Lou,

I just completed a few Air-Layers somewhat as you described ... no problems. One difference ... I did not use rooting powder. From my experience last winter, I found rooting powder to be counter productive with figs. It seemed to stay wet and was a source of rot. Each time I used rooting powder I had a failure.

I also just dampened the moss (dipped in water and squeezed it out prior to use.) Once wrapped I added a bit of water only once, with the use of a kitchen syringe, after about a month.

I just updated a thread from August that discussed the technique with my results.

-Steve

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Figs

Lou, stevec makes a good case against rooting powder, and I had the same experience when I tried it - rotting. The next thing I would eliminate, that you mentioned doing, is making a slit in the branch. Figs simply don't need the slit, or the girdling which has been suggested in other threads. Truth is I have tried the slit thing, and every time the branch broke when I had heavy winds, ruining the whole thing.
I almost always try to do my air layering in late Spring or early Summer, and choose wood from last year's growth. Older wood might work, but it is slower, and new,green wood sometimes won't root at all. All my failures this year were experiments with green wood. I had three green wood layerings which did root, but the roots were weak and few in number, and the plants just don't seem to want to take off.
I often wish I had the number of hands as an octopus, but since I only have two the following seems to be helpful - after choosing the branch and removing leaves I tie a four-foot piece of cotton string where I plan to put the moss. When the moss is in place you can wrap the string around it, and it will all stay in place and this leaves you with both hands to wrap the plastic. It also makes it less likely that you will snap off the roots by twisting the root ball after you have cut the plant from the mother tree.
Stevec nailed the next step correctly, squeeze the moss after you have soaked it in water. Tie the plastic wrap at both ends.
I also wrap aluminum foil around the whole thing, it keeps the sun from cooking it.
I check in three weeks, usually cut it off sometime after four. I like to see a lot of actively-growing, white roots.....Elder (Lou)

Thanks guys but I must tell you that I only apply the rooting powder using just a light dust coating using a small pencil like paint brush. I also did squeeze out all of the water that I could before placing the moss over the area of interest. It did it the same way on other fruit trees that I have and it worked.

Maybe Lou has hit on something with me cutting into the branch before applying the moss. I also like SteveÂs idea using a syringe to dampen up the moss after a certain length of time has elapsed.

It's to late to give your suggestions a try this season in PA but I'm printing them out to give them a shot next year.

Lou any roots showing on you cuttings as yet?
Thanks guys
Lou NE, PA

I have two air-layer fig branches going right now. I soaked the spagum moss in water with liquid stimulator. Has any one had success using liquid stimulator? I did squeeze the moss before applying to the branch.

Vern

Lou, where in pa do you live?
I have great succes with airlayering, but I prefer dormant cuttings, I think it's easier. I've used a milk gallon, cut it in half and inserted the branch into it, then filled it with cheap potting mix, and it rooted. I was able to see the roots very clearly, through the plastic. I was able to pot the air layer immediatly into a 3 gallon, it's the fastest way to obtain a large cutting.

Another way is to bend the branch into the ground and cover it with soil.

Bass

Over a period of many years I have tried a variety of methods to get, in plain words me more fig trees to give away to friends and people I meet that show an interest in growing them. The method that worked well for me is the same as Bass stated by just placing a cutting into a good quality potting soil in a small container with good drainage holes provided.

I know over the years that I given out over 150 trees using that method but for some reason this year has been a bummer. The cuttings will not root for me. I'm placing the blame on the weather conditions this year because I keep the potted cuttings on my southern facing covered patio's brick wall. There they get the warmth from the southern facing wall and not direct sunlight but lately we have not had much sun and the days we did get sun the temps where really up there during the day and down during the nights.. I water them so they never dry out. I've done new wood cuttings with just as much success as I did using last years wood until this year. That's why my interest in air layering question asked to make sure I have the information to get it done correctly and have results in the end. I have three people waiting for trees. I wonder if I charged for the trees if anyone would want them. I do it for a hobby and I just can't get myself to throw away any branch I cut from my olive, lemon, bay leaf and fig trees. I just have to pot them up to try and get them growing. I usually give the people I give a tree of any variety I have printed up growing instructions epically if they live in our area where the best method to grow them is in containers and store the covered in a garage or shed during the winter months.
Bass I live about 20 miles northwest of Allentown, PA.
The town is called Lehighton.
Lou NE. PA

Is there a reason you can't put the successfully air-layered cutting directly into your prepared spot? And if there is, how long do you nurse it in the pot before you plant? In zone 7 I have a south-facing wall, so the figs get a long, warm season.

Once well rooted, and if it is early enough in the growing
season, NO reason at all! However, if otherwise, some more
measures need to be taken, either to make it grow more
big or just hardy for the coming winter (mulch covering
may just enough).
George (NJ).

Wow! Lots of stuff going on here - Lou, none of my LSU Gold cuttings are showing any roots, but all four of them have green growth over an inch.
Bonsaist, several years ago I took about ten cuttings from a tree in the Winter (dormant cuttings) and zero, nil, notta one did anything. What happened was this, I went back in the late Spring and noticed that the tree had died back on EVERY branch about two to three feet, so all the cuttings I took were already dead. Had I taken the cuttings in late Fall things might have been different.
Anyway, when I went back the second time I not only took LIVE cuttings, I also did three air layerings. All the cuttings made it (horizontal propagation that I love so well), as did the three air layerings. However, the air layer plants ALL produced big crops the next year while the cuttings took three years to meet the same production.
Also, it only takes about five minutes to do an air layer, and it probably takes that long to clean out and cut a milk carton.
So, unless I am in the business and need to propagate hundreds of trees every year, I'll go air layering every time I have a choice. And if you need hundreds of plants you'll probably use meristem propagation anyway.....Elder (Lou)

Is there a time when air-layering works better than others? I was thinking of doing them now (I had targeted the beginning of Sept but am running late) since the weather has begun to cool down a little bit.

~james

Too late this season. Shoot for spring.

I just successfully air layered a LSU Purple this year. All I did was to put some spaghnum moss soaked with plain water around one of the nodes that was shaded by a leaf covered with plastic wrap. At each end I sealed it with duct tape about 1" wide. Occasionally, I would spray a bit of water in through the seam of the plastic wrap and then close it up again. In about 4-5 weeks the plastic wrap was full of roots. Then I cut it and planted it.

The roots will be delicate from this process. So, be careful when planting the new tree.

I didn't mess around with rooting hormone, cutting, or foil.