If you are interested in learning about air layering, an Asian Apple Pear tree will be layered on Sunday April 28, 2013.  A couple of branches will be layered every hour on the hour, starting at 10am to 4pm.

This is NOT at Copley Community Orchard.  The address is 4211 Dundas street, Burnaby.

 

 

layering (600 x 337)

Air layering is a procedure where one chooses and skives 3/4 of an inch of bark from the lower part of a branch.  Rooting compound is applied to the open area and then covered with moist sphagnum moss, plastic and foil.  Over a period of months the wound should send roots looking for moisture, resulting in a root ball in the fall.  The branch is cut from the mother tree and planted in the ground.

This photo shows air layering on Asian pear tree.  The procedure can produce a rooted sapling in six months about 30% of the time.

For more information, see this wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layering