Time for air layering ??

[Plantinyum]

Hello , my tropicals in the greenhouse have started growing at a steady rate, so was thinking of setting some air layers early to have them root nicely by the end of summer. Planning to airlayer catleyanum guava, regular guava and avocado. Any tips ??

[Alekhan]

The earlier the better because it could take 2-4 months to get aquedate rooting. After that, it's probably better to put in a pot for few months before planting.

[Plantinyum]

The earlier the better because it could take 2-4 months to get aquedate rooting. After that, it's probably better to put in a pot for few months before planting.

thank you,  yes after the rooting has accured i will plant them in pots, i dont have anywhere else to plant them anyway.

[JakeFruit]

From what I've read, heard, tried, learned, a day or few before you are ready to separate it from the tree, I would thin the leaves by cutting them all in half length-wise or removing most of them. I would remove all but the healthiest (mature) handful. Removing them prior to separation will allow the branch to heal the wounds while still getting nurtured by the tree. Cutting each of them in half (or more) might be the better plan; the demand the leaves put on the new roots will be decreased (just as removing them entirely would), but possibly the branch won't sense the trim in the same manner as complete removal (and try to push new growth as fast).

Once you separate, those new roots are usually going to struggle to supply what the tree did. Taking as much of the load off them as you can will increase its survival chances. Putting it in a shady location until you start to see new growth pushing would also be wise, at least here in Florida. Your summer sun is probably less intense.

[Plantinyum]

From what I've read, heard, tried, learned, a day or few before you are ready to separate it from the tree, I would thin the leaves by cutting them all in half length-wise or removing most of them. I would remove all but the healthiest (mature) handful. Removing them prior to separation will allow the branch to heal the wounds while still getting nurtured by the tree. Cutting each of them in half (or more) might be the better plan; the demand the leaves put on the new roots will be decreased (just as removing them entirely would), but possibly the branch won't sense the trim in the same manner as complete removal (and try to push new growth as fast).

Once you separate, those new roots are usually going to struggle to supply what the tree did. Taking as much of the load off them as you can will increase its survival chances. Putting it in a shady location until you start to see new growth pushing would also be wise, at least here in Florida. Your summer sun is probably less intense.

Thanks for the tip ,i have been doing just that whenever i harvest an airlayer, mosly figs.
The same thing i apply whenever i transplant or move a plant , if i remove most of the soil and root, a heavy trim follows.....

[JakeFruit]

Thanks for the tip ,i have been doing just that whenever i harvest an airlayer, mosly figs.
The same thing i apply whenever i transplant or move a plant , if i remove most of the soil and root, a heavy trim follows.....

Sounds like you know what you are doing 

[Plantinyum]

I set around 10 air layers pas week, on regular and catleyanum guava, also several on my avocado.
I also have some low branches on my surinam cherry , like literally laying on the ground,  and since they are too thin to do actual layers on, i am thinking of burying them directly into the soil , with some bark removal and rooting hormone added

Also a question about my avocado , it is getting too big for comfort in the gh, can i set it back a little by doing some experriments on it, meaning i want to try girdling to try to make it to bloom . Its around 3 meters tall right now and hitting the top of the gh , verry branched and healthy, continuously  growing ....
Any reccomendations regarding the procedure ??

[fruitmonger]

Everything I have read and heard suggests that Avocado do not air layer well....or at all.

I have it from several commercial avocado growers that have tried and no matter the method they have not successfully created air layered plants from avocado.

If your experience is different i would like to hear about it.

Best of luck

[Plantinyum]

Everything I have read and heard suggests that Avocado do not air layer well....or at all.

I have it from several commercial avocado growers that have tried and no matter the method they have not successfully created air layered plants from avocado.

If your experience is different i would like to hear about it.

Best of luck

first time hearing this , a few months from now there will be a report on the experiment, if they do not take, this will be the clue to make my life easier and just prune in the future....

[Plantinyum]

UPDATE ! The guavas are striking slowly, some shy rootlets are visible on the regular guavas trought the transparent nylon bag, res catleyanum has no roots for now. 
Avocado is still a stubborn ,no roots thought a calous is happening probably....
Suriname cherry was done with transparent cups filled with soil, the lowest branches were "planted" into those ,nothing is visible at this point.
I'll take pictures of the new plants once time comes for separation...

[achetadomestica]

I know someone who airlayered avocados successfully and saw his trees
several years later. They were doing great
I tried to airlayer a longan in the summer and got 3 out of 6 to root.
I tried the next Spring and got 6 out of 6 to take.
Based on this I try to airlayer in the Spring if possible.
I did do a guava tree in a neighbor's yard last Summer to
give to a different neighbor and got 1 out of 1 to root

[Galatians522]

I have read that etoliation (elongation and blanching from lack of light) of very young shoots can be helpful in layering hard to root species. Basically a very young shoot is protected from sunlight so that the undifferentiated cells in new growth are tricked into thinking that portion of the branch is under ground. Eventually, the top is allowed to be exposed to light and turn greenand provide food to form roots. The lower part is girdled so that the roots can arise from the etoliated (elongated/blanched) portion and the stem will be much more likely to root.

