Figgerlickinggood
Well-known member
If one can root cuttings at this time of year it’s not attached to a tree so it has no sap flow but it roots, can one set an air layer to a tree when you put it up for winter protection?
Air layering
- Thread starter Figgerlickinggood
- Start date
bushdoctor82
Well-known member
I’ve never tried it, but would think you would need to keep the temperature in the 70 F range like you would for cuttings to be successful.
GoodFriendMike
Moderator
I would not. Setting one during the cold season can rot the branch instead of rooting it. I tried.
Unless you have very warm days or live in a warmer zone, I don't see the roots doing much until spring, because there is no active growth going on. I've buried low hanging branches of plants and maybe set a rock on top in the fall, but I never go back to revisit it for root growth until late spring/early summer when I know it should have had some time to get some action going. I would imagine the same to be true for an air layer.
Figgerlickinggood
Well-known member
Actually I like that idea.
Picture 1 October of 2021 I stuck a cutting inground to see if it would root
overwinter.
Picture 2. I filled a small pot with mulch and turned it over the cutting and
Put a paint can on top so the pot wouldn’t blow off.
Picture 3. Uncovered in March 2022 and the cutting and the apical bud was
beautiful green and healthy and by April started to leaf out. I managed to kill it when I tried to dig it out. Think I might try this experiment again.
I've done this before as well. Two years later, the tree is still there, but it is very small. I'm planning to move it in the spring. The spot is very rocky- not very good soil.
ChesapeakeFigs
Well-known member
I think that heat is so important for root growth, so in my zone, I have not had any luck with late season air layers. I have had ones that I stuck on in mid August, then had basically 0 roots by late November.... From there I just cut at the air layer and rooted the cuttings. Sometimes they had callused enough to root a bit quicker than a normal cutting, but not worth it in my case