what do you do with a plant that gets to tall indoors?
- Thread starter theguy420
- Start date
irishwyrick
Active Member
what about topping it if its a mother? i have the same issue right now
fabfun
New Member
cadeneli
Active Member
Fabfun, you always have the best solution.....lol
fabfun
New Member
works for me and i would even send him updates of his orphan and letters from her telling him how his 69 cents has made a difference in her life
and he could send me just .69 cents a day the price of a cup of coffee to care for her
and he could send me just .69 cents a day the price of a cup of coffee to care for her
Brick Top
New Member
Next time you take clones you may want to try air layering where you take most of a branch at a time. That will give you very large clones and it will shorten your mother.
Air layering is a useful method of producing roots on the stem of indoor landscape plants that have become "leggy" through the loss of their lower foliage.
This method, believed to have been developed centuries ago by the Chinese, has been used successfully as a mean of propagating some of the more difficult-to-root plants. Because it required excessive care and patience, air layering was used only by the highly trained plantsman.
The procedure was to wound the stem or branch of a plant and enclose the wounded stem with moist sphagnum moss or similar rooting medium until roots develop from the wounded area. Success was dependent upon the ability of the propagator to keep the rooting medium moist until the roots were formed and large enough to support the new plant. Only since the development of polyethylene film has air layering become a practical method of propagation for the home gardener and amateur horticulturist.
Air layering seldom is used on plants that root easily by other less complicated methods, but it is useful for rooting ornamental plants such as ornamental figs, dieffenbachia, croton and others of a herbaceous nature. Woody plants frequently propagated in this manner include magnolia, holly, camelia, azalea and many of the fruit and nut bearing plants such as citrus, apple, pears and pecans.
For optimum rooting make air layers in the spring on shoots produced during the previous season or in mid-summer on mature shoots from the current season's growth. On woody plants, stems of pencil size or larger are best. The stem may be much thicker on the more herbaceous plants.
Steps for making a successful air layer are illustrated in the following drawings:
Figure 1. Method of wounding woody plants such as magnolia, gardenia, rose, fig and similar plants. With a sharp knife, make two parallel cuts about 1 1/2 inches apart around the stem and through the bark and cambium layer. Connect the two parallel cuts with one long cut (a) and remove the ring of bark (b), leaving the inner woody tissue exposed (c).
Figure 2. Method of wounding plants having less woody stems in preparation for air layering. This method usually is used on foliage plants such as the rubber plant, (Ficus benjamini and Ficus elastica) and the dieffenbachia. (a) With a sharp knife, make a long upward cut from 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, almost to the center of the stem.
(b) Insert a wood sliver, toothpick or twisted piece of sphagnum moss into the wound to hold it open and prevent cut tissue from reuniting. At this point, the wounded area may be dusted with one of the commercial rooting compounds to speed up the rooting process. Such compounds, however, do not insure root production on difficult-to-root varieties.
Figure 3. Apply a handful of damp sphagnum moss so that it envelopes the wounded portion of the stem. Tying the moss in place with string helps keep it in position while completing the process. The sphagnum moss hould be soaked several hours to insure that it is thoroughly moist. Squeeze out surplus water before using, since excessive moisture will result in decay and deterioration of the plant tissue.
Figure 4. Using a sheet of polyethylene film approximately 6" X 12" or 8" X 12", depending upon the size of the plant stem, wrap the ball of sphagnum moss using the butchers fold (see insert) to secure a tight seal where the two ends of the sheet are joined.
Figure 5. Draw the upper end of the film snugly around stem making sure that none of the moss is exposed. Fasten securely with electricians tape, taking care that the tape extends beyond the film and adheres to the stem. Repeat the procedure on the lower end, again making sure there is a snug fit. Moisture must not escape and excess moisture must not enter when watering or syringing the plants. Support the plant with stake or splint to prevent breakage at the wounded area.
Figure 6. After the new roots have penetrated the moss ball and are visible on all sides, the rooted branch may be removed from the parent plant. The rooting time will vary with plant variety as well as the season in which it is performed.
Figure 7. Remove the newly rooted plant from the parent plant with a sharp knife or pruning shears, making the cut just below the ball of moss and roots. (Not illustrated) Carefully remove the polyethylene film. Without disturbing the roots or removing the ball of moss, plant in a container using a good potting mixture or plant in a well-prepared soil bed.
Figure 8. Placing a polyethylene tent over the newly potted plant for 4 to 8 days until the root system is well established is helpful as it will aid in preventing excessive loss of moisture. Keep the plant under a light shade and avoid direct sunlight until the new root system is well developed.