[greenerpasteur]

Here is a 2 months guava airlayer. I wanted even more roots so I added more peat moss, make the airlayer much bigger and wait 2-3 more months before taking it down.

[Plantinyum]

Here are the two airlayers of the avocado that took. I originally set 5 on the plant, but ended up removing the others early ,they had calouses and would have been rooted by now. Anyway i didnt expect nothing to work out of the 2 remaining ones that i removed 2 weeks ago. I was ready to put them into the mulch pile ,but when i uncovered the aluminium and nylon from the moss, i saw roots ! One of them had a nice branched root, the other didnt had visible roots but i inspected and it had root starts in the center. I regreted at the minute and thought that they are goners due to the weak roots at the time. I should have left them till now...
Anyway i potted them into small cups and placed them in the shade in the gh, pruned them hard and left only the leaves that u see in the pics.
They are starting to grow now, so avocado is doable with air layering, at least this particular one that i have is willing to strike....

The guava airlayers are doing very poorly,  having just a weak root or two, i think its due to the fact that the layers are weak branches at the bottom of the plants , in shade.
A tip for myself is to just prune those in the future and use strong branches that are in the light for air layers...

Here are the avocado strikes ...


Ps : excuse the led in the photo lol 

[Galatians522]

Nice! I agree with your observation about shaded branches. That has been my experience with about 1,000 lychee air layers now. Is the avocado you layered a seedling that has not fruited yet? Suposedly the chances are higher with juvenile trees on hard to layer plants.

[Seanny]

Galatians,

How long for lychee AL there?
What is your after care for them?

[achetadomestica]

Here are the two airlayers of the avocado that took. I originally set 5 on the plant, but ended up removing the others early ,they had calouses and would have been rooted by now. Anyway i didnt expect nothing to work out of the 2 remaining ones that i removed 2 weeks ago. I was ready to put them into the mulch pile ,but when i uncovered the aluminium and nylon from the moss, i saw roots ! One of them had a nice branched root, the other didnt had visible roots but i inspected and it had root starts in the center. I regreted at the minute and thought that they are goners due to the weak roots at the time. I should have left them till now...
Anyway i potted them into small cups and placed them in the shade in the gh, pruned them hard and left only the leaves that u see in the pics.
They are starting to grow now, so avocado is doable with air layering, at least this particular one that i have is willing to strike....

The guava airlayers are doing very poorly,  having just a weak root or two, i think its due to the fact that the layers are weak branches at the bottom of the plants , in shade.
A tip for myself is to just prune those in the future and use strong branches that are in the light for air layers...

Here are the avocado strikes ...


Ps : excuse the led in the photo lol 

Congrats!
What a great feeling when they take especially avocados!
I have heard more then one forum member say it's impossible
Don't give up on the guava. When I did my neighbors tree I saw
a very large white root and cut the branch off. It was a shaded branch
as well under the canopy of the tree. It turned out the one large root was the only
one. The airlayer's leaves all dried up and I thought I lost it. It came back
very strong with new growth and is now in a different neighbors yard and full
of guavas

[Galatians522]

Galatians,

How long for lychee AL there?
What is your after care for them?

It usually takes about 8 weeks to get a very strong root system. I only cut layers that are pretty well rooted. I can typically feel the roots under the foil. Cut 1/2 to 2/3 of the leaves off and put them in 1 gallon pots in a shaded area with an automatic timer set to mist every 2 hours for 30 seconds (during day light hours only). Once the first flush has hardened off they can be up potted to 3 gal and weaned off the water.

[Plantinyum]

Galatians,  yes the plant is a juvenile and has never flowered or fruited for me, i believe the tree is around 3 uears old now .
I now wonder if i should take out the original one and plant one air layer instead. I believe the air layer will be much more contained in its growth and size ,due to the lack of tap root..?



Achetadomestica, i will remove the layers today, since theyve been on for enough time. I will prune them hard, plant in small pots and hope for the best.
The catley guava btw does not show any roots , i am removing them also and will pot them , seems they are harder to take ,compared to the regular guava.


 

[sc4001992]

I have air layered avocados with no issues. They are pretty much just like air layering lychee tree. I did two avocado air layers in 2020. Both avocado branches I air layered were fruiting branches. One large air layer was my Jan Boyce branch which had many flowers and small fruits (see photo of before and after below). The other air layer was a Hawaiian seedling tree which also was fruiting when I took the air layer. The Jan Boyce is the larger air layer branch, it was about 2-3" diameter, about 8-9 feet tall. I did thin out some branches but left some small fruits on the air layer. The Hawaiian seedling branch was only 1" diameter and about 7 feet tall.

These photos are my Jan Boyce, before I put on the air layer, after I removed the air layer, and 1 year after it was growing in the pot and had fruits.