Air layering

[Lazy Gardener]

Like campaign planning

Jesus is Lord and Christ

You are incorrigible!!!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Perhaps, if I was 25 years younger!

 

[CrealCritter]

It's dry again so I figured I would give the air-layers some water. I opened one apple tree air-layer for inspection. It looks like something is fixing to happen in there.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

I still haven't popped the pods open to check officially, but the ones on the lilac look ok, no wilting. The jasmine pods also look ok, but I think the whole plant is stressed from the heat. The guava appears to have wilted and possibly died, the parent plant is happy and has new leaves, so I think I just failed at doing the air layering. The first avocado (with two pods) looks like both air layers failed, the branches are wilted and black looking; parent plant looks fine. The second avocado has new leaves on both the untouched stalk/trunk and the air layered one, although the air layered one is growing much slower/smaller.

I bought some more nursery pots this weekend so I'm hoping I can get the pods opened and the air layered plants into their own containers this week but I was hoping it would be a little cooler first. This 100 degree week has been brutal.

Picture update from this morning, avocado is still doing good. I haven't opened the pod again yet. I will probably give it another week or two. I'm still watering the top of the pod each time I water the plant.

 

[CrealCritter]

We got some activity inside of the root balls

I probably should crack all of them open and give them a good dusting of rooting hormone. Then seal them back up and check again in a few more weeks. I think I'll wrap the root balls in aluminum foil this time though, I think it would help keep the root balls cooler. We will be approaching August soon and that's generally the hottest month here in southern IL.

Apple tree at 71 days. So a little over 10 weeks, we got roots starting

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

Harvest from fallen peach tree that I'm attempting to air layer. How this tree is alive and producing is way beyond my pay grade.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Beautiful.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Picture update from this morning, avocado is still doing good. I haven't opened the pod again yet. I will probably give it another week or two. I'm still watering the top of the pod each time I water the plant.
View attachment 16366

So, the regular trunk is approximately 2' taller than the air layered one.

I opened the pod and it's got two bitty roots on one side. It doesn't appear to have any of the outer layer of bark connected from the upper to lower portion, and it has been growing new leaves, so I'm assuming it's safe to separate this to a different pot?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

So, the regular trunk is approximately 2' taller than the air layered one.

View attachment 16580

I opened the pod and it's got two bitty roots on one side. It doesn't appear to have any of the outer layer of bark connected from the upper to lower portion, and it has been growing new leaves, so I'm assuming it's safe to separate this to a different pot?
View attachment 16581View attachment 16582

Hubby voted to give it more time, so I put the pod back on.

 

[CrealCritter]

I did an experiment... I left the rooting balls on a Granny Smith Apple over winter. I think this is the way to go, honestly. So for fruit trees start air layers in the spring, keep them well watered during the hot summer months and check them the following spring. If blooming and rooted, cut them loose and put them in a nursery pot. Then I'll baby sit them until I plant them.

I chose some pretty old limbs for this experiment. I counted 7 and 9 rings where I cut them loose from the mother tree. Plenty of flowers also on them also. If any apples appear, I'll remove them so the once air layer, now tree can focus it's energy on developing a good root system.

IDK... Still learning and experimenting but it's awesome when one of my ideas actually works. Now I got two Granny Smith Apple trees that are about 7 and 10 foot tall to work with and that's cool by me

None of my other air layers that I removed from the trees and potted late summer came back this spring. So maybe with fruit trees leaving the air layers on the tree for about a year is the way to go? IDK yet, still learning...

Jesus is Lord and Christ