Air Layering Tutorial

[Thagirion]

After asking around on youtube I find this to be a very interesting technique. I drew this little doodle in under 7 minutes and published it on my journal. I want to share it here since some of you were asking and had not heard of this either. It was fun to make these drawings.


Nepenthes Air Layering Tutorial by Thagirion3, on Flickr

This technique is an alternative to regular stem cuttings and rooting. Use a nepenthes that is in the vineing stage and choose a node that has a large space between leaves.

1. Cut at an angle into the node but not all the way through.

2. Add rooting hormone to the opening. Most types have fungicide which will help keep disease out. Take some long fibered sphagnum moss, wet it and ball it up. Make sure it is very moist then place it into the cut and around the stem.

3. Wrap with clear plastic and tie with twisty ties. The idea is to trick the plant into thinking the ground is higher than it is.

4. Remove plastic when roots develop.

5. Cut the set off under the roots and plant in a pot with proper medium. Bagging and hardening off is optional.

This technique seems fairly straight forward and something I am looking forward to trying out myself.

 

[gill_za]

Ron pointed to this link in the previous post about air layering. It had both a guide and pics and is full of relevant information. Nice doodles though.

http://www.cpukforum.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8130&st=0

No need to join the board to look at the pics or read the info. The links are clickable.

 

[Brokken]

Nicely drawn, Thag.

 

[corky]

this interests me too,i am a bit confused as to the benefits over normal stem cuttings as from what i read in a few peoples experiences it does not sound very successfull,or maybe they were just unlucky,hey thag have you a vine you can try this on , i have no nep large enough really ,well one and i wanna see it flower

 

[uphwiz]

greatstuff every one im on my way to give this a try i have several neps that are vineing

 

[BigBella]

Very nice effort; and for all of the crap that has been leveled at the Peitropaolos and their Carnivorous Plants of the World over the last twenty-five years or so -- that was where I learned about layering techniques and all manner of cultivation tricks that seldom found its way into other popular books . . .