer (don't forget to leave an air space around the new tree trunk, when mulching, so it can breathe over the winter (for a newly developed layer cutting 3-5 inches is good).

Once you have the babies all snuggled in for winter all you need to do is water if the ground dries out enough that the roots could freeze.

Good luck, if you have any questions let me know and I will give you all the help I can.

I checked of my my walnut yesterday. It had what I'm calling root buds, good-sized white bumps. I guess it's working. It's a neat process. I'm not going to have much roots by fall though. I guess when I pot or plant it this fall it will continue to grow roots? Kind of cuttings with a head start.

hau Ken, Yes those are root buds forming, yes they will continue to grow once potted.  To make sure you give them encouragement, use a dilution of Vitamin B-12 or a B-complex tab dissolved in water, that will stimulate the root growth and help with transplant shock.

Redhawk

Bryant RedHawk wrote:

you will need either willow water or rooting hormone, sphagnum moss and a water proof wrapping material.
(I use Visqueen pieces cut to wrap around the branch and moss twice and long enough to be tied to the branch above and below where I want the roots growing).

For layering this time of year pick a branch that is at least as large in diameter as your thumb, make 4 narrow V slits 3" long in the bark, these need to be deep enough that you almost get to the solid wood but not through it.

Notes:
Willow water can be used in place of rooting hormone if it is fresh.

Redhawk

Hi Bryant, glad I found this post.  Can you explain willow water?  I have a couple willow trees.  Can I make willow water from them?  

Also, I'm finishing up pruning and have lots of branches that I'd like to use to start new trees.  Can you tell me how to do that?

I hope things are going well with you.  We've been very busy trying to get a handle on our new property.

Bonnie

Yes, you can make willow water from your willow trees.

Willow water formula (recipe)

You will need:
Two or more new growth willow branches
one gallon container (stainless steel, copper lined or enameled metal or heat proof glass, not aluminum)
one gallon fairly warm water (not boiling or even super hot, you should be able to put a finger in and count to 10 before it becomes painful)

Procedure

strip bark from fresh cut willow branches and cut into 2-4 inch pieces
place these into one gallon container
pour warm water into container
steep for at least one hour (I leave mine to steep for around 4 hours mostly because the water is then cold)

you can then use a strainer to remove the bark pieces (the bark will eventually get moldy so it is best to remove it for storing the solution)
store solution in an air tight glass container(s) (I like quart mason jars with new lids) in a cool darkish place, will remain good for up to a year this way

To use the solution

dilute 5:1 (water to solution) for soaking cuttings.
make 4 to 5 short slits through the bark of each cutting and soak in dilute solution for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours prior to planting in containers filled with a good potting mix.
place cloche over freshly planted cutting and watch for new leaf growth
when new leaves are growing, remove cloche and water as you would normally, your cutting has rooted.  

and There You Go, your own rooting solution concentrate.

Redhawk

Much thanks Bryant.  Can't wait to give this a try.

Bonnie

Well my first attempt.  After reading, going outside, then coming here to post, I see a few mistakes I made:
1. Cuts are too wide -right?  I could only make two cuts because they were too wide.
2. I should have made them about an inch longer.
3. I got only 4 inch diameter, instead of 6" diameter (3" on all sides of branch would be larger than 6". Wow that is a large ball of material.)

Two questions:
I think I cut to the correct depth. But maybe I cut too deep. Can someone zoom in on the cut and tell me if the depth is correct?

The second cut I made had to go around a knot.  Did I accommodate this correctly?

I used palm tree fiber, sand, and Biochar, with rooting hormone.  It was much harder to wrap it than I anticipated.  Any feedback tips are appreciated!

Also, I don't think it is possible to make a 30 degree v cut that is 3"long.  By the time you get to the large side, the cut would be the diameter of a large limb.  Trying to make 4 of those cuts would be really ... hard.

Is there a max width of the cut I should adhere to instead?  Thanks!

V cuts are along the branch length, they will be 1/4 inch wide at the bark surface, 3 to 4 of these should be easy to make on most branches.

wow their is fantastic information in this post!! thank you so much Bryant!!! I would give them apples if i could!!

The bark over the "V" cuts, do you remove it?

Yes,  you remove that.
Also, the ball of spagnum is large to allow for longer root formation, just make it as large as is practical.

Redhawk

Great info, Redhawk, thank you so much. Just to confirm, when doing the v slits for air layering, you don’t just make the cuts, you do indeed remove the bark like with the girdling method? Any scraping of the cambium layer or no?

Yes, you remove the v you cut which exposes the cambium layers, you do not do any other disturbance to the cambium layers. Willow water or a rooting hormone is what stimulates new root growth.

Ok thank you. Do you know if Populus trichocarpa cottonwood trees are a suitable substitute for willow in willow water? So Populus trichocarpa water?

Me too! This is exactly the info I’ve been searching!

I’ll be buying some spagnum moss on a trip we’re making into town this afternoon.

I’m so very excited to try rooting several trees from English walnut branches sprouting from a trunk which broke a few years back.

I’m going to try air layering a few English walnut branches growing from a broken/split trunk this afternoon after I get home with some supplies.

I do have an important question. I’m in NE lower
Michigan where we do get pretty tough winters. We usually see this area called a zone 5a and the zone we’re moving to this fall a 4b. The 4b farm is less than 1 mile from Lake Huron not terribly far from the Mackinaw bridge.

So my question is.... if I get the English walnut branches to root, should I bring to 5 gallon pots they in into the sunroom in the house on the new house we’re buying? I’m afraid even a 5 gallon pot will freeze hard enough to kill the roots on the young trees.

Thanks for all your help!

Bryant RedHawk wrote:The girdling method is most often used (by me) for changing the root pattern of Bonsai Trees, where you really want even spacing all around the trunk of the tree.
Even when doing this I do not completely girdle the tree since that makes it a live or die situation and with my Bonsai trees selling for 50 to 500 dollars, I really don't want to loose a few years work.

I have no idea why so many people seem to think this is good method, perhaps they think it will make better roots?

I always put it forth like this: If you want to kill a tree, you girdle it, this stops all nutrient flow in the tree and it will most assuredly die.

What I have always wondered is how many of the people recommending this method actually do air layering or grafting on a regular basis and if they do, what is their success rate?
I've never seen anyone touting girdling for layering mention their own success rate or how many they do in a year.  
I think it is one of those urban legends that people read and say "well, of course" and then they spread it around like they know what they are talking about, but they are actually clueless.

By my understanding, if you girdle a tree it starves the roots, not the branch, and a hickory branch over my apple tree seems to agree!

So I'm no expert with air layering, but I got about a 70% success rate with mulberry, even starting in a dry August, all the successful ones were girdled entirely, some with zigzag cuts, most straight, and scraped.

I didn't do too well with apple or pear, but I think I need to try spring for them, also many apples have poor roots apparently.

The girdling works, at least on dicots, on monocots they recommend splitting or cutting a bark flap.

This was my best mulberry, inside an old hydrogen peroxide bottle and wrapped with cling wrap.
Although I prefer the hot dog cut bag, cling wrap, and aluminium foil.