Is there a "typical" cause of air layer failure?

DrTolhur

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This past summer I attempted an air layer on three separate trees, but they all failed. On two of them, the tree completely died and there were never any roots. On the third, the tree is fine, but still no root growth. I know it's impossible to have anyone tell me what specifically went wrong with these without having more information, which is why I'm just wondering if there's one or two most common mistakes that are likely the culprit for beginners failing at air layering.

I'd love to have some confidence in air layering for when it matters on trees I really don't want to lose/waste, but right now I'm completely unwilling to try on anything I care about, which prevents me from being able to buy anything grafted that I'd need to layer the graft off of.

What details I do have:
- All three were started in June, I believe, and either died and/or had no roots come September.
- Two were on recently transplanted trees (probably a bad idea, as they're the two that died).
- One Bloodgood, one Coral Bark, and one Rubrum. (Can you tell I like maples?)
- Two were about half-inch base, one was 2"+ base.
- All used little cups with wet sphagnum moss and covered with foil to prevent overheating.
 

John P.

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I’ve had successes and not many failures. Layer after leaves harden off. Leave them on longer than you expect. I’ve used pumice or orchid seedling bark. Both work great. I use open tops and water every time I water the host plant.
 

ShadyStump

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Starting them in June may be part of the problem. It's getting hot enough then in the continental US that any roots that start may get cooked right away. That's the issue I had with my first air layer attempt this year. Good roots forming, but left it hoping for more. In stead the late summer heat steamed them like vegetables. It's still hanging on, but not as successful as I'd have liked.
Like @John P. said, as soon as the new leaves harden off in spring sounds right. And as you noted already, even trees in the ground get only one insult per season, including layers.
 

leatherback

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You need plants that are well established. Sp recently replanteed can be an issue. Substrate too wet can be an issue. Too cold can be an issue.
 

PieterVE

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2 years ago all 8 of my airlayers worked
This year... none of them !
All had lots of callus and thickening around the base, but no roots at all...

Must be something in the air ??
 

BrightsideB

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2 years ago all 8 of my airlayers worked
This year... none of them !
All had lots of callus and thickening around the base, but no roots at all...

Must be something in the air ??
This happened on my first layers years ago. I left them on over winter. They grew roots the following spring. Don’t lose hope sometimes the tree is just throwing a tantrum. Lol
 

jerzyjerzy

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From what I have noticed (done about 30-something layers in the last three years, maybe three failed), sometimes the ring without bark is a source of infection, and the whole layered part dies.

Callus and thickening just means you have to wait a little longer, maybe even wait for the next growing season. You should not remove a layer without roots.
 

cishepard

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So, if you can leave a ‘rootless’ air layer over the winter and get roots sprouting in the spring, would it be safe to say you could start a new layer like, now, and get a similar jump on new roots, as opposed to waiting until leaves are hardened off next year?
 

davetree

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Whether it’s cloning, air layering, or ground layering, I always use the healthiest, most robust trees. You air layered two trees that were recently transplanted.
 

sorce

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Once timing is down. Once patience to leave them on longer is down, including starting them earlier, as the concensus seems to be this causes no harm with benefit if anything. Once all those externals outside of the action itself is down...

I think the "typical" failure is cutting to deep, or not cutting enough.
I lean towards cutting deeper in that balance, but the key is always to feel for no sliminess. That sliminess is the cells that cause bridging IMO.

Sorce
 

jerzyjerzy

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So, if you can leave a ‘rootless’ air layer over the winter and get roots sprouting in the spring, would it be safe to say you could start a new layer like, now, and get a similar jump on new roots, as opposed to waiting until leaves are hardened off next year?
I would rather say no. The reason being that it is pretty late in the season, and any conductive tissue growth that happens in the fall around the leaf drop, already slowed down, and will slow down even more in winter. Also, with no photosynthesis, there will be almost no sugars moving down to the cut area which means callus formation will be slower or none. In case of the earlier cut that already callused over, there is at least a chance of roots forming in winter. A fresh cut at this time of the year will not only be slow to callus but also more susceptible to a pathogen attack.

I am not saying it would not work at all, as a lot depends on the species and your growing conditions, just the risk of killing the layer or the whole tree is much higher this time of the year.

All IMHO, of course.
 
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ShadyStump

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So, if you can leave a ‘rootless’ air layer over the winter and get roots sprouting in the spring, would it be safe to say you could start a new layer like, now, and get a similar jump on new roots, as opposed to waiting until leaves are hardened off next year?
@jerzyjerzy pretty much hit it, but in laymen's terms there's a difference between, "dinner isn't ready, we're eating late," and, "everyone seemed to handle eating late last night just fine, so now dinner time is 9pm." Not something you do just because you can, but sometimes you have to.

Letting your layer go over winter always carries its own risks, and there's no reason to take those risks if you don't have to. Infection and rotting of the wood or bark, leading to the whole branch dying isn't uncommon. The longer you leave it, the more opportunity there is for that to happen, or a thousand other problems to crop up, so don't leave it longer than you have to, and don't do it until the tree is ready for it. You're effectively doing surgery, so treat your patient with care, and don't push any procedures before the patient is ready.
 
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