air layer on green wood?

[fitzski]

I've done a few successful air layers on last year's brown wood but have never tried it on the new green wood from this year's growth.

I pruned a bunch of my figs and some are shooting branches in many places I do not want them.

I don't have backups for some of these and was wondering if anyone had any success with air layering this year's growth before it lignifies.

Thanks.

[WillsC]

Kevin,

In my experience you can layer them but they take quite a bit of time to root. My bet is they have to harden some before they will make roots well. Once they hit that polka dot stage where the stem is green with brown flecks they are good to go. So whether you put them on now and wait or put them on at the spotted stage is about equal. If they are too young I would worry they could rot but not sure on that.

[fitzski]

ok, thanks for the recommendation. I'll wait a bit before I do the ones I really want as backups.

[F. Bennett]

I agree with Wills. I did several this way last year. By the time the air layer fills with roots, the 'trunk' will be hardened off nicely.

[fitzski]

ok, thanks for the feedback. I'll wait a bit to start the air layers on the new wood. I'll start some other air layers on some other trees.

[jkuo]

I've pulled green suckers from my pots and found roots on green growth. It should work as far as I can tell, though I haven't intentionally tried airlayering green growth.

[fitzski]

Last year, I broke off a few suckers and tried rooting them. I had about a 50% success rate. Maybe I'll try it on some suckers I don't really care about.

[Admin IT]

I have successfully rooted and removed suckers from several small trees. They are all doing fine. I feel with a knife where the sucker is attached to the trunk and cut it there. I don't pull them, but I remove all but one leaf. They remain in that position for several weeks if very small a month or more if they are large. Then I lift them and the soil out that attached to the sucker (hopefully with new roots) into their own pot. Seems to work well. Im waiting to cut 3 smaller suckers when they are a bit larger currently they are about 2-3" long.

[cjmach1973]

I have started air layers on new wood during June, and cut them in September, and they have been fine.

[fitzski]

thanks for sharing your experience, Art.

[cjmach1973]

In 2014 I did 14 on my Hardy Chicago from new growth, and they all took fine. I never mark , or score the branches in any way either. That year I just used miracle grow moisture control soil for the layers.

[quackmaster]

I've started them on green growth as well but like Wills said, it's better in the poka-dot stage. As the wood hardens it roots quicker.

[fitzski]

thanks, Ryan. I think i'll wait for the polka-dot stage for most of them.

[quackmaster]

Honestly I've had a couple I did on fresh growth that rooted very quickly, I made a couple slices the length of the branch with a razor, I wouldn't really call it scoring but close I guess. That's not usually the case though. I think I just lucked out on those. But if you wait a little you can't go wrong.

[Altadena Mara]

I tried to score two I-258 before air layering green tips and they just snapped off. Boo hoo! A green side sprout of Barada rooted nicely without scoring before air layering. But Barada is a vigorous tree that roots easily for me whatever I do.

[fitzski]

thanks sharing your experiences, Mara.

I'm probably going to try it just to see how it goes.