Air layering !!! :)

This propagation technique is awesome! - Although I've yet to see if it actually works, but the theory is pretty cool. Air layering is essentially getting a plant to form roots from its branch so that it can be cut off and become a separate plant. The new plant with its roots is still attached to the donor plant so it continues to receive water and nutrients as normal whilst growing roots from an injured and light restricted area.

The benefits of doing this rather than taking cuttings is that you can get a larger section of growth (bigger new plant), and an artificial environment (nursery) doesn't need to be provided for the cuttings.

How to do it...

Select a section of previous or current seasons growth (depending on plant)
with healthy growth and vegetative buds.

Make a slit to the center of the stem (don't cut all the way
 through) about 1.5cm long with a sharp knife.
The roots will grow from this wound.

Wedge the cut apart slightly with a bit of moss so that
it doesn't seal closed. Then wrapped the whole
section of stem in wet sphagnum moss.

To keep the moisture in wrap in black plastic and tie in
place

It can take about 5-6 months for the roots to grow enough to sustain the new plant once it is removed from the donor tree. So be patient! the best time of year to do air layering is in early spring when the sap starts to flow for the new seasons growth.

Camellia cutting experiment

A large old Camellia outside the cottage was cut down. It was starting to look tired and past it's prime so Cindy made the decision to remove it and make way for something fresh and new.
However, before the plant remains were taken away we took some cuttings... :)

Apparently Camellia's grow well from cuttings with good success rates, so I thought i'd try a little experiment to see what conditions the cuttings will grow best in.
One sample I put on the heated bench in glass house 1 with the misters,
and the second sample I put in Shade House 6, with no heating and manual watering.
The race is on!

I'll report my findings when they have rooted. I spoke to Karl and he said that Camellia cuttings either grow straight away or they callous over and don't initially do anything, but if you cut off the callous and re-pot the cutting they will grow. So I will try this when my two batches are ready to pot up.

Taking Cuttings

I am now on my second placement - Cindy's Nursery! :)
The units I have to complete during my placement here are two propagation units and pest and diseases. The first propagation unit is a written part to demonstrate knowledge, the other is practical. For the practical unit I need to take leaf, softwood, semi-hardwood/hardwood cuttings and monitor their growth.

First up...collecting the plant material.

Here is all the material I collected, placed in a pot with a bit
of water to keep them from wilting and labels for each plant.
They now need to be trimmed and prepared for the cutting mix.

For my leaf cutting I have chosen Pepperomia argyreia.
I have kept about 2cm length of stem to push into the soil
for anchorage, the bottom of the leaf will touch the soil
and the new plant will grow from the base of the leaf.

Plectranthus coleoides 'marginatus'. Herbaceous/softwood cutting.
Left two leaf pairs with two nodes to go into soil

Ficus benjamina 'Diana' - Semi-hardwood.
Approx 10cm length cutting with one or two nodes
at the bottom

 Once the cuttings were prepped they were ready to be put into cutting mix - 60% peat: 40% pumice. I took about 10 cuttings of each plant so put them into 6in pots.

Ta da! Streptocarpus, Plectranthus coleoides, Pepperomia caperata 'Burgundy',
Ficus benjamina 'Diana', Ficus 'contorta?', Strobilanthes dyeranus, and Pepperomia argyreia

All pots were put on the heat bench under the misters until they start to root.