Many plants are lost in the final stage of the process because the root system is not sufficiently developed to sustain the top portion of the new plant. By utilizing the plastic tent illustrated in figure 8 or by keeping the new plant in a humid environment, it is possible to develop a good root system on rather large cuttings. Once the plant is well established, it is best to harden off the foliage by gradually exposing it to normal atmosphere. This can be done by cutting a few holes every few days in the plastic tent to reduce the humidity until it is similar to the external atmosphere.
[SIZE=-1]Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people of all ages without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8,1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, Zerle L. Carpenter, Director, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System.[/SIZE]
When it comes to vegetative propagation, I naturally think of taking a plant cutting and rooting it in the ground or in some other media. But air layering is different: It’s done aboveground while the propagule (a bud, tuber, root or shoot) is still attached to the parent plant.
Make a 1½-inch wound to start the air layering process.
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
Wrap the wound with sphagnum moss or soil, and cover it with plastic wrap.
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
After placing the soil and plastic wrap around the wound, tie a rubber band at each end to form an airtight seal.
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
Cover your airtight seal with aluminum foil to reflect the light.
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
As strange as the method sounds, this way of propagation has actually been practiced for centuries – although it’s not too common because of the time it takes to “grow” a cutting. Typically the best time to air layer is in early spring on the past year’s growth. Many times the cuttings are ready by fall, but some cuttings may take two growing seasons to root.
You may need a lot of patience with this technique, but for those hard-to-root plants, air layering is a highly effective way to reproduce plants. What’s more, it’s not too difficult! All you need is a little patience, a little work and a few simple supplies:
Step 1: After selecting the branch you want to propagate from, come down 12 inches from the tip of the branch and make two parallel cuts 1½ inches apart with a sharp knife. Don’t cut through the branch! Just cut deeply enough so the outside bark peels off. (What you’re going for is an exposed wound.)
Step 2 (optional): If you’d like, add a little rooting hormone to the wound to speed up the rooting process.
Step 3: Wrap the wound with moist sphagnum moss (or potting soil), then cover it with plastic wrap to form an airtight pouch. (Note: This is the hardest step – and it can be amusing just trying to keep the moss from falling off the limb while getting the plastic wrap securely around it. To make the task a bit easier, I like to place the moss or potting soil in the plastic wrap first, then wrap both around the wound at the same time.)
Step 4: Tie the rubber bands around the ends of the plastic wrap. (So now you should have a ball of moss wrapped in plastic wrap around the wound.)
Step 5: Cover the plastic wrap with aluminum foil. The foil protects the wound from sunlight in two ways: First, it prevents sunlight from destroying the hormone that causes rooting. Second, it reflects sunlight and keeps the rooting area from getting too hot.
And then you wait (and wait). To determine if a cutting is fully rooted, periodically check it by removing the aluminum foil to see if roots have grown to the edge of the plastic.
Step 6: Once you’ve determined that the cutting is fully rooted, it’s time to plant your baby plant. First you need to cut the baby off of the mother plant below where your pouch was located. Then plant your new plant in a pot using the appropriate potting mix, or plant it outside in the right spot for that species’ particular sun and drainage requirements.
Step 7: Don’t forget to maintain your baby plant! Small newly rooted plants should receive far less sun exposure while initially growing than the mother plant requires, so do provide it some shade. And keep your little plant well-watered – but also well-drained – until it’s established. Consider fertilizing lightly as you would the mother plant. Then voilà! You’ll actually have a clone rather than a baby plant (as in, an exact genetic match to the mother plant)!
Whether you’re looking for an interesting new project to tackle, or you just haven’t had success propagating a plant with another method, consider air layering. It’s easy to do, highly effective – and a fun way to learn about plants!
Air layering is a useful method of producing roots on the stem of indoor landscape plants that have become "leggy" through the loss of their lower foliage.
This method, believed to have been developed centuries ago by the Chinese, has been used successfully as a mean of propagating some of the more difficult-to-root plants. Because it required excessive care and patience, air layering was used only by the highly trained plantsman.
The procedure was to wound the stem or branch of a plant and enclose the wounded stem with moist sphagnum moss or similar rooting medium until roots develop from the wounded area. Success was dependent upon the ability of the propagator to keep the rooting medium moist until the roots were formed and large enough to support the new plant. Only since the development of polyethylene film has air layering become a practical method of propagation for the home gardener and amateur horticulturist.
Air layering seldom is used on plants that root easily by other less complicated methods, but it is useful for rooting ornamental plants such as ornamental figs, dieffenbachia, croton and others of a herbaceous nature. Woody plants frequently propagated in this manner include magnolia, holly, camelia, azalea and many of the fruit and nut bearing plants such as citrus, apple, pears and pecans.
