For those of us who want an infinite supply of free fruit trees, this seems like a revolutionary technique. Air layering, also called marcotting, is a technique of propagation where a target region of tree bark is wounded and then surrounded in a moisture retaining medium, such as compost, then covered with a plastic film. Rooting hormone is applied to encourage the wounded region to grow roots. When enough roots have grown from the wound, the stem from the parent plant is cut and the new tree planted. It takes about two- three months for a new plant to become mature. Now the question is...does it work? We have tried it on three of our apples trees, a pear, peach, orange, and lemon. We'll let you know in a few months!
We happened upon this you tube about air layering fruit trees. If you are into propagating, this is definitely worth 17 minutes of your time...watch and find out what we are so jazzed about.
Hi Maya-
ReplyDeleteAir layering can be a great technique but you're likely to wind up with less than desirable rootstock for some of your trees- especially the citrus. The apple might work ok. Peach probably won't be so happy. Speaking of peaches- do you have a productive peach in your yard??
-Luke