Why do I feel this is some bog witch level stuff? Just wrap some of this moss on your wound and it will be healed by the morrow. That will be 3 gold coins please.
Nature. Many plants evolved to grow a new individual from parts that fall off. Really common among riparian (live near water) species. Branches fall off, wash down stream. Those stems then grow roots and BAM you got a new tree.
This is a waste of time for tomatoes. You can just cut a branch and stick it in water. This method is for trees, which are much more difficult to sprout roots
I was wondering that. I always used to take a little razor and cut at a 45, dip in organic honey, stick it in a little starter block of moss, and almost never had a failed clone. They just start really damn small, this would be awesome because you can start with a pretty gnarly sized plant already
I used to work for a weed farm and got them to implement this method to clone old mothers that got too gnarly to be worth keeping. It's great for making large, healthy clones, not so much for propagating an entire crop.
This really isn't the best method for most. It's nice for starting a bonsai with a head start on trunk thickness, but, for instance, the fig in the video: that branch could have made multiple new trees by cutting it off and rooting the pieces in media... figs propagate super easily.
I would be saying even more "no" in most of those cases, yes, since few fruit trees are own-rooted. Most use a variety of rootstocks that root vigorously, are disease resistant, and form enhancing. The method shown is more complex than just putting cuttings in a tray of media. Most fruit trees are grafted from scionwood to rootstocks, although this at least works for figs because they are own-root.
An average homeowner with only a few trees to tend to would be able to provide higher levels of care to those trees, as opposed to orchard owners who cannot provide such individual care- therefore it matters much less to use rootstock unless dwarfing is required. There's also less incentive to have commercially viable trees if only for home use
In other words- air layering is fine for most people
What I'm hearing is "joe homeowner can just do extra maintenance and have crappy yield for his entire life to use this technique that's more complicated than just buying a $3 emla and chipping/whipping it." No thanks.
Hey, remember that time you made up a fucking lie about me because I didn't like crypto? And when I asked you what the fuck you were talking about, you told another lie about me? What was the source of your desire to lie that much? Hit me up with that source, my dude.
Holy cow, for serious? That's genuinely the coolest thing I will read today I imagine. Here I was looking to bonsai when I could have been making chimeras.
Ha, plants are easy to make chimeras! Most apple trees have one variety for the trunk/roots and another for the stem/flowers! Syracuse University is the uni with the tree.
This is a game changer for me. I have access to many fruit trees from family and friends. I'm wondering if this works on other trees too like ornamental Japanese maples? This is a cheap means of propagation that gives you a big head start. One other thing that should be mentioned is sterilize your blade with rubbing alcohol before cutting as plants can get infections too. Don't boil the spagnum moss. It's full of microbes that are beneficial.
Can confirm, I used to sell all kinds of trees and visited many nurseries where they are grown. You can even do this with decorative flowering bushes and turn them into small trees.
If your plants root quickly, you don't need the foil. It's only necessary for slower-growing roots, so that algae doesn't take hold and use up all the nutrients.
I've done this before and it works! The technique can be used on a lot of different trees, including maples. The trick is to use it on smaller branches, keeping in mind that the cut part will need to sustain itself with a limited number of roots for a while.
Works on all dicots (plants that can develop true wood) including shrubs. Monocots can be injured for air layering, but it isn't the same mechanism, hence why they need to be a dicot, as monocots like palms (including palm trees) don't have the stem structure for it. You just have to be careful, because most fruit and ornamental trees are grafted to a root stock, so the air layer might not be as vigorous since its parent seems.
It works because you are cutting out the vascular cambium (this guy girdles and scratches, but most professionals actually remove the cambium layer completely to prevent rot), which contains the phloem (transport from shoots to roots) but is still receiving nutrients from the xylem (roots to shoot transport). This causes auxin to increase, telling the plant it needs to make roots for cytokinin balance. It is essentially the opposite physiological response to having the apical bud cut.
I've seen this sort of thing done to clone cannabis plants, but instead of plastic wrap and foil, they used a a kid's snap-together plastic Easter egg with holes drilled in each end.
