Acceptable time for an air layer?

I'd like to air layer a couple of hackberry trees I have around my yard but I'm not sure if it's an acceptable time. Being in Florida, I doubt I'll see the kind of temperatures that would damage the potential roots. However, I wonder if the air layer would even take. Do you guys think I could successfully perform an air layer at this time of year, or should I just wait until January/February of next year?

PeacefulAres wrote:I'd like to air layer a couple of hackberry trees I have around my yard but I'm not sure if it's an acceptable time. Being in Florida, I doubt I'll see the kind of temperatures that would damage the potential roots. However, I wonder if the air layer would even take. Do you guys think I could successfully perform an air layer at this time of year, or should I just wait until January/February of next year?

Photosynthates and auxin from the foliage are what drive the generation and growth of adventitious roots. So, nothing is going to happen without foliage.

However, if you are eager to do something, you can go ahead and make the layer, because it most likely won't do any harm to the tree. The advantage in doing this is that you will be demonstrating for yourself that what I am telling you is true. You can open/remove the plastic and peek inside the sphagnum every now and then.

Once you see nascent roots emerging from the callus on the top edge of the girdle, you should quit peeking and just leave it be until you see lots of roots through the clear plastic covering the sphagnum - then you can harvest the layer and pot it up. If you don't see nascent roots emerging after the tree has leafed out next spring, you may want to cut the callus off the top of the girdle and dust the area with rooting hormone to get the process to 'boot up'.

Have fun.


BTW, I layer branches of my landscape trees that I would be removing to shape them. Instead of just pruning the branches and tossing them, my wife tolerates an ugly branch for a season or two while I air-layer it. I've had a few layers that didn't succeed in one season, spent the winter on the tree, and rooted the following season. I've also had layers on trees for as long as three seasons, without getting roots, before I pruned it and tossed it - once in a while it just doesn't happen.

0soyoung wrote:

PeacefulAres wrote:I'd like to air layer a couple of hackberry trees I have around my yard but I'm not sure if it's an acceptable time. Being in Florida, I doubt I'll see the kind of temperatures that would damage the potential roots. However, I wonder if the air layer would even take. Do you guys think I could successfully perform an air layer at this time of year, or should I just wait until January/February of next year?

Photosynthates and auxin from the foliage are what drive the generation and growth of adventitious roots. So, nothing is going to happen without foliage.

However, if you are eager to do something, you can go ahead and make the layer, because it most likely won't do any harm to the tree. The advantage in doing this is that you will be demonstrating for yourself that what I am telling you is true. You can open/remove the plastic and peek inside the sphagnum every now and then.

Once you see nascent roots emerging from the callus on the top edge of the girdle, you should quit peeking and just leave it be until you see lots of roots through the clear plastic covering the sphagnum - then you can harvest the layer and pot it up. If you don't see nascent roots emerging after the tree has leafed out next spring, you may want to cut the callus off the top of the girdle and dust the area with rooting hormone to get the process to 'boot up'.

Have fun.


BTW, I layer branches of my landscape trees that I would be removing to shape them. Instead of just pruning the branches and tossing them, my wife tolerates an ugly branch for a season or two while I air-layer it. I've had a few layers that didn't succeed in one season, spent the winter on the tree, and rooted the following season. I've also had layers on trees for as long as three seasons, without getting roots, before I pruned it and tossed it - once in a while it just doesn't happen.

The trees in question do still have plenty of leaves; I'm not sure how much energy they are actually producing. It seems that where I live, the immature deciduous trees keep most of their leaves during winter. Perhaps if I make the layer now, I'll have enough roots to sever the desired portion of the tree and plant it in the ground for a time.

It's funny that you mention landscaping trees. The trees I'm thinking of layering have some branches that are encroaching on a path and creating a bit of an annoyance. Since they're good looking, I figure I might as well try to use them as bonsai material.

In tropics the best time is rainy season when the humidty is high and gives best results.
If you are not living in tropics the season may be is the spring season for air lyring. Living in tropics i tried air lyring for four years in spring season but none gave roots. So i think find your location and the temp.