Air Layering/Marcotting
Materials
Cutter (Big)
Plastic sheet or film, 3 inches wide and 6 inches long more or less - 1 pc
Tie wires, 1 1/2 inch long - 2 pcs
Coconut Husk
Coconut Dust
Procedure
1. Select Branch for Air Layering.
Choose the branch that is near old growth that is still greenish in color. Select a section of
the branch 3 inches long that is clear of leaves or stems.
If there are leaves in nearby stems or branches that impede air layering, trim them off.
There's no need to cut off nearby branches, just the leaves.
2. Cutting a Wound on the Branch for Marcotting
A. Make two parallel cuts (bottom cut and top cut) about 1/2 to 1 inch apart around the stem
and through the bark and cambium layer. "Bottom" here refers to the part of the air layer
wound closer to the plant roots. Use a cutter to cut around (ring cut) the branch's perimeter.
Hold the branch firmly but not tightly to avoid breaking the branch.
B. Make a ring cut at the top of the wound area as in the above.
C. Using the cutter, slice off the bark layer in strips. It is easier to make the cuts towards
you. Remove the ring of bark, leaving the inner woody tissue exposed. Scrape the newly
bared ring to remove the cambial tissue. This prevents a bridge of callus tissue from
forming.
3. Wrapping the Potting Medium on the Air Layer
A. Prepare a piece of coconut husk that is about 1 1/2 inches wide and around 3 inches
long.
B. Take a small amount of coco dust enough to cover the air layering wound and put it on
top of the coconut husk.
C. Soak the husk and the coco dust in water so that it becomes moist. An alternative is to
pour a little water on the coco dust. Squeeze out surplus water before using, since
excessive moisture will result in decay and deterioration of the plant tissue. It is also difficult
to work with the air layering materials with potting medium (coco husk and dust) that's
dripping wet.
D. Position the potting medium under the exposed wound, ensuring that the potting medium
will cover the wound entirely.
E. Wrap the potting medium around the wound with the coconut husk holding together the
coco dust. When packing the potting medium material around the plant's wound, form the
material into a ball with your fingers, so that the potting medium is mostly surrounding just
the wound.
F. While maintaining the potting medium ball around the air layering wound with one hand,
wrap around a clear thin plastic sheet with the other hand.
G. Twist the ends of the air layer in the direction of the plastic sheet wrapping.
H. With a couple of twist ties, tightly close the ends of the air layer.
Grafting
Materials
Cutter (Big)
Plastic sheet or film,
Aluminum Foil
Masking Tape, Rubber Band
Procedure
1. Vertical Incisions
Make four 3-inch vertical incisions through the rootstock's bark, starting at the top. Slip a
small rubber band on the rootstock, stopping just below these vertical cuts. With the point of
a cutter, separate the bark from the wood at the tip of the rootstock. Peel the bark down in
four 3-inch-long flaps. Cut off an equal-sized piece of rootstock with shears after peeling
back the bark.
2. Prepare the Scion
Prepare the scion by trimming 1/2 inch off the bottom to show fresh, green wood. Slice a
shallow, 2-inch cut into the wood at the bottom end of the scion. This cut exposes cambium
tissue, which carries sap through the tree. Repeat this in order to create four evenly-spaced
cuts.
3. Connect Scion and Rootstock
Place the cut end of the scion inside the four flaps, lining up each cut surface with a flap.
4. Secure the Graft
Use the rubber band to hold the flaps in place. Make sure the cambium tissue of the scion is
seated against the cambium tissue of the rootstock.
5. Protect the Graft
Protect the graft by wrapping it with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, then a piece of
plastic.
6. Secure the Plastic
Tape the plastic lightly around the graft using masking tape. New buds should appear in 15
to 30 days.