As a cannabis grower, the foil and plastic probably work just fine. Our industry is notorious for buying overpriced little gizmos that have one (1) use case.
It takes longer, but you can also cut off the end of a branch, remove the leaves, and stick it in a rubber bin with damp moss and perlite for a few months. I have made a number of new trees this way and works well if you are not wanting to be bound to the tree’s location. Leaves need water, and you want the energy into growing roots instead of maintaining leaves.
Give it a shot but I think quite a few fruit trees and grape vines are top stock grafted onto different rootstock so you will loose the selected rootstock if so.
You'll have trouble with citrus. Most citrus trees are actually grafted stalks on a much more robust rhizome, each as a pommelo, grapefruit, or Citron. Upper foliage is removed after the Citron develops, then the more delicate branches of the chosen cultivar are grafted on, allowed to grow together, and then it's tagged and labeled as something new, and shipped off for retail.
Ryukee
I have a fig tree in a cold climate. I took a cutting and placed it into soil and left it. It grew roots. Wasn't as fast, but it was over winter.
phalanxausage
Damn, a buddy sent me pictures earlier today of his results doing this.
ghostofGracchusBabeuf
That’s really neat.
wherearemytesticles
Can't you just cut it off and plant it in a pot?
TheFastpaws
That is actually wild. Now I know how to share my really good peach tree with my dad.
thebonesofmyancestors
Why do I feel this is some bog witch level stuff? Just wrap some of this moss on your wound and it will be healed by the morrow. That will be 3 gold coins please.
moswald0000
It won't be healed. It'll grow a new you (those are roots under the moss).
iwin
I need someone to girdle my stem
PaladinofPositivity
I could try doing that, mimicking the instructions step-by-step, and 2 days later, the entire tree would be dead.
deeio
for figs sake, wish i had seen that earlier!
nikinnorge
i literally just did some red currant air layering today
TattoosAndTENS
LSU Ag Center is the BEST
wiserita
It's like tree porn!
Sadly I'd bet anything the LSU Ag Center's funding has been cut.
Rihn
I'm in defense mode. I read "propaganda technique" 3 times. I need sleep.
BoloGrubb
that was interesting
baliverne
So smart. I assume it has a much higher success rate than cutting a twig and putting in water.
Feytira
I read this as air layering *propaganda* technique and was so confused waiting for the political satire to start.
prosper020
Will this work with apple trees? I have several in my yard but they are OLD and I wish to replace / have more of them.
Etherealvalentine
Yes
tolderlund
I think you usually graft a branche from the old Apple tree onto a new trunk.
Sfingks
Not with this method.
ThailandExpress
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/21/louisiana-state-university-oil-firms-influence
TungstenTiger
That's a damn shame. The information in the original post is still useful.
IDontWantToHaveToWorkForALiving
That’s a fig tree, you could probably throw a branch on the ground and it would grow
bokodasu
That's literally how I propagated a fig tree! Ok, I threw a twig on a pot of dirt, not technically the ground, but still.
ItHappenedInThe20thCentury
a pot of dirt is just portable ground, still valid
coastalfoundhound
I love this. I wonder if it has to be done at a certain time of of spring.
likerice
Who comes up with this stuff?
nygreenguy
Nature. Many plants evolved to grow a new individual from parts that fall off. Really common among riparian (live near water) species. Branches fall off, wash down stream. Those stems then grow roots and BAM you got a new tree.
cojeep
This is the best way to get bonzai from deciduous trees!
BklynPunisher
In that case would the tree still produce fruit?
cojeep
Yep!
BklynPunisher
Cool
Pluppokopter
Did the same with a tomato plant, but you don't have to hurt them. And I got roots after just a week
Etherealvalentine
You can throw broken tomato branches in water and they will sprout
Sfingks
This is a waste of time for tomatoes. You can just cut a branch and stick it in water. This method is for trees, which are much more difficult to sprout roots
Pluppokopter
But it wasn't for the tomatoes, it was for me, I wanted to see if it worked :^)
AtomicChipmunk
So you're giving it new roots?
JohnSmithterms
Yes. It thinks its fallen into the ground and wants to grow roots . Stupid tree, smarty man.
