Find out what air layering is and why you might want to do it to your houseplant. A quick explanation of this term, so you know what it means when you hear it or read it.
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Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors. If you’d like to support our show, please use our Amazon affiliate link below. Today, we bring you another installment of houseplant terminology, focusing on various terms that will help you understand them when you hear them in other videos or when you’re reading about plants.
Today’s term is “air layering.” This is a propagation method best suited for tall, lanky, single-stem plants that have become very woody, such as dumb cane (Dieffenbachia), many of the dracaenas, rubber tree (Ficus elastica), Ficus benjamina, split-leaf philodendron, and fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata).
Air layering serves two purposes: it helps you to get a large plant from a single cutting and allows you to prune a plant that has grown too tall for a space. The procedure is simple. You partially cut the stem to encourage root formation at that point. Once the roots form, you remove the rooted portion, and you have a whole new plant. The original plant is now shorter and can fit in a particular area.
After the cut, the old stem is left to grow, and new growth will emerge from the point where you cut off the rooted portion. The air layering procedure involves using rooting hormone, wrapping the area with moss, covering it with plastic wrap, and waiting for the top part where you made the cut to develop roots. This way, you can safely cut the plant and replant both the new and the old plants. The old plant will continue to grow from that point, but it will be much shorter and can remain in the same space.
Houseplant Terminology: Air Layering
What is air layering?
Air layering is a propagation method best suited for tall, lanky, single-stem plants that have become very woody, such as dumb cane (Dieffenbachia), many of the dracaenas, rubber tree (Ficus elastica), Ficus benjamina, split-leaf philodendron, and fiddle leaf fig (Ficus lyrata).
What are the purposes of air layering?
Air layering serves two purposes: it helps you to get a large plant from a single cutting and allows you to prune a plant that has grown too tall for a space.
How is air layering performed?
The procedure is simple. You partially cut the stem to encourage root formation at that point. Once the roots form, you remove the rooted portion, and you have a whole new plant. The original plant is now shorter and can fit in a particular area.
What happens after air layering?
After the cut, the old stem is left to grow, and new growth will emerge from the point where you cut off the rooted portion.
What does the air layering procedure involve?
The air layering procedure involves using rooting hormone, wrapping the area with moss, covering it with plastic wrap, and waiting for the top part where you made the cut to develop roots. This way, you can safely cut the plant and replant both the new and the old plants.
Can I use air layering on any plant?
Air layering is particularly effective for woody, single-stem plants. It is not suitable for all types of houseplants.
Will the old plant continue to grow after air layering?
Yes, the old plant will continue to grow from the point where you made the cut, but it will be shorter and can remain in the same space.
Is there a video on how to perform air layering?
Yes, there will be a video coming up on how to perform the air layering procedure on a dracaena.
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