By Janet Sellers
Air-layering favorite trees for propagation
In the air-layering technique, you peel back the bark and add some rooting hormone and then cover the bark peel area. You’ll primarily need unmilled sphagnum moss (some people use a container of compost with soil for a large branch up to an inch in diameter), a sharp knife, clear plastic wrap, twist ties, and optionally, rooting hormone and a container for the moss or soil. The moss/soil holds moisture, the plastic wrap or bucket helps retain the soil and humidity, and the ties secure everything in place.
The tree will root out at the site after a number of months, depending on the size of the branch. The bucket of soil needs watering, the plastic wrapped area stays moist; both methods should be checked for retaining moisture to keep the rooting branch alive. Small (half-inch or less) branches take several months to be ready to replant, while larger (1 inch to 1½ inches) can be left for half a year or more. It is much faster to get a tree for the garden with this method than from seed or even a small, purchased plant. Air layering works best from early spring when the tree has the whole summer to grow roots.
For fruit trees, especially new purchases, many gardeners recommend “head cutting” for stronger growth and easier harvests. Heading cuts in fruit trees are important for several reasons. They promote branching, increase the number of fruiting buds, and help maintain the tree’s size and shape. By removing the terminal bud (the bud at the tip of a branch), heading cuts encourage growth from the buds below, resulting in more fruiting wood and potentially more fruit.
Plant partners
Plant partners that help each other grow:
- Onions – kale, turnips, mustard greens
- Radishes – summer peppers, basil, snap beans
- Peas – pole beans
- Potatoes – broccoli, cabbage, collards
- Spinach – annual herbs
- Carrots – kale, turnips, mustard greens
- Lettuce – beets
- Asian greens – Swiss chard
- Kohlrabi – zukes, cukes.
Bee kind
If you see a bee of any description on the floor or not flying other than on a flowering plant, it is starving! You can help: mix two parts sugar to one part water and offer the syrup to the bee on a teaspoon. You’ll see her (they are mostly ladies) little black tongue as she drinks. It will take about 10 minutes for her to convert the syrup to energy, but she will fly away if you’ve helped her in time. The feeling you get on seeing her recovery and flight is well worth your time. No honey please—Disease can be spread easily from colony to colony through this practice and you will do more damage than good. White sugar and water only please.
Janet Sellers is an avid “lazy gardener” looking to Mother Nature for simple, effective garden success. Contact her at JanetSellers@ocn.me.
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