iPerculate
Well-Known Member
Does anyone have more info on this? I'm not sure what to search for due to the Spanish..
Yes a lot of the information I seen regarding air layering also applies to grafting. It's all the same principle really.air layering technique is also used in grafting
I've used it for taking cuttings off of outdoor plants that we're too close to flowering to root well. For reference I'm usually 90%-100% in 5-7 days. There's always a few that take a little longer but most are well rooted and potted up in that 5-7 day window.Yes a lot of the information I seen regarding air layering also applies to grafting. It's all the same principle really.
I found this info on 420 Magazine, I think it pretty well sums it up;
What Happens at the Air Layer Site
The removal of the bark, cambium, and phloem, but not the xylem, prevents carbohydrates and photosynthates from flowing down the trunk past the girdling site but still allows water and mineral nutrients to flow upward to the leaves. This keeps the leafy portions of the shoot from drying out and maintains them with an adequate supply of nutrients. The removal of the actively growing cambium layer prevents the regeneration of phloem and healing over of the wound. Because of this the carbohydrates and photosynthates flowing down the trunk collect at the girdling site. The presence of these excesses of carbohydrates and photosynthates (esp. auxin) at the girdling site, plus the presence of the water in the sphagnum moss, causes dormant adventitious buds in the area to grow into roots. When there are enough roots to sustain the shoot independently the shoot is cut off of the tree and then planted or potted.
The Difference Between Air Layers and Cuttings
The propagation of plants by cuttings occurs by the same principles and has very similar circumstances. The difference is that the shoot is removed from plant at the start and water and nutrients flow up the shoot from the cut site by capillary action instead. This kind of propagation can only be done with small and thin shoots since the flow of water is insufficient for larger branches. Air layering solves this problem and allows the creation of new plants from very large parts of trees.