Layering

This article is about the plant propagation techniques. For other uses, see Layering (disambiguation).
For the use of layering in viticulture, see Propagation of grapevines.
Layering

Layering is a means of plant propagation in which a portion of an aerial stem grows roots while still attached to the parent plant and then detaches as an independent plant. Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments. Layering is also utilized by horticulturists to propagate desirable plants.

Natural layering typically occurs when a branch touches the ground, whereupon it produces adventitious roots. At a later stage the connection with the parent plant is severed and a new plant is produced as a result.

The horticultural layering process typically involves wounding the target region to expose the inner stem and optionally applying rooting compounds. In ground layering or simple layering, the stem is bent down and the target region buried in the soil. This is done in plant nurseries in imitation of natural layering by many plants such as brambles which bow over and touch the tip on the ground, at which point it grows roots and, when separated, can continue as a separate plant. In either case, the rooting process may take from several weeks to a year.

Layering is more complicated than taking cuttings, but has the advantage that the propagated portion continues to receive water and nutrients from the parent plant while it is forming roots. This is important for plants that form roots slowly, or for propagating large pieces. Layering is used quite frequently in the propagation of bonsai; it is also used as a technique for both creating new roots and improving existing roots.

Method

A low-growing stem is bent down to touch a hole dug in the ground, then pinned in place using something shaped like a clothes hanger hook and covered over with soil. However, a few inches of leafy growth must remain above the ground for the bent stem to grow into a new plant. Removing a section of skin from the lower-facing stem part before burying may help the rooting process. If using rooting hormone, the stem should be cut just beneath a node. The resultant notch should be wedged open with a toothpick or similar piece of wood and the hormone applied before burying.

The buried stem part then grows new roots which take hold in the soil while the above parts grow as individual new plants. Once the end of the stem has grown long enough the process can be repeated, creating the appearance of a row of plants linked by humped, intermittently buried stems. Better results can be achieved when the top of the plant is closer to the vertical.

Once the process is completed, the buried section should be kept well-watered until roots begin to form. The new individual plant may require one to two years before it is strong enough to survive on its own. When it is, the original stem should be cut where it enters the ground, thereby separating the two plants.[1][2]

Plant types and benefits

As layering does not involve sexual reproduction, new plants are effectively clones of the original plant and will exhibit the same characteristics. This includes flower, fruit and foliage. Plant selection usually involves plants with a flexible stem.

Simple layering can be more attractive when managing a cascading or spreading plant.[3] These plants tend to propagate in this manner anyway, and potting a new limb will give extra plants without having to sow new seed.

Simple layering can also help when a plant has overgrown its pot and is drooping over the side. The long stem is layered into another pot until it roots, thus bringing it back to soil level.[4]

Ground layering

Ground layering or mound layering is the typical propagation technique for the popular Malling-Merton series of clonal apple rootstocks, in which the original plants are set in the ground with the stem nearly horizontal, which forces side buds to grow upward. After these are started, the original stem is buried up to some distance from the tip. At the end of the growing season, the side branches will have rooted, and can be separated while the plant is dormant. Some of these will be used for grafting rootstocks, and some can be reused in the nursery for the next growing season's crop.

Ground layering is used in the formation of visible surface roots, known as "nebari", on bonsai trees.

Air layering

Air layering of Limonium dendroides

In air layering (or marcotting), the target region is wounded, or a strip of bark is removed and then encased in a moisture-retaining medium such as sphagnum moss, or cloth which is further surrounded in a moisture barrier such as plastic film. Add soil and the scraped skin. Rooting hormone is often applied to encourage the wounded region to grow roots. When sufficient roots have grown from the wound, the stem is removed from the parent plant and planted. It can take the layer from a few weeks to one or more growing seasons to produce sufficient roots; this is largely dependent on the plant species and the vigor of the parent plant.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ervin Evans. "Plant Propagation by Layering: Instructions for the Home Gardener - NC State University". ncsu.edu.
  2. ↑ New Plants From Layering, Department of Horticulture, Purdue University Cooperative Extension
  3. ↑ Simple Layering of an Indoor Plant Part 1, Missouri Botanical Garden (In depth practical instructions with detailed photographic illustration, specific to indoor varieties)
  4. ↑ Simple Layering of an Indoor Plant Part 2, Missouri Botanical Garden (In depth practical instructions with detailed photographic illustration, specific to indoor varieties)
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