Aeroponic Seedling Air-Layers!!!!!

[cmeg1]

Ok,this is so cool I had to give it’s own thread.Worth doing to any variety that is known to be propogated from cuttings will work.
My first attempt here are with Coreana Hornbeam(quite small too).Thicker stems will produce better results as far as I am concerned.
Just take a seedling and ringbark(girdle) and then place ringbark and all roots into cloner resevoir below the neoprene collar.
ROOTS IN 12 days!!!!
Next up will be zelkova when these are done and also chinese elm next batch after that.They will push roots in days probably as they are much more condusive to rooting than coreana hornbeam ,in my experiance.

So here is exact recipe.
I used Dip&Grow at 10x strength dabbed on with a Qtip for about a minute for each one around the girdle.

Seedlings are grown with Mother formula at a very weak EC of .4 with tons of biostimulants and amino acids to get the photosynthesis going strong and also getting vascular systems good from extra calcium uptake from amino acids.

Pump was ran on a cycle timer @5min on/30 min off. These keeps water around 71-72f so pathogens will not grow.....up to 74-5 is max unless you use a sterilizer like bleach or something. The pump times can be tweaked between 5-45 minutes on/5-30 min off.

These are the bomb!!! Looking forward to developing these with a very strong start.These aeroponic cloners can really make an abundance of roots really quick without any shock from humidity transition.......the problem I found using a propogator dome with Hornbeam.

so here is pictures and recipe
Also room needs to be between 50-75% humidity.

 

[cmeg1]

Ok roots in 12 days!! Coreana Hornbeams

Very worth doing to young seedlings.
Probably better results with slightly thicker stems.
Next batch of zelkova wil be a few weeks older and thicker stemmed.

 

[cmeg1]

Have much bigger seedlings in the cloner

These should root more vigorously one would think than the first batch of tiny seedlings.Although these did not recieve mother fertilizer.Probably does not matter too much with air-layering though.
I looked at these this morning and they are all extremely vibrant with no leaf dessication at the 6 day mark and are just starting to callus.

Changed recipe a bit with a more hydroponic freindly microbe/fungi innoculant.Also added 3ml per gallon Hormex hormone(not 2ml per instructions below).

 

[Rivian]

what if you just sowed these shallow in fine substrate, maybe coarse sand and far apart from each other and cut the tap root early?

 

[cmeg1]

what if you just sowed these shallow in fine substrate, maybe coarse sand and far apart from each other and cut the tap root early?

Hi.I am an air-layer geek.
zelkova root in 6-15 days.....so fun really!

 

[leatherback]

looks like these are doing well. Soon you can hire yourself out as a propagation consultant!

 

[Rivian]

Well the root flare is certainly nice. Have you tried with old material too? Inch thick or so? With this setup?

 

[leatherback]

the root flare

?
These are young roots, no flare. Just side roots?

 

[cmeg1]

looks like these are doing well. Soon you can hire yourself out as a propagation consultant!

It has already happened ,though I offered free consultation after explaining I only took a hydro class just last year!!

 

[cmeg1]

Well the root flare is certainly nice. Have you tried with old material too? Inch thick or so? With this setup?

Thanks.Yes I tried and it seems you only get the ultra-predictable, two week rooting in the 1st & 2nd growing season.

 

[cmeg1]

Awesome!!!! The larger Coreana Hornbeams are rooting at 14days.

These look they will be very dense.....Root nubs everywhere.......hope they all do this...this was the earliest one!!!
Glad recipe is a goThese will be crazy vigorous and leaves look great...been misting leaves twice a day with humic acid at low dose.

 

[JoeR]

This thread doesn't have nearly the amount of likes it should. I see you said they root in 14 days, but whats your success rate? As in, how many cuttings fail for both the hornbeams and zelkova?

 

[cmeg1]

This thread doesn't have nearly the amount of likes it should. I see you said they root in 14 days, but whats your success rate? As in, how many cuttings fail for both the hornbeams and zelkova?

Thanks.Zelkova the tried and true way with the cardboard is 100% .
In the aeroponic cloner is new.I am hoping good success rate with the Hornbeam.Aeroponic method is new to me.I do not see why not a very good success rate.The little tiny hornbeam were less than 50%.These bigger ones should be better.And in the future I will prepare these better with motherplant preperations........so stay tuned and I will report.

 

[cmeg1]

Doing good 2weeks 5days.

I think I may prefer the tried and true method with the cardboard sleeves directly in the trays.

At any rate these are cool.Success rate may be low,I’m not sure.Maybe the others are just late.I will leave them to make sure.It is amazing how healthy they look though in the aero cloner.

 

[cmeg1]

Roots grow fast at this stage...only one more day

I will leave these a couple more days...may as well let a good thing keep happening....Will be really vigorous and have a super strong growing Coreana Hornbeam.

 

[leatherback]

wow

 

[cmeg1]

potted up the 1st one

While this one turned out fantastic,It does not seem the success rate was that fantastic.I wonder if my tried and true way of using a cardboard sleeve in a tray of seedlings is as good or better.
At any rate learn by doing.Probably a good idea to use mother fertilizer on seedlings destined to become seedling air-layers........these were not.
Never know....the success rate may turn out better.....will just let them go in the cloner awhile.
This will be a whopper for sure! I put it in a corner of the tent where light is dimmer and they will adjust for a few days and then into stronger light.
They will get root fertilizer for at least 2 -3 weeks as usual.Roots first.Lots of co2 near 1500 ppm.
I do not know how much room I will have over winter...I will probably just keep one of these in the tent for an extended first season...Need room for the Winter Mikawa pine crop!!!

 

[cmeg1]

Plus the cardboard sleeve method can get rooting just under the first branches for possible multi-trunk/clump styles whereas the neoprene inserts hamper this option in the aero cloner.

 

[cmeg1]

so a 30% success rate.

toal of 6 quality rooted cuttings.Results could of been way better if I used Mother fertilizer.I was adding extra potassium which will deter rooting.
Anyway these are definately improved rootpads for the future.

These are cool though.I will just keep them.I will put chinese elm in there tomorrow...also getting extra potassium,but I will find out if this is less a concern with species that root better.

 

[cmeg1]

Give Chinese Elm a go.

I figured if Hornbeam had some success maybe Elm would fair even better.
Only made about 8.
This go around I used Dip&Grow @10x strength around the girdle area with a bit of Rockwool cube secured to it ........this was equivlant to a 10-15 minute dip!!
You would think these root quickly being Elm....again I was lazy and did not use mother fertilizer to enhance propogation.
Should be cool....I plan to keep at least a few.
Previous recipe in the resevoir.