Air Layering. An easy way to root existing trees.

[Masbustelo]

I've seen a few threads recently on grafting. I realize that grafting is an interesting science. For those that want to keep things simple there is another technique that works very well and is very uncomplicated. It will produce a rooted tree for you to plant. The only potential complication is that you will end up with a full size tree. Find a young branch or shoot. Then perhaps 12-16 inches from the growing bud terminal end cut barely through the bark with a sharp knife 360 degrees. Do this again about an inch apart from the first cut. Then remove this thin layer of bark. This will leave about an inch of the stem exposed. Take an empty plastic water or pop bottle and cut the fat end off. Punch three small holes in the fat end. Tie a piece of twine about 16 inches long in each puncture. Slip the bottle over the branch, fat end towards the trunk. Tie the bottle in place with the debarked part centered in the bottle. Fill with potting soil. Leave it be and come back in 6-8 weeks. By then it should have rooted. Cut off the branch at the fat end of the bottle and you will have a small tree, rooted and ready to transplant. You can also use plastic bags or saran wrap filled with sphagnum moss or soil, moistened and taped to the tree at both ends.

 

[Masbustelo]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SER1vZZWtwg[/ame] Here is a video showing the process. Air layering propogation.

 

[z-bob]

It's not hard to do; I air-layered a magnolia when I was a teenager. It's a big tree now.

I've been thinking about propagating an unknown variety crabapple tree at the city water treatment plant that makes really good jelly -- but I'm pretty sure it's Dolgo and I can just buy a tree.

 

[Masbustelo]

I found a tree that has yellow, medium sized doughnut shaped fruit that is really high in tannins. It's definitely a spitter, but a real keeper for cider. It's a medium sized tree along an exit ramp on an interstate highway. I'm going to try and triplicate it. I thought I might sow some of it's seeds as well.

 

[Jwin]

Did this in greenhouse at school, as well to grow a family of red tip bushes from one($30 a pop, needed 15...)
You local big box store should have rooting hormone. It will speed things up.
The way I was taught, use a razor knife and cut a split~1.5 inches longways down the branch, all the way through, in some new growth. Take a tooth pick, give it a big wet lick and dip it in the rooting hormone. Stick it in the split, rubbing the hormone around, then push it to one end of the split. Break it off, and stick the other half in the split and push it to the other end, as to hold the split open (room for roots).
Then, get some of those jiffy seed starter balls(little soil pellets that expand 4x when you wet them), the big ones if you can find them and wet/expand them. Cut them top to bottom and wrap them around the spliced limb. Wrap that in tin foil, water every couple days to start, checking moisture daily after the first week.
In 2 weeks or so, it's ready to plant. Just make sure you have decent roots and snip the tree below the dirtball.
IIRC, this works fine on all softwoods, but hardwoods are iffy and demand new growth to even have a chance.
This can be done without the rooting hormone, but I believe using it gives faster results, possibly avoiding rotting.
The reason you want to split the limb lengthwise is to make sure the tree can continue to feed the limb until sufficient roots are present.
Also, once the roots start, it will need more frequent water.

 

[Scrumpy!]

The primary reason to graft is to take advantage of the disease resistant properties, increased root strength, specific soil adaptation, and growth expression of carefully developed root stock. You will preserve the apple variety with this method but the tree will be on weak roots that may have no resistance to fire blight and all the other afflictions that will take your tree out long before its time. If this was a viable method of propagating apples, the local then global apple industry would have adopted it a couple of thousand years ago.

 

[Jwin]

The primary reason to graft is to take advantage of the disease resistant properties, increased root strength, specific soil adaptation, and growth expression of carefully developed root stock. You will preserve the apple variety with this method but the tree will be on weak roots that may have no resistance to fire blight and all the other afflictions that will take your tree out long before its time. If this was a viable method of propagating apples, the local then global apple industry would have adopted it a couple of thousand years ago.

Didn't know OP was speaking of apples.

 

[Jwin]

Air layering is like marriage.
You just gotta keep it moist and, if your lucky, after a couple weeks you can plant it.
Zing