AusBonsai

Hi guys
I'm just wondering about airlayering vs cuttings. What is a better method?
Also, do you have any tips or tricks to use when doing both methods
Thanks in advance.

Hi Jme.
I think you'll need to provide a little more info. What type of tree are you talking about? What is the purpose of cutting/air layering- what are you trying to achieve?
There has been a huge amount of discussion on here about air layering, a search should answer a lot then you could offer more specific questions.
By cutting I assume you mean trunk chopping- usually done to reduce the height of a tree and help with taper.
Air layer usually done to help increase nebari or remove a poor section of trunk. Also to save on growing time.

If your thinking of reducing the height of a tree you could air layer therefore giving you two trees and reducing the height at the same time. Both techniques have there valid reasons for different objectives.

Josh.

Josh wrote:Hi Jme.
I think you'll need to provide a little more info. What type of tree are you talking about? What is the purpose of cutting/air layering- what are you trying to achieve?
There has been a huge amount of discussion on here about air layering, a search should answer a lot then you could offer more specific questions.
By cutting I assume you mean trunk chopping- usually done to reduce the height of a tree and help with taper.
Air layer usually done to help increase nebari or remove a poor section of trunk. Also to save on growing time.

If your thinking of reducing the height of a tree you could air layer therefore giving you two trees and reducing the height at the same time. Both techniques have there valid reasons for different objectives.

Josh.

I took the question to mean taking cuttings, and opposed to taking an airlayer? and which is the better method? That was how I read it anyway

Unfortunately I don't know enough to answer though, haven't tried an airlayer as yet, and my cuttings are still 50/50 survival rate on a good day

Jason wrote:

Josh wrote:Hi Jme.
I think you'll need to provide a little more info. What type of tree are you talking about? What is the purpose of cutting/air layering- what are you trying to achieve?
There has been a huge amount of discussion on here about air layering, a search should answer a lot then you could offer more specific questions.
By cutting I assume you mean trunk chopping- usually done to reduce the height of a tree and help with taper.
Air layer usually done to help increase nebari or remove a poor section of trunk. Also to save on growing time.

If your thinking of reducing the height of a tree you could air layer therefore giving you two trees and reducing the height at the same time. Both techniques have there valid reasons for different objectives.

Josh.

I took the question to mean taking cuttings, and opposed to taking an airlayer? and which is the better method? That was how I read it anyway

Unfortunately I don't know enough to answer though, haven't tried an airlayer as yet, and my cuttings are still 50/50 survival rate on a good day

Yeah ok, that make more sense.

In that case air layering would achieve a quicker result in that you can generally air layer a thicker branch/trunk than you would take a cutting of. Not sure of time frame to get roots on both, probably similar. If you have easy access to the tree then air layer is probably better.
If you simply want reproduce a lot of a certain then cuttings would be the way to go.
That's but then again I didn't understand the question

Josh.

Yeah Jason is right. What I mean is what produces better, faster and stronger results when taking a cutting from a branch and using rooting hormone or airlayering the branch with moss.

Well in general terms you will be doing larger diameters with an air layer. There are reasons why you may do cuttings - passing through town and have access to that tree once only, or unable to get up in the tree to find a suitable branch to air layer. I think air layering is more reliable than non commercial propagation of cuttings. It is also faster to get a certain size trunk and also the "aged' look of the bark which helps with our illusions.

Sorry Tony. What did you mean by non commercial propagation? Do they do something different to the norm? Different hormones or setups or something?
thanks Grant

Well I don't have a greenhouse and heat mats - there is a much higher success rate with them. I just strike my cuttings in a selected area that is neither too hot nor too shady.