Thread: Fruit, Nut, and Vine Grafting, Tree Propagation, Tree Care

This morning while waiting on parts to arrive I did a bit of Air Layering. Here is a step by step process. Air Layering can only be done when the bark is slipping or sap is flowing. If the bark won't freely peel off the tree is not growing enough to air layer.



The Pear limb is out of focus but clear in the rest of the shots. This Pear has zero grit, is so juicy when you bite into it sweet juice runs out of your mouth and down your chin. This is the absolute best table Pear ever. So I want more. Behind this tree is the 6 layer variety Pear, where I get my source wood.



The first step is to take a sanitized knife (I use rubbing alcohol) to cut two rings around the limb a couple of inches apart. Split the bark cut to cut and peel away the bark. Afterwards using the edge of your blade perpendicular to the limb scrape any and all hints of remaining green tint on the limb so it does not grow back. You are now ready for growing medium.



I use a sterile seed starter for rooting because you do not want any fertilizer in your growing medium. I buy these clams from Amazon just for this purpose. Any tree can be cloned in this manner. You pack the damp medium in the two halves leaving just slightly over full.



You place the Air Laver Ball over the cut area and do not trust the little latches, tie wrap it closed. there is two little tangs on one end, these go down towards trunk to hold the Ball in place. In about 30 days you can cut the tie wraps to see if you have enough roots. If you do simply cut the limb below the ball and plant your new tree.

What I did today



Standard Plum tree rootstock. I'm layering a few more Plum rootstocks to plant this winter for grafting in the spring. I air layered a rootstock sucker on a very expensive tree to grow this. Now I have all the rootstocks I want for propagating more trees.



The Pear I used in the example above



This is a Australian Sundowner Apple tree that when I received it there was damage to the trunk. I thought I could get it to heal but no, its dying so I want to keep the tree so I will do numerous air layers in the next month a few days apart so I have limbs ready to cut off in stages.