AndersCalrissian
This works great for cannabis.
BoobJiggle
I was wondering that. I always used to take a little razor and cut at a 45, dip in organic honey, stick it in a little starter block of moss, and almost never had a failed clone. They just start really damn small, this would be awesome because you can start with a pretty gnarly sized plant already
GlutenFreeCocaineWaffles
I used to work for a weed farm and got them to implement this method to clone old mothers that got too gnarly to be worth keeping. It's great for making large, healthy clones, not so much for propagating an entire crop.
alightinthe
Now I want to do this and make new baby trees from every tree.
jesuisgur
What I find insane is the cross-grafting between species. Some dudes managed to grow 30 different fruit trees on... a single tree !
Evenmoreuselessname
This really isn't the best method for most. It's nice for starting a bonsai with a head start on trunk thickness, but, for instance, the fig in the video: that branch could have made multiple new trees by cutting it off and rooting the pieces in media... figs propagate super easily.
IlluminaBlade
Should I root them in DVDs, CDs, or do I need to find some Casettes?
Kehy
Would you be saying the same if they'd used a different variety of fruit trees? Good enough is plenty for most people
Evenmoreuselessname
I would be saying even more "no" in most of those cases, yes, since few fruit trees are own-rooted. Most use a variety of rootstocks that root vigorously, are disease resistant, and form enhancing. The method shown is more complex than just putting cuttings in a tray of media. Most fruit trees are grafted from scionwood to rootstocks, although this at least works for figs because they are own-root.
Evenmoreuselessname
Honestly, fig is so easy you can root it in a glass of water in a pinch, and probably get 75% success/cutting.
Kehy
An average homeowner with only a few trees to tend to would be able to provide higher levels of care to those trees, as opposed to orchard owners who cannot provide such individual care- therefore it matters much less to use rootstock unless dwarfing is required. There's also less incentive to have commercially viable trees if only for home use
In other words- air layering is fine for most people
Evenmoreuselessname
What I'm hearing is "joe homeowner can just do extra maintenance and have crappy yield for his entire life to use this technique that's more complicated than just buying a $3 emla and chipping/whipping it." No thanks.
sneakypoo
Tree sex is weird
spinbutton3
This isn't sex. Best of luck to you and your future partners
sneakypoo
Hah! You think I'll ever find a partner. That's cute.
plutoisstillaplanetinmyheart
This is cloning!
drduffer
I think this is skipping the sex part and going straight to birthing.
ChiLLeCheeze
Forced birthing?! The ents will be pissed in the future.
drduffer
Unless they find the Ent-Wives, it’s the only option they’ll have left. They might actually be grateful!
Powi25
Sauce:
https://youtu.be/QqIywPnrRXY
[deleted]
[deleted]
BrockEffingSamson
Hey, remember that time you made up a fucking lie about me because I didn't like crypto? And when I asked you what the fuck you were talking about, you told another lie about me? What was the source of your desire to lie that much? Hit me up with that source, my dude.
khaoselement
I really want to know what else this works on. I'd love to use it to bonsai a few trees I know of.
nygreenguy
I took a class on this stuff. At our local uni they have a tree of 40 fruits where 40 different fruits were grafted onto a single tree
khaoselement
Holy cow, for serious? That's genuinely the coolest thing I will read today I imagine. Here I was looking to bonsai when I could have been making chimeras.
nygreenguy
Ha, plants are easy to make chimeras! Most apple trees have one variety for the trunk/roots and another for the stem/flowers! Syracuse University is the uni with the tree.
4etherling
This is a game changer for me. I have access to many fruit trees from family and friends. I'm wondering if this works on other trees too like ornamental Japanese maples? This is a cheap means of propagation that gives you a big head start. One other thing that should be mentioned is sterilize your blade with rubbing alcohol before cutting as plants can get infections too. Don't boil the spagnum moss. It's full of microbes that are beneficial.
RunsNakedThroughSwamps
If you're in the US, fruit trees need to be grafted onto native rootstock due to soil disease. Ornamental trees like maple are probably fine.
k5user
japanese maples are usually root-grafted onto some different (more disease resistant) rootstock.