For optimum rooting make air layers in the spring on shoots produced during the previous season or in mid-summer on mature shoots from the current season's growth. On woody plants, stems of pencil size or larger are best. The stem may be much thicker on the more herbaceous plants.
Steps for making a successful air layer are illustrated in the following drawings:
(b) Insert a wood sliver, toothpick or twisted piece of sphagnum moss into the wound to hold it open and prevent cut tissue from reuniting. At this point, the wounded area may be dusted with one of the commercial rooting compounds to speed up the rooting process. Such compounds, however, do not insure root production on difficult-to-root varieties.
Many plants are lost in the final stage of the process because the root system is not sufficiently developed to sustain the top portion of the new plant. By utilizing the plastic tent illustrated in figure 8 or by keeping the new plant in a humid environment, it is possible to develop a good root system on rather large cuttings. Once the plant is well established, it is best to harden off the foliage by gradually exposing it to normal atmosphere. This can be done by cutting a few holes every few days in the plastic tent to reduce the humidity until it is similar to the external atmosphere.
[SIZE=-1]Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people of all ages without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age or national origin.[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8,1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, Zerle L. Carpenter, Director, Texas Agricultural Extension Service, The Texas A&M University System.[/SIZE]
When it comes to vegetative propagation, I naturally think of taking a plant cutting and rooting it in the ground or in some other media. But air layering is different: It’s done aboveground while the propagule (a bud, tuber, root or shoot) is still attached to the parent plant.
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
Photo Credit: Daniel Overcash
As strange as the method sounds, this way of propagation has actually been practiced for centuries – although it’s not too common because of the time it takes to “grow” a cutting. Typically the best time to air layer is in early spring on the past year’s growth. Many times the cuttings are ready by fall, but some cuttings may take two growing seasons to root.
You may need a lot of patience with this technique, but for those hard-to-root plants, air layering is a highly effective way to reproduce plants. What’s more, it’s not too difficult! All you need is a little patience, a little work and a few simple supplies:
- A sharp knife
- Sphagnum moss (or potting soil in a pinch)
- Plastic wrap (the kind from your kitchen)
- 2 rubber bands cut in half
- Aluminum foil
- Rooting hormone (optional)
Step 1: After selecting the branch you want to propagate from, come down 12 inches from the tip of the branch and make two parallel cuts 1½ inches apart with a sharp knife. Don’t cut through the branch! Just cut deeply enough so the outside bark peels off. (What you’re going for is an exposed wound.)
Step 2 (optional): If you’d like, add a little rooting hormone to the wound to speed up the rooting process.
Step 3: Wrap the wound with moist sphagnum moss (or potting soil), then cover it with plastic wrap to form an airtight pouch. (Note: This is the hardest step – and it can be amusing just trying to keep the moss from falling off the limb while getting the plastic wrap securely around it. To make the task a bit easier, I like to place the moss or potting soil in the plastic wrap first, then wrap both around the wound at the same time.)
Step 4: Tie the rubber bands around the ends of the plastic wrap. (So now you should have a ball of moss wrapped in plastic wrap around the wound.)
Step 5: Cover the plastic wrap with aluminum foil. The foil protects the wound from sunlight in two ways: First, it prevents sunlight from destroying the hormone that causes rooting. Second, it reflects sunlight and keeps the rooting area from getting too hot.
And then you wait (and wait). To determine if a cutting is fully rooted, periodically check it by removing the aluminum foil to see if roots have grown to the edge of the plastic.
Step 6: Once you’ve determined that the cutting is fully rooted, it’s time to plant your baby plant. First you need to cut the baby off of the mother plant below where your pouch was located. Then plant your new plant in a pot using the appropriate potting mix, or plant it outside in the right spot for that species’ particular sun and drainage requirements.
Step 7: Don’t forget to maintain your baby plant! Small newly rooted plants should receive far less sun exposure while initially growing than the mother plant requires, so do provide it some shade. And keep your little plant well-watered – but also well-drained – until it’s established. Consider fertilizing lightly as you would the mother plant. Then voilà! You’ll actually have a clone rather than a baby plant (as in, an exact genetic match to the mother plant)!
Whether you’re looking for an interesting new project to tackle, or you just haven’t had success propagating a plant with another method, consider air layering. It’s easy to do, highly effective – and a fun way to learn about plants!
fabfun
New Member
i should find some pics or sick and starving plants to make him get all weepy eyed
and guilty
and guilty