There are various methods of layering, primarily categorized by whether the stem is buried or not.
Layering Techniques Involving Burying the Stem
These methods involve bending a stem and burying a portion of it underground, encouraging root growth. While the provided reference doesn't explicitly describe these, they are common methods:
- Simple Layering: A flexible low-growing stem is bent to the ground and a section of it is buried. The buried part roots and eventually forms a new plant.
- Tip Layering: The tip of a stem is buried, and new roots form at the tip. This method is often used for plants like blackberries.
- Compound or Serpentine Layering: The stem is alternately buried and exposed, creating multiple points of root development along the stem.
- Mound Layering (Stooling): The plant is cut back to the base, and the new shoots that emerge are mounded with soil to encourage root formation.
- Trench Layering: A trench is dug near the plant, a flexible branch is laid horizontally in the trench, and then covered with soil, allowing roots to form along the length of the buried stem.
Air Layering Techniques (Not Involving Burying)
These methods create a rooting environment above ground. According to the reference, there are two types of air layering:
- Ring Air Layering: This technique involves making a wound by removing a ring of bark from a stem. This exposed area is then covered with a growth medium, such as sphagnum moss. The moss is then wrapped in a material like plastic to keep it moist and contained. Roots grow into the moss and, after a period, the stem is cut below the roots, separating it from the parent plant and creating a new independent plant.
| Method | Stem Buried | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Layering | Yes | Bending a stem, burying part of it |
| Tip Layering | Yes | Burying the tip of the stem |
| Compound Layering | Yes | Alternately burying and exposing sections of the stem |
| Mound Layering | Yes | Cutting back the plant and mounding new shoots |
| Trench Layering | Yes | Laying a stem in a trench |
| Ring Air Layering | No | Creating a wound, covering with moss, wrapping in plastic, then cutting off once roots appear |
These layering methods allow for vegetative propagation, creating clones of the parent plant.
