How to graft a new fruit tree with air layering

Leave a CommentHow to graft a new fruit tree with air layeringFood, Growing things
  • The video demonstrates a gardening technique called air layering, used to propagate a lemon tree.
  • First, select a healthy branch on a lemon tree and make two circular cuts about five centimeters apart.
  • Lightly scrape the exposed area between the cuts to stop nutrient flow and encourage root growth.
  • Cut a cucumber in half lengthwise and carve out a groove in the middle so it fits snugly around the branch wound.
  • Secure the cucumber halves around the branch using toothpicks.
  • Take a plastic cup, cut it open, and wrap it around the cucumber, securing it with tape.
  • Fill the cup with coconut soil or regular garden soil, pressing it down firmly.
  • Water the soil thoroughly and cover everything with a black plastic bag to keep it moist and warm.
  • After 40 days, remove the bag to reveal roots that have filled the cup and the cucumber, which has fully decomposed into natural fertilizer.
  • Cut the branch below the roots to obtain a new lemon tree with the original genetics of the mother plant.
  • This ancient technique, known as air layering, has been used for over 3,000 years (without the plastic cup!) and skips the seedling and early growth stages, working on most woody plants.