Good morning gardeners!
First I have to give a hat tip to robctwo for the idea of this weeks diary. An awakening if you will. Back in the eighties layering was something I did on many occasions. Not so much that I liked playing mad scientist, but for the simple fact plants were not so readily available as they are today. Back then if you didn’t have a minimum of ten seed catalogs at the ready, you were not a gardener. And yet even having all those catalogs, they were still very limited in their selections.
This is where the art of layering, or cloning if you will comes into play. Do you, or someone you know have a particular species plant, bush, shrub, or tree that you would love to have another, and can no longer find? Then layering just might be the answer.
Kevin Lee Jacobs @ A Garden for the House has a very good write up on how this is simply done. With his permission I will be quoting most of what he writes on this subject.
LAYERING IS PROBABLY THE EASIEST — and surprisingly, the least known — method of plant propagation. I’ve used this technique to increase weigela , forsythia, rhododendron, and other shrubs which bring beauty to my garden. With layering, the stem you wish to propagate remains attached to the parent plant. Consequently it receives nourishment until it grows its own set of roots.
Mid-spring is the best time for layering. This is when plants are teeming with energy, and have an urgent desire to grow. First, select a stem which is long and flexible enough to be bent downward. Then dig a small, 3-inch-deep trench directly beneath the stem. Remove leaves from the area of the stem that will later be covered with soil.
Using a razor blade or a sharp knife, scrape off a section of the stem’s outer, or “cambium” layer. It is from this wound that roots will emerge. Finally, set the wounded portion of the stem into the ground, and pin it down with either a piece of bent coat-hanger wire, or a landscaping pin (above). Pin firmly enough to insure stem and soil make contact. Then cover both stem and pin with soil, and firm gently. Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the rooting process.
After six weeks have passed, remove the soil. If roots are evident, sever the stem from its parent, and give the young plant permanent quarters elsewhere. If no roots are present, replace the soil. Checks for roots again after two weeks have passed.
If you have a cherished, flexible-stemmed shrub, and wish to make more of it, layering is definitely the way to go. The method has never failed me.
In addition, if you have a particular plant which cannot be bent to the ground; simply put a pot underneath the branch/stem, and cut two opposing slits three inches deep by whatever width the branch is at the top of the pot. Place the branch in those slits, and cover with soil. Raise the pot as needed with whatever is on hand like flat rocks, or bricks to get it to the height that is needed. Sit back and let Mother Nature do her thing. Keep in mind going this route it is crucial to keep an eye on watering.
Another way of cloning is Air Layering which works great on thick limbs of trees, and bushes like rhodies. A word of warning; this type of layering will not work on trees which do not grow from it’s own root stock. So if you have a tree growing from a graft you will not get a true clone. Below is a video showing how simple air layering can be done.
Below is a pretty good list of what can be layered, but is far from complete.
Azaleas – all kinds
Burford Holly, and dwarf (and I suspect all hollies)
Confederate/Star Jasmine
Anything vine-like
English Laurel/Otto Luyken/Cherry Laurel
Gardenias
Loropetalum
Mediterranean Heather
Pyracantha
Wintercreeper
Camellia
Weigela
Forsythia
Rosemary
Rhododendron
Phlox (subulata & nivalis)
Roses (remember no grafted root stock )
Hydrangeas
Blackberries
Raspberries
Aucuba
My apologies in advance for all the cutting and pasting. My original draft which was more in my own words has been gobbled up by #5. So it was a mad dash to get something up. May our gardens grow with less aggravation than this site gives us. ;-)