Easykehl
Same for most fruit trees. They are frequently put on a root stock to keep the trees a manageable height.
xRHIN0x
Can confirm, I used to sell all kinds of trees and visited many nurseries where they are grown. You can even do this with decorative flowering bushes and turn them into small trees.
nitaroyal
I have done this on a variety of plants, even indoors, and it has worked every time. I didn't know to put foil over it, but will add that next time!
kaboomdeactivated
If your plants root quickly, you don't need the foil. It's only necessary for slower-growing roots, so that algae doesn't take hold and use up all the nutrients.
rcantProblemCreator
As someone who does this all the time... it works on most anything.
c991257
Can confirm. I tried on my wife once and it didn't work on her.
motus
I've done this before and it works! The technique can be used on a lot of different trees, including maples. The trick is to use it on smaller branches, keeping in mind that the cut part will need to sustain itself with a limited number of roots for a while.
ChoovaMonster
Works on all dicots (plants that can develop true wood) including shrubs. Monocots can be injured for air layering, but it isn't the same mechanism, hence why they need to be a dicot, as monocots like palms (including palm trees) don't have the stem structure for it. You just have to be careful, because most fruit and ornamental trees are grafted to a root stock, so the air layer might not be as vigorous since its parent seems.
ChoovaMonster
It works because you are cutting out the vascular cambium (this guy girdles and scratches, but most professionals actually remove the cambium layer completely to prevent rot), which contains the phloem (transport from shoots to roots) but is still receiving nutrients from the xylem (roots to shoot transport). This causes auxin to increase, telling the plant it needs to make roots for cytokinin balance. It is essentially the opposite physiological response to having the apical bud cut.
DOcelot1
https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1NzY5OXI5aGMwYTN5bDdza2V2bGpmMDBpcGM5ODd3eTFndXhqeXJ4cCZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/zfrS4JMOihJD2/200w.webp
keystotheairlock
Correct. Well explained, thank you.
AlwaysDownvotesDogs
I've seen this sort of thing done to clone cannabis plants, but instead of plastic wrap and foil, they used a a kid's snap-together plastic Easter egg with holes drilled in each end.
keystotheairlock
As a cannabis grower, the foil and plastic probably work just fine. Our industry is notorious for buying overpriced little gizmos that have one (1) use case.
AlwaysDownvotesDogs
While that is true, I don't consider it to be the case here. I mean, it's a plastic Easter egg.
Dimind
It works on other trees too, but figs are stupid easy to propagate.
Dimind
It takes longer, but you can also cut off the end of a branch, remove the leaves, and stick it in a rubber bin with damp moss and perlite for a few months. I have made a number of new trees this way and works well if you are not wanting to be bound to the tree’s location. Leaves need water, and you want the energy into growing roots instead of maintaining leaves.
GuysJustWannaFish
Give it a shot but I think quite a few fruit trees and grape vines are top stock grafted onto different rootstock so you will loose the selected rootstock if so.
EverNotRelevant
You'll probably want to check this is viable on trees that aren't figs.
Kehy
Very viable on many types on plants, even non-trees
keystotheairlock
You'll have trouble with citrus. Most citrus trees are actually grafted stalks on a much more robust rhizome, each as a pommelo, grapefruit, or Citron. Upper foliage is removed after the Citron develops, then the more delicate branches of the chosen cultivar are grafted on, allowed to grow together, and then it's tagged and labeled as something new, and shipped off for retail.
BatsArentBugs
Don’t you tell me what to do with my spagnum moss!
stouffer
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1cGo4dTIzNmNjZHk4d2prZmt3czQ0bnQ4c3hwcndlcjFsdWc1MjV2MiZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/bHXRk6MP4ilqg/200w.webp
dandanthedrywallman
I’ve heard that putting a cucumber around it, then taping a plastic cup and filling with dirt and then covering yields the best results
CreeewDeeeTaaay
This kills the cucumber
dandanthedrywallman
The cucumber isn’t meant to live. Its corpse feeds the plant.